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Former Global Sticks plant to be auctioned off (5 photos)

The 28-acre, 78,000 square-foot manufacturing plant in Oliver Paipoonge will be held for auction on Aug. 28.

OLIVER PAIPOONGE, Ont. - The former location of the Global Sticks manufacturing plant is up for bid after an ill-fated business venture left the building deserted nearly seven years ago.

Global Sticks, the Surrey, B.C.-based novelty wood company opened up to much excitement in May of 2011 employing roughly 75 workers. It was aided by a $7 million provincial grant and intended to sell popsicle sticks to a global market.

The plant shut down nearly five months later, citing financial difficulties and a lack of birchwood as the reasons.

After briefly opening back up in 2012, the company filed for bankruptcy later that year and announced it was $15 million in debt.

An auction to sell the assets of Global Sticks was held in February 2014. Now, the building itself is looking for somebody to call it home.

Alex Szczomak, auctioneer for Szczomak Auctions is hoping the 28-acre, 78,000 square-foot manufacturing plant will open the door to a new business.

“Hopefully a new buyer will come in, reconstruct, do something, and get it back on the payroll and employ some new people,” he said.

Szczomak said the building is capable of holding light industrial use and believes a marijuana grow operation may be another possibility.

“That’s within the scope of the industrial zoning,” Szczomak said.

Szczomak believes the market of the building will range from $700,000 to $1 million.

The auction will be held in conjunction with the North American Auctioneers on Aug. 28 and finalized by the Alterna Savings and Credit Union who currently own the property.

People can bid online, or on-site at the facility on Haniak Road.



Michael Charlebois

About the Author: Michael Charlebois

Michael Charlebois was born and raised in Thunder Bay, where he attended St. Patrick High School and graduated in 2015. He attends Carleton University in Ottawa where he studies journalism.
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