Distribution Center

WILLIAMSPORT - Dot Foods Inc. will not expand its Williamsport distribution center for now because the company bought a New York distribution center this summer, a company official said Friday. The Liverpool, N.Y., distribution center will take care of the company's short-term needs, said James Canella, general manager of the Williamsport distribution center. Dot Foods took over the Liverpool distribution center after buying out its largest competitor, The Drescher Corporation, in June, he said.

The TruServ distribution center on Hunters Green Parkway that once had 295 workers is down to seven employees and may remain open until early autumn, a corporate spokeswoman said Monday. The distribution center had been expected to close by the end of March. No inventory is left, spokeswoman Shelley Hughes said. The remaining workers are tearing down racks and sending materials to other distribution centers. The distribution center had 295 workers in early 2002. TruServ officials said in December 2001 that the center would close because they were seeking ways to reduce duplication in the face of increased competition.

julieg@herald-mail.com Nashville-based Tractor Supply Co. has been growing so fast that the retail farm and ranch supply store chain plans to build an $18.8 million distribution center along Hopewell Road this year, company and economic development officials said Tuesday. The distribution center would create 180 full-time jobs by December 2006, according to the Hagerstown-Washington County Economic Development Commission. The distribution center would employ approximately 100 people by January 2005, when the center is expected to start shipping products to its stores, said Mike Graham, vice president of logistics for the Nashville-based Tractor Supply.

WILLIAMSPORT - The former Lenox distribution center on Industrial Lane is under contract for sale, said Phil Lynch, spokesman for Lenox's parent company, Brown-Forman. The sale is expected to close soon, Lynch said Tuesday. The buyer might resell the building, so its ultimate use is not known, he said. Lynch would not disclose the sale price or the buyer's name. Lenox moved out of the 16604 Industrial Lane building when the company opened a bigger distribution center at 16507 Hunters Green Parkway early this year.

Expansion delayed; Lenox jobs on hold By JULIE E. GREENE julieg@herald-mail.com Lenox Inc. has delayed plans to construct a $25 million distribution center after the "double whammy" of Sept. 11 and the national recession, a corporate spokesman said. Lenox still plans to build the 500,000-square-foot distribution center and create 120 new jobs, but a construction start date hasn't been set, said spokesman Phil Lynch with Lenox's parent company, Brown-Forman.

The news of Tractor Supply Co.'s distribution center could soon be followed by more good economic news. Hagerstown-Washington County Economic Development Commission Executive Director Timothy R. Troxell said he is confident a deal can be reached to bring a high-tech company here. The company would create 40 jobs and bring new construction, which once again would require a pre-annexation agreement with the City of Hagerstown, Troxell said.

HAGERSTOWN -- Teleflex Marine, which makes boat steering controls, is closing its Washington County plant this year. The company filed a workforce notice last month with the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing & Regulation saying 93 employees will lose jobs. Although the Hagerstown-Washington County Economic Development Commission's 2008 Business & Industry Directory lists Teleflex Marine as having 169 employees, the number apparently has decreased since that information was compiled.

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - A Tennessee hardware manufacturer will build its new distribution center in Berkeley County off Tabler Station Road along Interstate 81, according to plans filed in the Berkeley County Planning Commission office. Orgill Inc. will build its 477,000-square-foot plant on 39 acres across from Guardian Fiberglass, an insulation manufacturer that recently moved to Berkeley County, according to plans. The plant, which could employ up to 200 people, also will be designed for a 288,960-square-foot expansion, planning commission records said.

WILLIAMSPORT - Dot Foods Inc., a redistributor of food and nonfood products, has completed its warehouse expansion plans at its Williamsport distribution center. The company anticipates hiring 100 additional employees over the next four years, according to Brian Duffield, general manager of the Williamsport distribution center. Currently, the warehouse employs 330 people. Many of those employees are Class A CDL drivers or warehouse material handlers. The warehouse was built in 1994, and the latest major expansion is its second, adding 63,000 square feet of dry storage and 40,000 square feet of frozen storage space.