As reported in the Toledo Free Press by Senior Business Reporter Duane Ramsey, Northwest Ohio is seeing major growth in its role as a distribution center for retailers, manufacturers and shippers, primarily due to its geographic location and access to multiple transportation modes.
“The region includes the crossroads of the Midwest with the intersection of I-75 running north-south and I-80/I-90 going east-west. It also has railroads running in all directions with CSX and Norfolk Southern lines that connect to the Port of Toledo for seaport shipments,” Ramsey wrote.
He focused on Calphalon Corporation, based in Perrysburg, which recently opened a new distribution center on Route 25 just south of Route 582 in Middleton Township in Wood County. Calphalon is operating out of the 363,000-square-foot facility on a 50-acre site.
Ramsey also wrote that Home Depot currently operates a rapid deployment center in Van Buren north of Findlay that employs about 350 associates; FedEx Freight opened a ground freight regional distribution center in 2009 that serves routes in Ohio and Michigan; and UPS operates the Toledo Hub facility in Maumee, a link in its hub and spoke system that routes shipments from local operating centers to centralized hubs for sorting.
Other distribution centers include:
Menards operates a 1.3-million-square-foot distribution center in Holiday City, located just off the Ohio Turnpike in Williams County. The facility serves Menards stores in Ohio, Michigan and Indiana as one of four distribution centers for the company based in Eau Claire, Wis.
The Findlay area is also home to several large distribution centers for retailers such as Best Buy and Kohl’s.
Lowe’s operates a 1.25-million-square-foot regional distribution center in Findlay that employs 650 workers. It is the equivalent of having about 28 football fields under one roof, according to company officials.
Best Buy operates a 1-million square-foot distribution center located on County Road 212 in Findlay. Opened in 1996, the facility employs 300 people and serves 177 stores in Ohio and seven other states.
Kohl’s Department Stores has a 780,000-square-foot distribution center located on County Road 140 in Findlay that employs 400 associates. It is one of 10 Kohl’s distribution centers in the U.S. and serves stores in Ohio, Michigan, parts of Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, New York and West Virginia.
Hercules Tire & Rubber Company, based in Findlay, operates a Tire Dealer’s Warehouse (TDW) distribution center there. TDW, a full-service tire wholesaler, is one of four divisions of the company that celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2012.
Michigan-based retailer Meijer operates a large distribution center off I-75 in Newport, Mich. It serves Meijer stores in southeast Michigan and northern Ohio. The company operates another distribution center in Tipp City, Ohio, just north of Dayton. This is a prime example of our region turning potential into reality. The distribution center momentum is a crucial building block in our growth and one our local development officials are wise to continue courting.
Thomas F. Pounds is president and publisher of Toledo Free Press and Toledo Free Press Star. Contact him at tpounds@toledofreepress.com.
