City of Inola Breaks Ground on New Sofidel Paper Plant

City and Rogers County officials, along with representatives from the Tulsa Regional Chamber of Commerce, Public Service Company, and Italy based company, Sofidel, recently broke ground on a $360 million paper manufacturing plant in the Inola River/Rail Industrial Park.

The Sofidel Group was founded in 1966 and is now one of the world leaders in the tissue paper production market for hygienic and domestic use.  The local distribution includes Kroeger and Walmart.

From its headquarters in Porcari (Lucca), Sofidel coordinates the activities of 19 companies throughout Europe and the United States, which produce more than one million tons of paper each year and provides more than 6,000 jobs.

Mayor Larry Grigg said that this is an exciting time for Inola, citing several benefits to the community, including permit and sales tax increases, along with retail and home growth. He also added that the public schools and Rogers County will begin receiving ad valorem taxes within six (6) years from the first full year of operations.

Grigg’s said that the increased tax revenue from the plant would help improve the town's infrastructure.  “Our infrastructure is very old, and we need new water and sewer lines, along with improvements to our roads.  The additional revenue will help us make upgrades to many areas of the town,” Grigg said.

Sofidel will employ up to 300 employees.  The plant is planned to open during the 4th quarter of 2019.