NEWS - Wirtz Beverage
New Wirtz facility now open
|
April 02, 2014 7:00 am • Pat Shaver [email protected]
LEXINGTON — An $8 million, 50,000 square-foot beverage warehouse has brought new life to Lexington.
Construction of the the Wirtz Beverage Illinois is finished and employees began work in the building this week. The building is located near the P.J. Keller Highway and Interstate 55.
Wirtz is hosting an open house 4-6 p.m. Friday at the new location, One Wirtz Way.
“We're excited for them to begin to operate, so far they have been a good member of the community and we're looking forward to that relationship continuing in the future,” said Lexington Mayor John Mohr.
The company's presence in Lexington, a community of about 2,000, has led to several other development projects, Mohr said. A 24-lot housing development is underway, he said. While no lots have been sold yet, Mohr expects interest to increase in the next several months.
There are also plans for a potential six-unit townhouse development in Lexington's downtown.
“We thought that was really encouraging that Wirtz gave people the optimism to invest in other projects,” Mohr said. “I don't think there would be interest in those investments if we hadn't seen Wirtz build here in town.”
The company will be among Lexington's largest employers, with 100 employees, Mohr said. Many moved from its now-closed Peoria facility.
The building sits on 14 acres and includes 15,000 square-feet of office space and a 35,000-square-foot warehouse. The distribution center serves the Central and Southern Illinois regions.
“We used to have inventory all over the state, but that was an outdated model. The value for us is we get our customers what they want when they want it. In the past, there were some cases where we didn't get them what they needed on a timely basis,” said Julian Burzynski, executive vice president of Wirtz Beverage.
Wirtz Beverage has been growing by about 5 percent each year for the last five years, Burzynski said.
The warehouse has 20 truck docks and a 3,500 square-foot refrigerated area. The building also has a separate training facility for employees, said Doug Hanrahan, senior development projects manager of Wirtz Realty.
“The way it was designed will allow for easy expansion for both the warehouse and the office,” Hanrahan said.
About 10 acres of the 14-acre Wirtz land is being utilized, which allows the company room to grow, he said.
There is also about 160 acres of nearby farmland available for more development, Mohr said. He said the city has discussed possibilities for the area, such as restaurants, a hotel, residential housing and a truck stop.
Wirtz Beverage Illinois distributes wine, spirits and craft beer brands in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada and Wisconsin. The company is based in Chicago. Wirtz Corp. is the parent company of Wirtz Beverage Illinois and Wirtz Realty.
LEXINGTON — An $8 million, 50,000 square-foot beverage warehouse has brought new life to Lexington.
Construction of the the Wirtz Beverage Illinois is finished and employees began work in the building this week. The building is located near the P.J. Keller Highway and Interstate 55.
Wirtz is hosting an open house 4-6 p.m. Friday at the new location, One Wirtz Way.
“We're excited for them to begin to operate, so far they have been a good member of the community and we're looking forward to that relationship continuing in the future,” said Lexington Mayor John Mohr.
The company's presence in Lexington, a community of about 2,000, has led to several other development projects, Mohr said. A 24-lot housing development is underway, he said. While no lots have been sold yet, Mohr expects interest to increase in the next several months.
There are also plans for a potential six-unit townhouse development in Lexington's downtown.
“We thought that was really encouraging that Wirtz gave people the optimism to invest in other projects,” Mohr said. “I don't think there would be interest in those investments if we hadn't seen Wirtz build here in town.”
The company will be among Lexington's largest employers, with 100 employees, Mohr said. Many moved from its now-closed Peoria facility.
The building sits on 14 acres and includes 15,000 square-feet of office space and a 35,000-square-foot warehouse. The distribution center serves the Central and Southern Illinois regions.
“We used to have inventory all over the state, but that was an outdated model. The value for us is we get our customers what they want when they want it. In the past, there were some cases where we didn't get them what they needed on a timely basis,” said Julian Burzynski, executive vice president of Wirtz Beverage.
Wirtz Beverage has been growing by about 5 percent each year for the last five years, Burzynski said.
The warehouse has 20 truck docks and a 3,500 square-foot refrigerated area. The building also has a separate training facility for employees, said Doug Hanrahan, senior development projects manager of Wirtz Realty.
“The way it was designed will allow for easy expansion for both the warehouse and the office,” Hanrahan said.
About 10 acres of the 14-acre Wirtz land is being utilized, which allows the company room to grow, he said.
There is also about 160 acres of nearby farmland available for more development, Mohr said. He said the city has discussed possibilities for the area, such as restaurants, a hotel, residential housing and a truck stop.
Wirtz Beverage Illinois distributes wine, spirits and craft beer brands in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada and Wisconsin. The company is based in Chicago. Wirtz Corp. is the parent company of Wirtz Beverage Illinois and Wirtz Realty.