A company whose name has not yet been revealed wants to bring 1,250 jobs to the site where FedEx had once planned to locate in Greenwood.
The company is still working out a deal to build a 615,000-square-foot facility on Allen Road, where a proposed FedEx distribution center was expected to go until the company backed out in March, saying the facility was not needed.
Alexis Sowder, a project manager representing the developer Scannell Properties, came before the council Monday night to share some broad information about what the company could bring to the city.
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]
“We absolutely understand the importance of introducing the name of the company as soon as we can,” Sowder said.
“In this case, this is a highly competitive and confidential project. The company is just not comfortable exposing their name. There is still quite a bit of internal approvals that need to take place.”
City officials and the company have agreed that any final approvals would be contingent on knowing the company’s name and more details about what the operation would be, she said. The company will present to the council before any final approvals, she said.
The company is planning to ask the city for incentives, including 10-year tax breaks on property taxes for the building and equipment.
If the city approves the facility, it would be a significant investment, Sowder said. The company is planning to invest $45 million in real property improvements, as well as $35 million in equipment, she said.
“That probably strikes you as a little high,” she told the council. “But I think that kind of speaks to the technology and type of equipment they have.”
“It would not just be a straight-up distribution center. It would be one of a few regional offices for the company across the country.”
All 1,250 jobs would be full-time, she said. The average pay would be $14.65 an hour. When paired with the benefits package that would be available to all employees, the average pay would be closer to $18 an hour. All full-time positions — from the lowest-paid employee to management — would have the same benefit options, which includes healthcare, dental, vision, 401K and paid time off, she said.
The city would still receive about $5 million in real property taxes over the life of the abatement, Sowder said, and about $1.3 million in personal property taxes over the life of that abatement.
Council member David Hopper expressed concern about how projects like this have played out in the past, such as the FedEx proposal, which fell through.
“We know that it is unusual that we can’t disclose who the occupier is just yet,” Sowder said. “But we also know that we are not going to be able to finalize anything until we bring that operator to (the council).”
Details of the proposed abatements will be presented at the next council meeting, and must be approved twice before they would be final.
[sc:pullout-title pullout-title=”By the numbers” ][sc:pullout-text-begin]
Here is a look at a proposed facility in Greenwood:
What: Distribution center and regional office for an unnamed U.S. company
Where: 615,000-square-foot facility near Interstate 65 and Worthsville Road
Jobs: 1,250 full-time jobs
Pay: Average hourly wage of $14.65. All employees eligible for benefits
Investment: $80 million investment for the city. Will ask for 10-year tax breaks for building and equipment
[sc:pullout-text-end]
