Family Dollar Stores Inc. will build an 815,000-square-foot distribution facility in Ashley, creating up to 350 jobs starting in 2012, the Indiana Economic Development Corp. announced Wednesday.
Family Dollar expects to invest close to $70 million in the project and begin operations in spring 2012.
The northeast Indiana distribution facility, Family Dollar’s 10th such facility nationally, will serve the company’s Midwest stores, IEDC officials said.
“We’re excited to bring hundreds of new jobs and tens of millions in capital investment anywhere in Indiana, but it’s a special celebration when a great smaller town like Ashley is involved,” Gov. Mitch Daniels said in a statement.
“Family Dollar joins Walmart, Nestle, Amazon and others who have come to Indiana in the last few years and established the state’s reputation as the nation’s logistics and distribution leader.”
The first Family Dollar store opened in 1959. The retailer has since grown to 6,800 stores nationwide with more than 45,000 employees.
The IEDC has offered Family Dollar up to $2.1 million in performance-based tax credits and up to $200,000 in training grants. Randy McEntarfer, Ashley’s town planner, said DeKalb County, Steuben County and Ashley have pledged a total of $1.52 million in tax increment financing for infrastructure improvements.
Ashley, with a population of 1,010, straddles the line between DeKalb and Steuben counties. The Family Dollar facility will be on the DeKalb County side, but Gary Nielander, executive director of the Steuben County Economic Development Corp., said Family Dollar approached Steuben County officials about the project.
The distribution facility will be on 100 acres at the southeast corner of Interstate 69 and State Road 4, near Klink Trucking Inc.
More than 40 acres of frontage property won’t be used by Family Dollar, McEntarfer said, and other large TIF-eligible, annexed properties exist in the area. Those parcels include one spanning 169 acres, another totaling 103 acres and an 85-acre site.
“This is going to be just the start of a lot of opportunity in the area,” McEntarfer said.
Nielander said the cooperation of the counties, the town and the state helped land the project, which was first explored by Family Dollar in 2006.
In the end, McEntarfer said, competition for the project came down to Van Wert, Ohio, and Ashley.
“I think (Family Dollar representatives) were impressed with the cooperation of our counties and the town,” Nielander said. “Also, it’s just an excellent site.”
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