Tractor Supply Company, the largest operator of rural lifestyle retail stores in the United States, has broken ground on its planned northeast distribution center in the Town of Frankfort, Herkimer County, New York, Area Development Online reports.
The company plans to invest more than $75 million to construct the 930,500 sq. ft. project and create 350 new jobs over the next six years in the Mohawk Valley. In addition to the initial construction, the company will have the potential to expand this facility to more than 1.2 million sq. ft. later.
“The addition of a new distribution center in the northeast is essential to Tractor Supply’s continued store growth in this region, as well as our online fulfillment capabilities,” said CEO Greg Sandfort. “We appreciate the hard work of the local and state officials who are assisting us through the process. The Mohawk Valley has an excellent workforce, and we look forward to a very long and productive partnership with the local community.”
“We have invested more in the Mohawk Valley in six years than the region had seen in decades, and it’s paying off,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “Unemployment is down, while private sector jobs are up and we’ve successfully attracted Tractor Supply Company to Herkimer County, which will soon create 350 good jobs for hard-working Upstate New Yorkers. This is a huge win for Herkimer County and the entire region, and we look forward to a long, successful partnership with the company.”
Earlier, the Herkimer County Industrial Development Agency (HCIDA) contracted JBS Dirt Inc. for a $341,000 modification to the site’s utilities to install new water and sewer lines for the facility, HCIDA executive director Stephen Smith said. That project is expected to begin soon, while National Grid also will carry out site work to cut and cap gas lines to prevent open connections from existing beneath the structure, The Times-Telegram reported.
H&M Architects/Engineers, Inc., of Jackson, TN has designed the project with support from Lochner Engineering of Utica, NY.
Tractor Supply Company was founded in 1938 as a mail order tractor parts business and has grown into the country’s largest rural lifestyle retailer, with over 1,600 stores in 49 states, 25,000 team members, and annual revenues of approximately $6.8 billion.