Company expands in Mon Valley
Trulieve to build large medical marijuana facility at former McKeesport steel plant
A former steel plant in McKeesport is going to pot. And lots of people are ecstatic about it.
Trulieve, a medical marijuana cultivator and retailer, has completed a deal with the Regional Industrial Development Corp. to expand its operations at the former U.S. Steel Tube Works.
The Tallahassee, Fla.-based company has purchased three buildings, including a former U.S. Steel guard house, and nearly 37 acres of land from RIDC at the former plant, now known as the Industrial Center of McKeesport.
Trulieve intends to use the properties to build a medical marijuana processing and cultivation facility totaling at least 508,000 square feet.
The construction would represent a big expansion for Trulieve, which already owns two buildings at the site it secured last year in its acquisition of McKeesport-based PurePenn.
Don Smith, RIDC president, estimated that the new facility likely will double Trulieve’s presence at the site. With the expansion, the company plans to employ 800 people at the former Tube Works.
“To have 800 manufacturing jobs in McKeesport is a tremendous sign of progress,” Mr. Smith said.
“This is an amazing win for us and McKeesport. It’s a great reuse for the facility and land and a really significant number of quality jobs. It’s a real mission success for RIDC to bring that back to what was a major employment center for McKeesport.”
Trulieve paid about $10.3 million for the buildings and the land involved in the transaction, according to Mr. Smith.
State and local officials lauded the expansion as well.
“Trulieve’s expansion in McKeesport is another example of how the Mon Valley continues to grow,” state Sen. Jim Brewster, a former McKeesport mayor, said in a statement.
“The expansion not only brings employment opportunities, but also strength to the local economy. I am proud to have Trulieve in my district and look
forward to their continued success.”
Aiding Trulieve’s expansion effort is a $2 million state redevelopment assistance capital grant.
With the exception of one tenant, the three buildings Trulieve is taking over are vacant. No timetable has been given for the start of construction on the processing and cultivation facility.
Other companies located at the 133- acre former McKeesport plant include Peoples Gas, Duquesne
Light, Dura-Bond Industries, Trillium Flow Technologies, and American Textile Company.
In the region, Trulieve also operates dispensaries in Squirrel Hill, Washington and Zelienople.
“Trulieve is thrilled to partner with RIDC as we strive to bring high-quality medical marijuana to patients in Pennsylvania,” said Jim Wernick, Trulieve’s director of state expansion.
“We look forward to building lasting partnerships with communities and benefiting from the strong talent pool that exists in McKeesport and the surrounding areas.”
The Trulieve venture marks the second big medical marijuana growing and processing facility announced in recent months.
Parallel, one of the largest cannabis operators in the country, is planning a 124,000-square-foot facility on the North Side, with another 36,000 square feet available for future expansion.