ST. LOUIS — Vi-Jon, the personal care products manufacturer known for its flagship brand Germ-X hand sanitizer, said Tuesday it will add 400 new jobs and invest $70 million to expand capacity at its Smyrna, Tennessee, and St. Louis facilities.
Greg Billhartz, president and chief strategy officer for the St. Louis-based company, said in a statement that more than half the investments are expected to occur at the Smyrna facility. He said that was "given the available space and relative size of the company's manufacturing facilities and anticipated product mix."
A spokeswoman didn't respond to a question about how many Vi-Jon employees work in the region.
Headquartered in North County, the employee-owned company counts manufacturing facilities at 6300 Etzel Ave. and 8515 Page Ave.
The company's CEO, Rich Koulouris, said in a statement that there has been a "step change" in hygiene practices, which should continue after the pandemic is over.
"Despite the difficulties experienced across the broader economy, Vi-Jon has experienced significant demand growth across its broad platform of health and hygiene products," Koulouris said.
He became CEO in March 2019, and was appointed chairman in August 2020, according to a spokeswoman. Former CEO Tim Spihlman left the company in February 2019, she said.
