A. Schulman to Build New Headquarters in Fairlawn

has made Fairlawn its corporate headquarters for the last 40 years, and it has plans to stay here for a while longer.

At Monday's , representatives from A. Schulman, a $2.5 billion global plastics supplier, announced it would stay in Fairlawn and relocate to the new Corporate Park at the corner of Ridgewood and Cleveland-Massillon roads.

Vice President Gary Miller said the company has grown substantially since 2009, having made five acquisitions in the past three years, the newest one being earlier this year.

The new building will be the cornerstone of the corporate park, he said. It will sit on 4.6 acres of land that the company bought for $560,000. It will be a one-story, 34,000 square foot building that will house the U.S. headquarters, a common area and a corporate area for the Akron Product Technology Center.

The target opening date is spring 2013 and the new building will make room for 17 new jobs, Miller said.

Fairlawn's quality of life, location and stellar reputation as a great place for both family and business is the key reason for us to stay," Miller said. "This whole thing was made possible because of the tremendous cooperation with the mayor and the city of Fairlawn."

Mayor William Roth expressed his gratitude for the company staying.

"They've been very up front with us and they've had offers from other (cities)," Roth said. "But we worked hard on it and negotiated their stay. This is a very fair deal for the city and it's fantastic that they've committed."

Roth added that the building takes up a small part of an acre, so A. Schulman could expand their operation in the future.