* The IMA’s Greg Baise has been on a statewide tour recently talking about the dire straits of Illinois manufacturing. He was in Carbondale yesterday…

Down a quiet street in Carbondale, millions of plastic products are rolling out of Com-Pac International’s factory every year.

The flexible packaging manufacturer turns about 6 million pounds of plastic resin into dozens of different medical and food bags and products that are shipped to locations around the world.

Highly engineered, value added packaging is the company’s specialty. Com-Pac’s success translates into 235 full- and part-time jobs for Southern Illinois residents. The benefit package for full-time employees includes health care at a nominal cost.

It’s the type of business that’s held up as an example of what it would be nice to have more of — because there used to be more. Manufacturing companies were once looked to as the employers in Southern Illinois who provided the vast majority of middle-class wages for blue collar workers.

* That’s Baise on our left…

       

61 Comments - Ggeo - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 12:19 pm: Needs some scotch tape. Sad! - VanillaMan - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 12:20 pm: I don’t get it! How can these cathters be free? - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 12:20 pm: “… and as you can see… The Rauner Word Jumble rolls out the Press Releases here… and ‘ck’ then just signs them… “ - VanillaMan - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 12:21 pm: Looking good Lucy and Ethel! OK - Fire it up! - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 12:22 pm: “… and that’s how Everlasting Gob-Stoppers are produced… “ - Ron Burgundy - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 12:23 pm: Now that we have our sterile garments on, I’m going to touch all the products… - VanillaMan - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 12:23 pm: I have to use my hands to do this job? - Ron Burgundy - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 12:23 pm: Does that look infected to you? - VanillaMan - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 12:24 pm: Is that mouse living or dead? - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 12:24 pm: “No. No, point… Point like you are showing him something… Look engaged… Ugh… Try again, this time, point down there… Ok, better… “ - Allen D - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 12:25 pm: That’s the one, That’s the one that taxed me. - VanillaMan - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 12:25 pm: Will this tour qualify me for additional pension? - Texas Red - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 12:26 pm: The jobs they went that-a-way; to Indiana and Missouri - VanillaMan - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 12:27 pm: It smells like cheese and Old Spice in here. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 12:30 pm: “Good question, good question… that’s a… um… a… a whatchamajigger… that one… and that… that’s a … um… a do-hickey… “ - VanillaMan - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 12:31 pm: Think of this - right now there’s a pair of Chinese officials doing this very thing, but for 1/570th of our salary! - VanillaMan - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 12:33 pm: When’s break? - VanillaMan - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 12:36 pm: Anyone speak English? - VanillaMan - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 12:38 pm: That thing could milk a squirrel if it was a little smaller and could plug into a tree. - VanillaMan - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 12:39 pm: I get to keep the hair net, right? - VanillaMan - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 12:40 pm: SO THAT’S manuuu, uh manufactoring! - VanillaMan - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 12:44 pm: Why even pay minimum wage? This is fun and we’re dressed like we’re doctors! Win-win! - VanillaMan - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 12:47 pm: DUDE! I feel like Walter White in here! Let’s melt someone in a barrel of acid! - JS Mill - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 12:50 pm: “The union contract says I don’t have to touch that thingy right there!” - VanillaMan - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 12:50 pm: Look! There’s John Kerry crawling out of that meth lab! - JS Mill - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 12:50 pm: “That is where the soylent green comes out” - blue dog dem - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 12:52 pm: See that blob right there? That’s what’s left of the dude that tried to organize a union here. - VanillaMan - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 12:54 pm: Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl Halftime show could have really used these HazMat outfits - at least for those of us watching at home. - VanillaMan - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 1:01 pm: If we could sabotage this line, they’ll be forced to accept Rauner’s last and best offer or go out of business. Bruce wants to convert this into a nursing home/processing plant for AFSCME members. - A Jack - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 1:01 pm: Look that way while I export these jobs to Mexico. - VanillaMan - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 1:03 pm: Yeah, it looks repulsive and smells like vinegar, but wait until you read how John Terranovo describes it to state workers in his emails! - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 1:05 pm: “If I put my finger in there, I’ll show you what’s wrong, first hand, with workers’ comp… “ - Give Me A Break - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 1:11 pm: Laverne and Shirley have aged well. - Jocko - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 1:19 pm: Engineer: See that button, don’t touch it! Greg Baise (to self): “Must…Fight…Urge to touch that button!” - Winnin' - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 1:26 pm: Ok, it’s been good watching you make stuff. When do we go for cocktails? - wordslinger - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 1:30 pm: “And once they’ve been surgically removed from the male GOP legislators, they’re packed in jars there, then shipped and placed on a shelf in Gov. Rauner’s office….. - Winnin' - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 1:33 pm: Word! - zatoichi - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 1:40 pm: Finger man: That smoke? Baise: If we mess with it now we’ll miss break. - Ron Burgundy - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 1:57 pm: This is my impression of the old web page Kim Jong Il Pointing at Things… - Anonymous - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 1:58 pm: “Right over here is the union stewards office……” - Streator Curmudgeon - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 2:20 pm: “We’re hoping to grow our own tuna so the Governor can send as many fillets to Rahm as he needs to!” - Streator Curmudgeon - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 2:21 pm: “Hey, you workers down there! Quit making fun of our hair nets!” - Streator Curmudgeon - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 2:22 pm: “And that valve over there controls the red plastic granules we use to color strawberry milk shakes.” - Streator Curmudgeon - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 2:24 pm: “And that sluggish, slow moving shape is an Asian carp. Or a lobbyist. I’m not sure.” - Streator Curmudgeon - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 2:27 pm: “Yes, that orange powder is very versatile. It’s used not only in Cheetos, but also President Trump’s makeup.” - Streator Curmudgeon - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 2:28 pm: “Don’t let your necktie slip into there. The pirana love rayon.” - Chicago 20 - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 2:51 pm: Touting jobs - Featuring automation - Streator Curmudgeon - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 2:57 pm: “That three-inch robot over there does the work of 100 Illinois legislators.” - Streator Curmudgeon - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 3:00 pm: “Need a knee brace for your grammaw?” - Streator Curmudgeon - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 3:02 pm: GB: “I appreciate your tech blowing my hair net up with compressed air so it makes my head look bigger.” Com-Pac Guy: “No problem! We do it for the Governor all the time.” - Streator Curmudgeon - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 3:03 pm: GB: “Is that an elf?” Com-Pac Guy: “Sure is. And they work for cookies!” - Rabid - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 3:07 pm: If we only had term limits this doohickey would run faster - Anonymous - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 4:22 pm: Baise: “I’m so embarrassed. I usually only wear hair nets from Jim Herron’s.” - TinyDancer(FKASue) - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 4:33 pm: There - right there! It’s the governor’s g’s! He dropped ‘em right there! - Arthur Andersen - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 5:24 pm: “The sandwiches are frying. Now, if you want fries with your lunch, we’ll need to need to drop them in this basket on the right.” - Anonymous - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 5:58 pm: I have to wear a shower cap so the jeri curl doesn’t stain my shirt. - Rabid - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 6:28 pm: And these are the new state bank notes that will be going out to state employees pay - Rabid - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 6:30 pm: We call this part here the finger eater - Rabid - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 6:33 pm: See it’s because madigan - Peru Pride - Wednesday, Feb 8, 17 @ 7:18 pm: I’d much rather be measuring a pothole with a yardstick! - NATTY BOY - Thursday, Feb 9, 17 @ 9:34 pm: Here at Muppet Labs, me and my trusted lab assistant Beaker have created the first anti-AFSCME, Rauner approved, Ray of Death… Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.