Morrow County Commissioners announced Monday that Dollar Tree Inc., a Fortune 500 company, plans to invest more than $125 million for a new 1.2 million-square-foot distribution center to be build in the southeast corner of the county, just a stone’s throw away from the Delaware County line.
The new distribution center will be constructed along I-71 at the intersection of state Route 61.
“The Morrow County Commissioners are thrilled to welcome an industry-leading retailer like Dollar Tree to the community, and we’re energized by its hundreds of employment opportunities,” said Tom Whiston, Morrow County commissioner. “When you have a Fortune 500 company expand into the area, it brings a spotlight with it for other growth.”
Whiston said the county’s unemployment rate is 4.3 percent with a population approaching 40,000 people, and like Delaware County, a majority of those residents are employed outside of the county. He said Dollar Tree’s expansion brings 400 jobs into the county.
Whiston added commissioners are focusing on the infrastructure of the county by spending millions of dollars to expand water, sewer, natural gas, and fiber utilities to promote the county’s continued growth. He said the commissioners are looking to attract a balance of commercial, industrial, and housing development to the county.
According to Morrow County’s economic development website, the county is positioned between Columbus and Cleveland on a modern interstate highway system that puts the facility within a 10-hour drive of 47 percent of the U.S. population, 47 percent of the U.S. manufacturing capacity and 48 percent of U.S. headquarters operations.
Ted Griffith, JobsOhio managing director for logistics and distribution, said the investment in the fulfillment center is “great news for the Columbus Region and the 400 Ohioans who will soon be on the job in Morrow County.”
“This was a collaborative effort with Columbus 2020, Morrow County, and Dollar Tree that will grow this successful company’s presence in Ohio,” he said.
According to a press release from Dollar Tree Inc., Gary Philbin, Dollar Tree CEO, said that Dollar Tree is a large and growing retail company.
“We currently operate more than 735 Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores in the state of Ohio, and we are excited about our new distribution center project in Morrow County. This new facility will enhance our supply chain, provide convenient access to our network of stores, and create hundreds of new jobs … in surrounding counties,” he said.
The new facility will provide Dollar Tree with prime access to quickly and efficiently move product to its stores. Construction on the facility is scheduled to start this summer with the facility’s opening scheduled for the summer of 2019.
According to the press release, Dollar Tree is the largest and most successful single-price-point retailer in North America. Dollar Tree was ranked No. 136 on the 2017 Fortune 500 ranking of largest companies. As of fiscal year-ended Feb. 3, 2018, the company operated 14,835 retail stores across 48 states and five Canadian provinces, along with a network of 22 distribution centers.
Dollar Tree operates more than 14,800 stores across 48 states and five Canadian provinces. Stores operate under the brands of Dollar Tree, Family Dollar and Dollar Tree Canada.
