United Natural Foods To Open $37.8 Million Distribution Center in Northwest Wisconsin
02/11/2014
Located about 30 miles southeast of the Twin Cities, the facility will be the company’s second distribution center in Wisconsin. UNFI, the leading distributor of natural, organic and specialty foods in North America, will open a 425,000-square-foot distribution center and warehouse in spring 2014 in Racine County.
Construction on the Prescott facility is expected to begin in May and will take about one year to complete. The city was selected after the company conducted a multi state search.
“UNFI’s decision to build a second facility in Wisconsin—particularly after looking at options in other states—is a testament to our strong pro-business climate,” said Gov. Scott Walker. “The two operations combined are creating more than 500 new jobs that could have gone elsewhere. We’re very pleased with the company’s continued commitment to Wisconsin.”
“UNFI is pleased to partner with the State of Wisconsin and Prescott to expand our operations,” said Sean Griffin, UNFI’s Group President. “We feel the location is the optimal location for us to better service our customers and increase our operational efficiencies while reducing our costs and emissions. We look forward to growing together with this great community.”
“This is a day of celebration for the growth and development about to take place in our community,” said Prescott Mayor Mark Huber. “Ultimately, the creation of 314 new, good-paying, jobs is going to have a huge impact in our city. With a spring groundbreaking and busy construction schedule ahead, we see the business climate significantly improving in the City of Prescott and Pierce County over the next two years.”
As an incentive, the company is eligible for up to $3.5 million in state tax credits from the WEDC over a four-year period. In addition, the City of Prescott developed a $6 million incentive package that includes the land for the project, site preparation and infrastructure improvements. Xcel Energy also is assisting with power access, capacity and redundancy.
The distribution center will be built in the Eagle Ridge Business Park, which is one of 13 “Certified In Wisconsin” development-ready sites. It is the second announced development under the “Certified in Wisconsin” program. In Stevens Point, construction is under way on a $14.5 million warehouse for Cold Service Storage.
“UNFI’s decision to build in Prescott is proof positive that the ‘Certified in Wisconsin’ program is helping Wisconsin communities showcase their prime industrial sites,” said Reed Hall, Secretary and CEO of WEDC, the state’s lead economic development organization. “We’re looking forward to more development around the state as a result of the program.”
The site being certified as being ready for development was one of the factors in UNFI’s decision to locate in Prescott, company and state officials said. Other factors including the site’s proximity to the Twin Cities and a nearby four-lane highway; the willingness of the state and city to work together on incentives; and the low cost of doing business in Wisconsin, officials said.
J. Michael Mullis, the Tennessee-based project location specialist who worked with UNFI throughout the selection process, said among the reasons the company selected Wisconsin was the state’s overall business-friendly environment and the ability of the state and city to respond quickly to the company’s needs.
“UNFI examined numerous locations and weighed a variety of factors,” Mullis said. “But in the end, the location in Prescott made sense for many reasons.”
Project Announcements
JDSAT Expands Fairfax County, Virginia, Operations
04/25/2024
Trussworks Mid-America Plans Jackson, Missouri, Manufacturing Operations
04/25/2024
Epic Flight Academy Establishes Hebron, Kentucky, Operations
04/25/2024
EPC-Columbia Expands Lebanon, Kentucky, Plastic Injection Molding Operations
04/25/2024
Daisy Brand Plans Boone, Iowa, Production Operations
04/22/2024
Canfor Expands Fulton, Alabama, Production Operations
04/22/2024
Most Read
-
2023's Leading Metro Locations: Hotspots of Economic Growth
Q4 2023
-
2023 Top States for Doing Business Meet the Needs of Site Selectors
Q3 2023
-
38th Annual Corporate Survey: Are Unrealized Predictions of an Economic Slump Leading Small to Mid-Size Companies to Put Off Expansion Plans?
Q1 2024
-
Making Hybrid More Human in 2024
Q1 2024
-
Manufacturing Momentum Is Building
Q1 2024
-
20th Annual Consultants Survey: Clients Prioritize Access to Skilled Labor, Responsive State & Local Government
Q1 2024
-
Public-Private Partnerships Incentivize Industrial Development
Q1 2024