< Previous188 MAY 2021 S I T E S EL E C T I O N This moment marks the next phase of our partnership, and it comes against the backdrop of soaring demand for online grocery options in the U.S. and worldwide. In the coming years, we will open more automated CFCs across a range of sizes with Kroger.” Kroger Delivery Operations Kroger Delivery is a vertically integrated network, enabling coverage of up to 90 miles from the hub location and significantly more territory when spoke locations are integrated. In these highly automated Customer Fulfillment Centers, over 1,000 bots whizz around giant 3D grids, orchestrated by proprietary air-traffic control systems in the unlicensed spectrum. The grid, known as The Hive, contains totes with products and ready-to- deliver customer orders. As customers’ orders near their delivery times, the bots retrieve products from The Hive and are presented at pick stations for items to be sorted for delivery, a process governed by algorithms that ensures items are intelligently packed: Fragile items are placed on top, bags are evenly weighted, and each order is optimized to fit into the lowest number of bags. After being packed, orders are loaded into a temperature- controlled Kroger Delivery van, which can store up to 20 orders. Powerful machine learning algorithms dynamically optimize delivery routes, considering factors like road conditions and optimal fuel efficiency. The Monroe CFC measures 375,000 sq. ft., carries thousands of grocery products and represents one of the models engineered for the flexible Kroger Delivery network, which will also include smaller facilities as well as spoke locations. The CFC can fulfill thousands of orders per day and has the capability to support fulfillment of pickup orders. to live in Columbus. I never thought I’d get to do both at once.” Why Ohio, and Columbus in particular? “We wanted to find a place outside the Bay Area and combine the best of both worlds,” says Schneider, “maximizing the employment appeal to new hires. It wasn’t an abandon-the-Bay-Area situation.” An initial list of about 25 cities was winnowed down to Columbus and Chicago by November 2018. “We then did a deeper dive, looking at cost- of-living factors most companies look at, how many tech companies are there with open software engineering jobs and how many people have that in their title — it was a close look at supply and demand of technical talent. Also, would things really be better in a city like Chicago? That wasn’t the case. In terms of Columbus, the JobsOhio people were incredibly helpful, introducing us to the right people, going over tax incentives. It was refreshing, frankly, how much they were willing to do to help. It seemed like they really cared about what we were building. It mattered a lot to us when we were embarking on such an expansion.” Upstart employs about 250 people in Columbus with plans to double that to 500. “That’s the next milestone we (continued from page 184) (continued on page 194)190 MAY 2021 S I T E S EL E C T I O N • American Trailer World Corp. (ATW®), a manufacturer, retailer, and distributor of trailers, truck equipment, and related parts and accessories in North America, announced it will invest $18 million to establish a new trailer manufacturing facility in Batavia Township, creating 249 new jobs. ATW® says the facility will be one of its largest and most technologically advanced facilities. The facility, once completed, will produce trailers under many of its current brands, including Big Tex® and PJ Trailers®. “We are pleased to announce our expansion of operations into the southern Ohio region. Also, we are excited to bring manufacturing jobs to the local community,” said Eric Blackwell, ATW® COO. ATW® was looking to expand its business presence in the Midwest so it could meet increased demands for its products. The new site, located off State Route 32, will complement ATW®’s current production facility in Mt. Orab. ATW® considered locations in Michigan, Kentucky, and Indiana before choosing Batavia Township because of its proximity to existing operations and easy access to the rest of the Midwest. • CTI Clinical Trial and Consulting Services (CTI) a global, privately held, full- service contract research organization headquartered in Covington, Kentucky, announced that it is expanding its presence in the Tri-State area with the opening of a new campus near downtown Cincinnati. The multimillion-dollar investment is projected to create 70 new jobs, with help from a Job Creation Tax Credit (JCTC) from the Ohio Development Services Agency and additional incentives from the City of Cincinnati. JobsOhio plans to provide assistance for the project, which will be made public after a final agreement is executed. The company will occupy 37,000 sq. ft. of the Baldwin 500 Building on Florence Avenue. The space will house CTI’s new Laboratory Services Business Unit in North America, a first step in a global expansion. The business unit will provide molecular, cellular and bioanalytical testing, as well as biorepository, and kit building services for the company’s clients. “We launched our Laboratory Services Business Unit to improve the experience of our clients and to provide them with a more comprehensive CTI service offering,” A BUCKEYE STATE PROJECT ROUNDUP192 MAY 2021 S I T E S EL E C T I O N said Thomas O’Donnell, Global Vice President of Laboratory Services at CTI. “We’re excited to start the laboratory buildout and see our vision begin to take shape.” • Trucent Renewable Chemicals (TRC) will invest more than $10 million at the company’s new site in Van Wert, creating at least 21 new jobs. TRC, a division of Trucent with headquarters in Dexter, Michigan, processes vegetable oils into renewable oleo- chemicals which are shipped to customers for a wide variety of applications, including machining fluids, paints, adhesives, plastics, and animal feed. The new facility will allow for increased production of existing products, expansion into new markets, and development of new products. “Northwest Ohio is the intersection of the agricultural and industrial markets, and that is a key reason we located in this area,” said James Bleyer, TRC Director. Bleyer added this will be the company’s first facility to commercialize TRC’s proprietary technology to process of raw vegetable oils into chemical intermediaries. S I T E S E L E C T I O N MAY 2021 193 He said Ohio’s workforce is highly respected and can handle the production requirements. “This region has an industrial base with a workforce trained for these types of operations,” Bleyer said. • Libbey Glass LLC, one of the world’s largest glass tableware manufacturers, recently announced a commitment to maintain its operations, along with its existing corporate headquarters, in Toledo. The company will expand production in Toledo with an additional stemware line, bringing security to the facility. With the assistance (continued on page 195)194 MAY 2021 S I T E S EL E C T I O N see, but we won’t stop there,” Schneider predicts. “The whole company is about 600 people today. I don’t think it will be too long before we’re the bigger office in terms of headcount. We’re quickly approaching the same size as the California office.” Payroll tax credits are a key incentive for Upstart. “We commited upfront to a very specific 257 people over a certain number of years, and they would kick in,” says Schneider. “We passed that and had to re-up the agreement with the city and state to the 500-employee level. I think they were surprised to hear from us about that so soon. It turns out the first agreement wasn’t ambitious enough, even though it seemed so at the time.” Where Workers Want to Work Location really does matter, notes Schneider, and the booming payroll numbers bear that out. “We’re in the Short North Arts District, which is like Columbus’ eight blocks of New York City,” he explains. “It’s the hip, diverse arts area, where you would want to be early career, where you can enjoy life in the city. It was a choice between the Short North or Downtown. We’re in FinTech, but we’re a technology company first, and our building location and amenities are ideal. We originally took one floor of the building we’re in, and we just signed a deal to take three more. My sense is we’ll keep hiring and outgrow that space and need more. It’s (continued from page 188) (continued on page 198) S I T E S E L E C T I O N MAY 2021 195 from JobsOhio, Libbey plans to invest nearly $30 million over the next four years to maintain the plant and move the production line to the Glass City. “We are excited to maintain and build upon our presence here in Toledo through greater investment,” said Jim Burmeister, COO, Libbey. “Over the course of more than 130 years, the Toledo region has supported our business and helped us flourish. This is a great opportunity for us to show our appreciation to the regional community by positioning our company for even more growth.” Libbey currently has 930 employees located between its north Toledo manufacturing facility and its downtown corporate headquarters. The company operates five plants across the world. • Petland, Inc., announced plans in January to expand their footprint in Ross County in several different locations. The investment will add 21 new jobs and give the company additional opportunities to expand its business. Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Chillicothe, Ohio, Petland, Inc. is a global leader in the pet retail industry. Petland re-opened its Distribution Center in 2015 and launched a fixture design and manufacturing program in 2016 and has expanded its private-label product offerings to more than 1,200 skus. Petland’s expansion will add new manufacturing and distribution jobs to meet the growing needs of their company. Petland president Joe Watson noted that keeping Petland in Chillicothe has always been a priority. “We are excited about the opportunity to develop our footprint in Southern Ohio. This expansion will allow us to remain competitive in a rapidly growing international pet industry and to support our community and provide jobs,” he said. Petland received a $50,000 JobsOhio Economic Development Grant toward building and equipment costs. (continued from page 193)196 MAY 2021 S I T E S EL E C T I O N The Columbus Regional Airport Authority (CRAA) announced plans in February to develop a new air cargo pharmaceutical handling facility at Rickenbacker International Airport (LCK). The roughly $1.5 million project is being assisted with a $600,000 JobsOhio grant as part of the Ohio Site Inventory Program. “With the addition of this specialized product handling capability, we are NEW RICKENBACKER PHARMACEUTICAL FACILITY GAINS TRACTION S I T E S E L E C T I O N MAY 2021 197 diversifying our growing portfolio of services and further establishing Rickenbacker International Airport as a global gateway,” said Joseph R. Nardone, President & CEO of CRAA. “We are grateful to JobsOhio and One Columbus for the support, and for recognizing Rickenbacker’s pharmaceutical handling facility as an asset that will contribute to the long-term prosperity of our region and state.” “Rickenbacker International Airport’s new pharmaceutical handling facility will play a critical role in bolstering the U.S. supply chain,” said J.P. Nauseef, JobsOhio President & CEO. “The newly renovated air cargo terminal space will include the latest advancements in cold-storage technology that are essential to distributing vaccines, ensuring Rickenbacker will continue to be a global asset to the Columbus Region.” The grant will help support the redevelopment of existing air cargo terminal space into a temperature- controlled pharmaceutical handling facility serving partner airlines, forwarders and pharma customers. The 9,600-sq.-ft. (892-sq.-m.) warehouse will be the first dedicated handling facility for temperature-controlled pharmaceutical air cargo shipments in Ohio. The facility will have the capabilities to handle pharmaceutical and life- sciences products like vaccines and therapeutics that require cold storage. The demand for these types of facilities has been steadily on the rise as drug companies develop diverse new treatments. The new facility is expected to open in the third quarter of 2021.Next >