Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2019 19:43:38 GMT -5
ROME —A new 780,000-square-foot distribution center is coming to Rome, bringing 225 jobs with it to the region, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday.
Tennessee-based hardlines distributor Orgill Inc. is bringing its first northeastern distribution center to the Griffiss Business and Technology Park in Rome. The center, according to Cuomo, will be the first in the state for Orgill, which plans to invest $68 million into the facility’s construction.
State officials said the site will have the potential to expand to 1 million square feet.
“The Mohawk Valley is a prime location for businesses moving products throughout the Northeast, and the Orgill distribution center is a welcome addition to the region,” Cuomo said in a statement Friday. “We proudly invest in companies that invest in New York, and with the hundreds of jobs generated by this new facility there is no doubt it will help bolster the region’s economy.”
Orgill serves more than 6,000 retail hardware stores, home centers, professional lumber dealers and farm stores in more than 50 countries including the U.S., Canada, according to Friday’s announcement. The company plans to begin hiring key personnel in early 2020, with plans to continue staffing the facility as it gets closer to opening.
Orgill Chairman and CEO Ron Beal said “there were many positive things” that led the company to choose Rome, citing an “excellent workforce in the area” as well as assistance from local officials.
“We look forward to being a good corporate citizen of Rome, Oneida County and the State of New York,” he said in his statement.
Next steps
In their words
Local and state officials sounded off in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s announcement about Orgill Inc. building a new distribution center at the Griffiss Business and Technology Park in Rome:
Mayor Jacqueline M. Izzo: “With the assistance of New York State, Empire State Development Corporation, Oneida County and Mohawk Valley EDGE, we continue the transformation of the former Griffiss Air Force Base to a very diversified business and technology park featuring employment opportunities in cybersecurity, quantum computing, advanced manufacturing, hospitality, finance, and now our second distribution facility providing an additional 225 jobs to the City of Rome.”
Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon, D-Marcy: “I’m proud to welcome Orgill, Inc. to New York State. Orgill’s decision to build a distribution center in the Mohawk Valley will create good-paying jobs and provide an economic boost to our entire region. It’s also proof that we can continue to attract top national and international companies to Rome and to the Mohawk Valley.”
State Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-Rome: “I am pleased to see that Orgill Inc. will be building a 780,000-square-foot distribution facility in Rome. This $68 million project will create 225 new jobs and will be a welcome addition to Rome and the Mohawk Valley.”
Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Howard Zemsky: “By choosing to expand in the Mohawk Valley, Orgill will bring more than 200 jobs to the Mohawk Valley, strengthening the local economy and continuing the momentum that’s making the region, and all of New York State, a stronger and more attractive place to live and work.”
Project completion is expected by mid-2021, said Steve DiMeo, president of Mohawk Valley EDGE, with groundbreaking scheduled for the spring.
The immediate next steps involve applications from Orgill for financial assistance and site-plan approval, the latter through the Rome Planning Board.
In an application to the Oneida County Industrial Development Agency (IDA), Orgill has requested a 25-year payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement as well as sales and mortgage tax exemptions, said IDA Executive Director Shawna Papale.
In addition, Papale said Orgill is looking to reach a PILOT allocation agreement with the site’s taxing jurisdictions — Oneida County, the City of Rome and the Rome City School District — to siphon portions of PILOT revenue toward general site infrastructure improvements. DiMeo said roughly $3.5 million of PILOT revenues would go toward those site improvements, which are projected to begin this fall.
Orgill’s application is scheduled for consideration at the county IDA’s next meeting, Thursday, June 27.
Nevertheless, the site at the Griffiss Business and Technology Park currently is tax-exempt, generating zero revenue at the moment without a tenant.
“We are proud to welcome Orgill Distribution Center to Griffiss Business and Technology Park,” DiMeo said in a statement with Friday’s announcement.
Meanwhile, Empire State Development has offered up to $3.5 million in performance-based Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits, according to Cuomo’s announcement.
Marketing the Mohawk Valley
In bringing Orgill to Rome, DiMeo said EDGE worked with Empire State Development and a site selector representing Orgill for the past eight to nine months to hash out a potential location in the region.
While Orgill’s identity was confidential at the time, DiMeo said EDGE was familiar with the site-selection firm hired by the company: JM Mullis Inc., which was the same employed by Tractor Supply in parsing out sites before eventually locating in Herkimer County.
DiMeo said local officials marketed the region’s past success with distributional logistics, citing Tractor Supply along with Wal-Mart, Family Dollar and Northern Safety, among other examples.
“The region is well-situated to take advantage of these opportunities for distribution firms that need to serve the Northeast marketplace,” he said.
Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. said the region’s workforce also was promoted as a selling point to Orgill’s representatives — the area’s “work ethic” and employment rates, in particular.
As for the county, Orgill’s pedigree — the company was founded in 1847 — was key from a quality of life standpoint, he said.
“When people look at distribution centers, we’ve been successful with them,” Picente said. “We know we can fill those jobs and those are great paying jobs ... The technology that goes into these centers is really fascinating. You’re looking at 225 really good paying and consistent jobs. It’s a strong industry, too. Looking at the overall strength of this company is what makes those 225 jobs even more valued.”
Contact Digital Editor Greg Mason at 315-792-5038 or follow him on Twitter (@od_Mason).
www.uticaod.com/news/20190621/updated-new-distribution-center-coming-to-rome
Some comments on WKTV web think these will just be minimum wage jobs. I sort of doubt it.
Tennessee-based hardlines distributor Orgill Inc. is bringing its first northeastern distribution center to the Griffiss Business and Technology Park in Rome. The center, according to Cuomo, will be the first in the state for Orgill, which plans to invest $68 million into the facility’s construction.
State officials said the site will have the potential to expand to 1 million square feet.
“The Mohawk Valley is a prime location for businesses moving products throughout the Northeast, and the Orgill distribution center is a welcome addition to the region,” Cuomo said in a statement Friday. “We proudly invest in companies that invest in New York, and with the hundreds of jobs generated by this new facility there is no doubt it will help bolster the region’s economy.”
Orgill serves more than 6,000 retail hardware stores, home centers, professional lumber dealers and farm stores in more than 50 countries including the U.S., Canada, according to Friday’s announcement. The company plans to begin hiring key personnel in early 2020, with plans to continue staffing the facility as it gets closer to opening.
Orgill Chairman and CEO Ron Beal said “there were many positive things” that led the company to choose Rome, citing an “excellent workforce in the area” as well as assistance from local officials.
“We look forward to being a good corporate citizen of Rome, Oneida County and the State of New York,” he said in his statement.
Next steps
In their words
Local and state officials sounded off in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s announcement about Orgill Inc. building a new distribution center at the Griffiss Business and Technology Park in Rome:
Mayor Jacqueline M. Izzo: “With the assistance of New York State, Empire State Development Corporation, Oneida County and Mohawk Valley EDGE, we continue the transformation of the former Griffiss Air Force Base to a very diversified business and technology park featuring employment opportunities in cybersecurity, quantum computing, advanced manufacturing, hospitality, finance, and now our second distribution facility providing an additional 225 jobs to the City of Rome.”
Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon, D-Marcy: “I’m proud to welcome Orgill, Inc. to New York State. Orgill’s decision to build a distribution center in the Mohawk Valley will create good-paying jobs and provide an economic boost to our entire region. It’s also proof that we can continue to attract top national and international companies to Rome and to the Mohawk Valley.”
State Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-Rome: “I am pleased to see that Orgill Inc. will be building a 780,000-square-foot distribution facility in Rome. This $68 million project will create 225 new jobs and will be a welcome addition to Rome and the Mohawk Valley.”
Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Howard Zemsky: “By choosing to expand in the Mohawk Valley, Orgill will bring more than 200 jobs to the Mohawk Valley, strengthening the local economy and continuing the momentum that’s making the region, and all of New York State, a stronger and more attractive place to live and work.”
Project completion is expected by mid-2021, said Steve DiMeo, president of Mohawk Valley EDGE, with groundbreaking scheduled for the spring.
The immediate next steps involve applications from Orgill for financial assistance and site-plan approval, the latter through the Rome Planning Board.
In an application to the Oneida County Industrial Development Agency (IDA), Orgill has requested a 25-year payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement as well as sales and mortgage tax exemptions, said IDA Executive Director Shawna Papale.
In addition, Papale said Orgill is looking to reach a PILOT allocation agreement with the site’s taxing jurisdictions — Oneida County, the City of Rome and the Rome City School District — to siphon portions of PILOT revenue toward general site infrastructure improvements. DiMeo said roughly $3.5 million of PILOT revenues would go toward those site improvements, which are projected to begin this fall.
Orgill’s application is scheduled for consideration at the county IDA’s next meeting, Thursday, June 27.
Nevertheless, the site at the Griffiss Business and Technology Park currently is tax-exempt, generating zero revenue at the moment without a tenant.
“We are proud to welcome Orgill Distribution Center to Griffiss Business and Technology Park,” DiMeo said in a statement with Friday’s announcement.
Meanwhile, Empire State Development has offered up to $3.5 million in performance-based Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits, according to Cuomo’s announcement.
Marketing the Mohawk Valley
In bringing Orgill to Rome, DiMeo said EDGE worked with Empire State Development and a site selector representing Orgill for the past eight to nine months to hash out a potential location in the region.
While Orgill’s identity was confidential at the time, DiMeo said EDGE was familiar with the site-selection firm hired by the company: JM Mullis Inc., which was the same employed by Tractor Supply in parsing out sites before eventually locating in Herkimer County.
DiMeo said local officials marketed the region’s past success with distributional logistics, citing Tractor Supply along with Wal-Mart, Family Dollar and Northern Safety, among other examples.
“The region is well-situated to take advantage of these opportunities for distribution firms that need to serve the Northeast marketplace,” he said.
Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. said the region’s workforce also was promoted as a selling point to Orgill’s representatives — the area’s “work ethic” and employment rates, in particular.
As for the county, Orgill’s pedigree — the company was founded in 1847 — was key from a quality of life standpoint, he said.
“When people look at distribution centers, we’ve been successful with them,” Picente said. “We know we can fill those jobs and those are great paying jobs ... The technology that goes into these centers is really fascinating. You’re looking at 225 really good paying and consistent jobs. It’s a strong industry, too. Looking at the overall strength of this company is what makes those 225 jobs even more valued.”
Contact Digital Editor Greg Mason at 315-792-5038 or follow him on Twitter (@od_Mason).
www.uticaod.com/news/20190621/updated-new-distribution-center-coming-to-rome
Some comments on WKTV web think these will just be minimum wage jobs. I sort of doubt it.
