FINDLAY, OH (WTOL) - A ground breaking ceremony Tuesday in Findlay marked yet another step in an effort to bring more jobs to northwest Ohio.
Campbell's Soup is officially the second tenant of the new Tall Timbers West Industrial Park in Findlay.
Findlay and Hancock County leaders, along with officials from Campbell's, officially broke ground on the new facility that will bring hundreds of jobs to the area.
The facility is a 700,000 square-foot distribution center, costing $44 million. Campbell's chose the site due to its proximity to other facilities in Willard and Napoleon, along with improvements to I-75.
"And also it is a transportation hub with both access to rail and freight lanes that are favorable for our national distribution network," said Mark Cacciatori, Vice President of Manufacturing for Campbell's Soup Company.
DHL Supply Chain will operate the facility that will employ about 220 people. That employment could increase seasonally.
The state of the art center will also allow Campbell's to test direct to consumer e-commerce.
"The majority of the volume of the product we're going to be handling is full pallet quantities, so we'll be moving a lot of product with material handling equipment; forklifts primarily, rider jack equipment things like that," said Mark Smith, Vice President of operations for DHL Supply Chain.
As for the industrial park, there are still 130 acres that need so to be filled. Tim Mayle, director of Findlay-Hancock County economic development, says the park should be an easy sell.
"The thing we want to be able to do is be ready when the phone rings, and that's what this industrial park has allowed us to do," Mayle said. "When McClane called and Campbell's Soup called we had the infrastructure ready and we were able to answer their questions. And we feel we are still in that position when the phone rings again that we can put a company here."
Campbell's hopes the facility will open by next spring.
If you would like to apply for a job at the new facility, follow this link to the DHL website.
