Pa. distribution center could mean 100 new jobs

November 21, 1997

By RICHARD F. BELISLE

Staff Writer

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa.- Industrial development officials in Chambersburg sold off another chunk of land in the Chambers 5 Business Park, this time to a Nevada firm that will build and lease distribution and warehouse space in a project that could eventually mean 100 new jobs.

The buyer, Dermody Owen, LCC of Reno, Nev., is the largest private land development company in Nevada, said David G. Sciamanna, executive director of the Chambersburg Area Development Corp. The company is buying 23 acres, Sciamanna said.

Dermody Owen's first tenant will lease 240,000 square feet for a distribution center, Sciamanna said. The tenant, which has asked to remain anonymous for the time being, deals in consumer products, Sciamanna said. The company is expected to hire about 65 workers, most of whom will be local, he said.

Construction will begin in the early spring. The building will be finished by October.

The Nevada firm also will build 150,000 square feet of public warehouse space that will add another 35 workers, Sciamanna said.

The entire project, including the $1 million Dermody Owen paid for the land, is expected to top $6 million.

The deal will leave the industrial park with about 125 acres left unsold, Sciamanna said. It opened in the borough's southeast corner in 1989 with 350 acres. So far more than 1,800 jobs have been generated in the 25 companies that have opened there, he said.

"Dermody Owen's decision to locate in Chambersburg is further testimony to the park's location and to the amenities it provides," said Allan E. "Skip" Jennings, Chambersburg Area Development Corp. president.

"Our geographic location between major north-south and east-west highways is ideal for attracting distribution firms," Jennings said.

Founded in 1960, the Chambersburg Area Development Corp.'s efforts at Chambers 5, the Fifth Avenue Commercial Center and the South Main Street Industrial park has generated properties with a total assessed value of $6 million.

Together they pay $1.5 million a year in taxes to Chambersburg Borough, Franklin County and the Chambersburg Area School District, Jennings said.

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