Imagine a sleepy stretch of farmland in Northwest Ohio suddenly buzzing with promise—new jobs, new faces, and a massive new factory humming along. That’s what’s coming to Defiance, Ohio, thanks to First Quality Tissue. On February 24, 2025, Governor Mike DeWine dropped the news that this family-run company is pouring $984 million into a shiny new plant here, bringing over 400 jobs and a whole lot of hope. It’s the biggest thing to hit Defiance County in, well, maybe forever.

What’s Happening in Defiance?

Picture this: a sprawling 1,000-acre patch off Baltimore Avenue, right now just fields and dreams, turning into a 1.6-million-square-foot factory. First Quality Tissue is setting up shop with two fancy machines—called TAD, if you’re curious—that’ll churn out the softest, cushiest toilet paper and paper towels you’ve ever squeezed. They’re aiming to flip the switch on the first one by early 2028, and if all goes well, they might break ground as soon as this year.

This isn’t just a win for the company. It’s a lifeline for folks around Defiance. Those 400+ jobs? They’ll pay around $56,000 a year on average—real money that’ll keep families local instead of chasing work elsewhere. Plus, there’ll be construction gigs, truck drivers, and small businesses popping up to keep the whole thing rolling. Erika Willitzer, the county’s economic development guru, couldn’t stop grinning when she called it “transformational.” She’s already hinting there might be more to come—maybe even extra machines down the road.

Ohio sweetened the deal with a $14.6 million boost last year to get the site ready—think roads, rail, and power lines—plus tax breaks and some extra help from JobsOhio. It beat out other states vying for the project, proving Defiance has something special going on.

Who Are These First Quality Folks?

First Quality Tissue is part of a bigger family story—First Quality Enterprises, started by Kambiz Damaghi and his crew after they left Iran for the U.S. over 30 years ago. They kicked things off in a little Pennsylvania town called McElhattan back in 1989, and now they’ve got over 4,000 people working for them across the country, plus a spot in Canada. From their headquarters in Great Neck, New York, they’ve built a quiet empire making stuff we all use—think cushy diapers (Cuties), pads for grown-ups (Prevail), and those ultra-soft Plenty paper towels you snag at the store. Want to know more about them? Check out their story on their official site.

The tissue side of things is their sweet spot. They’re all about that premium feel—bath tissue and towels so nice you almost feel bad using them. They’ve already got big plants in Pennsylvania and South Carolina cranking out rolls with those TAD machines (eight so far!), and Defiance will bring the count to ten. It’s a family business with heart, and their motto—“Make Things Better”—feels like it’s not just talk.

Why Defiance? Why Now?

So why’d they pick this corner of Ohio? It’s not just the tax breaks or the prepped land—though that helped. Defiance sits in a sweet spot between Fort Wayne and Toledo, with rail lines and highways close by. Governor DeWine and Lieutenant Governor Jim Tressel keep saying Ohio’s got the workers and the grit to make big projects like this work. For a place like Defiance, where farming’s been king forever, this is a chance to keep kids from moving away and give families a shot at something stable.

I talked to a few locals (well, imagined I did!), and they’re buzzing. One guy pictured his son landing a job there instead of trucking off to Columbus. A mom wondered if the extra cash flowing in might finally fix up the high school gym. It’s not just about the numbers—it’s about what this could mean for people’s everyday lives.

The Bigger Picture

First Quality doesn’t spill the beans on their sales—they’re private, so they don’t have to—but you can tell they’re a big deal. Their Lock Haven plant alone pumps out over 700 million rolls a year. That’s a lot of TP! They’re going head-to-head with the likes of Charmin and Bounty in a market that’s worth billions, and they’re betting big on folks wanting softer, fancier stuff.

For the Damaghi family, it’s personal. They came to America with nothing, built this from scratch, and now they’re planting roots in places like Defiance. Every new factory feels like a nod to that journey—a chance to give back and keep growing.