A new retail distribution center is expected to create about 500 new jobs in central Arkansas.
Officials broke ground Tuesday in Maumelle on a new distribution facility for Tractor Supply Company. Hal Lawton, chief executive officer of the Tennessee-based company, says it will be the largest such facility built by the company to date.
“We’re a growth company, we add about 70 to 80 stores a year. We’re building distribution centers across the [country]," Lawston said. "This is our tenth one that we’re building and this distribution center is a significant investment for us, well over $100 million of capital.”
He says the building will be gold LEED certified by the U.S. Green Building Council for efforts to reduce its environmental impact. Mike Preston, executive director of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, says the new facility represents the company significantly expanding its footprint on the state.
“That’s going to push you over 1,000 employees in the State of Arkansas, and that’s pretty remarkable. You would not do that if you did not have the confidence and belief in our workforce, our elected officials, our drive and our willingness to get things done,” Preston said.
The facility, which will be located in the Maumelle Industrial Park, is expected to be complete in late 2023 and begin operations the following year.
Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, herself a Maumelle resident, said she hopes the facility will provide more employment opportunities in the region.
“College isn’t for every student, and we are now going to be able to have jobs right here… to say to those young men and women when they leave high school that they’ll be able to get a job as a machinist, as a mechanic, driving a forklift, and all we have to do is give them the training and the tools necessary to come right here to Tractor Supply and make a darn good living for them and their families,” Rutledge said.
Tractor Supply Company currently has 35 stores in Arkansas with over 600 employees. Nationwide, the company has a presence in 49 states with over 48,000 staffers.
