Newell Rubbermaid, a global marketer of consumer and commercial products with sales of approximately $6 billion annually, has opened for business in a 407,612-square-foot bulk distribution facility at Southern California Logistics Center (SCLC) in Victorville, CA. SCLC, a 2,500-acre commercial and industrial complex entitled for 65 million square feet of development, is one of three development divisions of Southern California Logistics, a master-planned 8,500-acre multimodal transportation hub supported by air, ground and rail connections.
Newell Rubbermaid has a 10-year lease agreement with Stirling Capital Investments, a joint venture between Stirling Enterprises, a Foothill Ranch, CA-based development company and Denver, CO-based DCT Industrial Trust, Inc., an industrial real estate investment trust. As the first industrial tenant to occupy space during Phase I development activity at SCLC, Newell Rubbermaid will be warehousing imported goods from Asia at its new corporate distribution center, from which it will redistribute its products throughout the United States. In addition, it will also use the facility to operate its Graco unit, which manufactures infant and juvenile products. Newell Rubbermaid's activities will help boost local economic health through the creation of approximately 85 jobs. The plant is expected to be at full capacity by October 2008.
Newell Rubbermaid's new built-to-suit facility is the first of several warehouse and distribution buildings to be developed during Phase I construction at the logistics center, which is strategically located near the Ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach; with direct access to Interstate 15, Highway 395 and key modes of transportation; attractive lease rates; and an available and qualified labor pool. Phase I construction will consist of more than 6.5 million square feet of industrial facilities on more than 350 acres. The new industrial space will be comprised of diverse product types including large scale distribution and multi-tenant facilities. Phase I aims to create more than 13,000 direct and ancillary jobs.
'Newell Rubbermaid is the first corporate distribution center built from the ground up at SCLC with discussions underway to possibly expand the facility by 600,000 square feet in the next five years,' said Brian Parno, vice president of Stirling, the master developer of Southern California Logistics Center. 'As a catalyst for economic growth, Southern California Logistics Center is strategically positioned to meet the diverse logistical needs of companies with air, ground and rail connections, placing many world-class firms in an ideal position to engage in business with national and international markets.'
Parno noted that other major corporations have relocated to Southern California Logistics Center and in the City of Victorville including Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, M&M/Mars, ConAgra Foods, Nutro Products, Inc., General Electric and Pratt & Whitney.
'We are very pleased that Newell Rubbermaid has selected SCLC as a prime location for its warehousing and distribution activities,' said Terry Caldwell, City of Victorville Mayor and Southern California Logistics Airport Authority Chairman. 'With the location of this prestigious company and many others like it, Southern California Logistics Center will create hundreds of local jobs enabling more residents to both live and work in the High Desert.'
