For Immediate Release:
July 1, 2008 Baby Furniture Company Leases Large Port Warehouse
Interim Uses Encouraged During Waterfront Redevelopment Planning
[Bellingham, Wash.] A Canadian-US baby furniture manufacturing company will be adding local jobs later this month as it opens a major distribution facility in Bellingham.
Today the Port's Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a two-year lease with Stork Craft (USA) Inc. for a large portion of the former Georgia Pacific tissue warehouse on Roeder Avenue. The company plans to service the distribution needs of its Pacific Northwest and Canadian customers from this site until it builds a similar sized facility in Whatcom County. The lease gives Stork Craft the option of a one-year extension.
The Port acquired this 5-acre warehouse as part of the Georgia Pacific site purchase in 2005. It was built for regional tissue warehousing and distribution and has been vacant since the Tissue Mill closed in December.
"We are very pleased to find a short-term use for this building so we can offset some of The Waterfront District redevelopment costs while we complete the planning and early development work," said Commission President Doug Smith. "While we remain committed to establishing marine trades in that area over the long haul, this is a great immediate opportunity for local job creation and economic development."
The long-term vision for this portion of The Waterfront District redevelopment project is for this warehouse building to become a Marine Trades Center, housing the state-sponsored Innovation Partnership Zone facility as well as private marine manufacturing businesses.
Stork Craft will lease all of the building except a section of the building that faces the former treatment lagoon, which can accommodate marine businesses, and a portion of the building where the Innovation Zone facility will be built as a waterfront early action project during the next year.
Stork Craft anticipates having 10 local employees initially and expanding that to 30 local employees in the future. Its world headquarters are located in Vancouver, B C (Stork Craft Manufacturing Inc.) with current North American distribution out of Richmond, British Columbia and New Jersey.
Stork Craft is the largest supplier of juvenile furniture in the world, with factories located in China, Indonesia and Vietnam; and international distribution in Canada, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Europe.
"Our goal is to construct a large distribution center in Whatcom County at least the size of the existing building," said Jim Moore, President and CEO. "The use of this building allows us to integrate within the community and establish ourselves immediately while our long-term plan comes to fruition. Stork Craft intends to forge a long-term relationship with the Port of Bellingham through this initiative."
State and local economic development leaders have been working with Stork Craft to help the company find a suitable location. Moore credited the Port as well as Nancy Jordan, Executive Director of the Bellingham/Whatcom Economic Development Council; and Sally Harris, Northwest Regional Senior Manager for Community Trade and Economic Development, for their help in finding a distribution site.
"Stork Craft is a great illustration of an important trend that we are seeing in Whatcom County, with many international companies expressing an interest in locating to the area ," said Nancy Jordan, Executive Director of the Bellingham/Whatcom Economic Development Council. "Stork Craft's presence will be invaluable to the county and we are excited they chose to locate here. We appreciate the partnership with the Port of Bellingham, the Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development, the Northwest Workforce Council, and our local Commercial Real Estate Professionals."
"We're delighted that Stork Craft selected Bellingham as the location for its warehouse and distribution facility ," said Juli Wilkerson, Director of the Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development. " This is a prime example of how Washington works together in economic development to move the state and local communities forward in a global economy."
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