DrinkPAK

1. Location, Location, Location

DrinkPAK is headquartered in California and over the past several years has been in the process of expanding to the East Coast. The company opened a plant in Texas earlier in 2025, and was seeking to complete their United States geographic network by selecting a site with ample access to Eastern U.S. markets and population centers. After evaluating options, they determined that Philadelphia would be the location best suited to the company’s growing needs.

“Philadelphia is very exciting because it completes our coast-to-coast network,” Schroeder said. “We look forward to joining the region, being a good employer, and showing up as a genuine community partner as we continue to grow.”

Pennsylvania is located within a day’s drive of nearly 40% of the U.S. population and 60% of Canadians. But a good location is only valuable if it has the transportation infrastructure that can deliver goods to target markets efficiently. Pennsylvania’s 5,600 miles of rail and 120,000 miles of state and local highways, along with its six international airports and robust port access, keeps businesses connected and competitive. “In Philadelphia, we’ll have a location that has access to the market and access to transportation and highways – and those pieces are super important for us,” Schroeder said.

2. A Ready-to-Go Site

Even if a company finds the perfect geographic location, it needs a physical site that is ready for construction. Unprepared sites require businesses to spend additional time assessing and/or remediating the site and can face potentially exorbitant costs in doing so. In the Bellwether District – a former refinery site that became a major economic development project for officials in Philadelphia and the Commonwealth – DrinkPAK found the ideal place for their new facility that was ready to go, with no unnecessary extra preparation time or costs required.

“The Bellwether District was primed and ready to go, including all the utilities,” Schroeder said. “The fact that this site had that whole package, from infrastructure to utilities to permitting support, was really where the stars aligned for us.”

Before DrinkPAK chose to expand there, redeveloping the Bellwether District was a massive project that required coordination from business leaders and government officials. Governor Shapiro created the PA Permit Fast Track Program in 2024 to ensure that the complex permitting requirements for sites like the Bellwether District are handled quickly and efficiently. The Fast Track Program – which Governor Shapiro originally announced at the Bellwether District, flanked by local officials and heavy machinery – streamlines the Commonwealth’s permitting process for key economic development and infrastructure projects, increases transparency, and accelerate timelines to ensure state government delivers results. The Fast Track program helped get the Bellwether District ready to go for companies like DrinkPAK.

The right geographic location and a pad-ready site may be prerequisites for a successful expansion, but even the perfect spot won’t be conducive to long-term growth unless it is within a business climate that fosters success and cultivates a strong pool of talented workers. For DrinkPAK, operating in a pro-business environment was crucial. Given the company was planning on creating more than 170 new jobs with the expansion, they needed a broad base of talent. “We have quite a range of workers that we’re going to need,” Schroeder said. “Given that it’s an advanced manufacturing facility, we’ll hire folks who have everything from a high school degree, to an associates degree or certificate, to even bachelors or masters degrees. And that matches really well with the Philadelphia region.” According to Schroeder, the region’s many universities and community colleges gave her and other DrinkPAK leaders confidence that they would be able to hire the workers they needed as the facility gets up and running.

In addition to workforce, other components of Pennsylvania’s business climate were also critical factors in the decision to locate there – namely the Keystone Opportunity Zone, or KOZ, which provides tax relief to certain geographic areas of the state. “The KOZ in the Bellwether District is a phenomenal program,” said Schroeder. “It’s straightforward, easy to navigate, and very beneficial to DrinkPAK.” In addition to the KOZ, the Commonwealth is providing a $2 million grant to support the project.

Schroeder also complimented the Commonwealth’s and region’s ease of permitting. She noted the company “had to do some changes to the construction plan, and both the state and the city were very responsive to all the permitting required. They got things turned around and provided feedback to us very smoothly and quickly.” The swiftness of permitting is allowing DrinkPAK to pursue an aggressive construction schedule throughout 2026, with plans to bring the new facility online by mid-2027.

As DrinkPAK continues to grow quickly – from being founded in 2020 to having a total of three sites operational or planned by late 2025 – they exemplify the kind of “Get It Done” attitude that has become the trademark of businesses operating in Pennsylvania.