VIRGINIA BEACH — To bring a much-needed option for “secure, high quality” warehousing space close to the Port of Virginia, World Distribution Services has announced it will invest $6.2 million in collaboration with Lingerfelt Commonwealth Partners to renovate a large facility here.
The renovation, which will be completed in March 2020, will create 320,000 square feet of warehouse space at 1537 Air Rail Ave., less than 15 miles from the port’s container terminals, company officials said Thursday.
The $6,225,000 in renovation costs will support overall infrastructure upgrades, technology enhancements, and new machinery. The company will also create 35 new jobs.
“With 75 percent of the U.S. population living within a two-day drive of Virginia, and all of the infrastructure improvements happening at the port, we wanted our customers to be able to take full advantage of this strategic gateway to American commerce,” said WDS SVP John Morrow.
The warehouse will be designed to fit the needs of retail, manufacturing, and food and beverage industries, equipped with high bay racking for high-value goods, 40 dock doors, 20,000 square feet of dedicated food grade space, ESFR sprinklers, and remotely monitored security cameras, officials said.
“Our new warehouse will feature a top tier Warehouse Management System (WMS) with RF scanning technology. Our WMS gives our clients 24/7/365 access to their inventory data, and seamlessly integrates with their ERP systems,” Morrow said. “What this means is that we can easily handle inventory management and order fulfillment services for our clients, and provide them with extremely accurate tracking, tracing, and reporting that fits their needs.”
To help with the renovation, WDS received a grant from the Virginia Beach Development Authority.
“This company will be nearly doubling its warehousing space [in Virginia], which speaks to its success and its expectations for the future,” said Taylor Adams, the city’s Economic Development director.
The VBDA approved an EDIP grant of $35,000 for WDS based on the number of new jobs it will create.
“We are very excited to be expanding our warehouse operations into Virginia Beach in 2020. We wanted to bring high quality facilities close to the Port of Virginia to better serve our customers and to improve the work environment for our employees. Thanks to the Virginia Beach Department of Economic Development, we were able to find a facility that will meet both of those objectives,” said Duncan Wright, president of WDS.
WDS is a leading provider of creative supply chain solutions and offers strategic warehousing locations across the United States near most major East Coast and Gulf ports, company officials said.
