Wanda Widurski of Allegheny Printed Plastics works Wednesday at the plant in Cranberry Township. Allegheny Printed Plastics, which manufactures gift cards, has hired an architect to design a 20,000-square-foot expansion at the firm's Thorn Hill Industrial Park site.

CRANBERRY TWP — The popularity of gift cards has Allegheny Printed Plastics looking to grow.

The company in Thorn Hill Industrial Park across from Primanti's Restaurant has hired an architect for a 20,000-square-foot expansion, almost doubling the company's 30,000-square-foot space.

Allegheny Printed Plastics does not plan to add any new employees with this expansion. It employs 60 to 80 people depending on the time of year.

Studio A of Charleston, S.C., will design the environmentally friendly LEED Silver certified building.

President Don Ranalli said not only will the company expand its gift card manufacturing line, but it also will add a secure card personalization operation for companies throughout the country.

"We're just at the beginning of the process that I understand takes six months to get all the state and local approvals," Ranalli said.

The company has been in Cranberry for more than 10 years, but Ranalli said it dates back to 1936. It is a division of the Pittsburgh-based Allegheny Plastics along with sister division, Allegheny Performance Plastics in Leetsdale.