We Can

ball corporation We Can!

In 1880, five brothers established a company whose name would become a household word and an international success story.

The Ball Corporation, known in every kitchen in America for Ball canning jars, was just the beginning. Advancing to their participation with over 45 businesses, they no longer manufacture jars. By the turn of the century, Ball had expanded into a worldwide metal packaging company that makes billions of recyclable metal containers and a unique aerospace business with manufacturing on four continents.

Rome and Floyd County welcomed the Colorado-based Ball Corporation when they found a home just northeast of Rome. With the acquisition of the former Metal Container facility in Shannon,

they brought their values for preservation and a corporate heart for a safe and clean environment. As Ball flourishes, they continue to advocate conservation roots and principles.

Recycling generated the new aluminum beverage container plant that went online this year, initiating a major nationwide campaign touting the merits of the new aluminum beverage cups. The idea was well accepted, and consumers found a cup worth keeping— enjoy a favorite beverage, rinse out the lightweight cup, and it’s ready for use time after time, or they can use it once and recycle it with other aluminum. Successfully environment friendly. Ball Plant Director Mason Hogan said the aluminum cup plant was about seven years in the making.

The backstory for the Ball Aluminum Cup began with a Denver restaurateur and bar owner whose business was located near the Ball corporate headquarters in Broomfield. He was concerned about glass breakage, which was wasteful, time-consuming, and certainly not customer friendly. He knew that Ball made cans but wondered if they could also make cups?

Fast-forward to 2021, where the only plant making the new product is online in Floyd County.

On the first day of production, the Rome facility rolled out more than 11,000 cups and, more recently, almost 700,000 a day. However, Hogan believes that a million or more per day is not an overestimation, and by March of 2022, a second production line should be up and running.

The plant is also fully capable of customizing the cups for resale use. The cups were introduced to study acceptance and versatility at the University of Colorado, and the first professional venue to utilize the cups was Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium.

Locally, the new cup is available over the counter at select outlets, such as Food Lion in Armuchee and CVS, and through Amazon. For the first time, 1800 food, drug, and mass retailers such as Kroger, Target, Albertsons, CVS, and others will have the cups on their shelves. The interest is huge—festivals, community events, weddings, schools, concerts, and sports activities, to name a few inquirers.

Ball executives have indicated the new cup plant will ultimately mean another 140-150 jobs for Rome and Floyd County when the facility reaches total production. About the same time, the company was adding a new production line inside the original plant to manufacture the new 7.5-ounce beverage cans, reflecting a trend to more personal consumptive food and beverage packaging. That addition is expected to lead to between 40 and 50 new jobs at the plant.

Even more recently, Ball agreed to purchase the 110-acre tract at the intersection of Georgia Highway 53 and Georgia Highway 140. A property that has been on the market for almost a decade, Ball recognized how the site could be beneficial to its local growing operations. In addition, Ball has grown familiar and comfortable with Rome and Floyd County and understands that once the Georgia Highway 140 widening is complete, it will be a short hop across to Interstate 75 and easy highway access anywhere in the US.

Ball will use the site for a new regional distribution center, relieving some pressure and potentially freeing up additional space in the manufacturing facilities at East Hermitage Road and Georgia 53. The company will also be able to move out of space it has been using for several years in a storage and distribution facility on Burlington Drive in the Shannon community.

The new warehouse and distribution center is expected to encompass more than 700,000 square feet and represent an investment of approximately $51 million. In addition, Ball leadership is projecting the new warehouse/ distribution facility will create another 70 jobs over the next three years.

The slogan that began in 1880 with the Ball brothers was simply, “We Can.” The 2021 version might well be “We Can, We Will and We Do”.