Business Facilities -November 2008

CORPORATE MOVES Pennsylvania By Bill Trüb Hazleton Is in the Zone I The Boston Beer Company celebrates the acquisition of a brewery in the Lehigh Valley. 38 NOVEMBER 2008 PHOTO CREDITS: PROVIDED BY PA DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT n May, AutoZone, one of North America’s top auto parts retailers, opened its 600,000-square-foot distribution center in the Greater Hazleton area of Pennsylvania. Construction of the facility began in June 2007, and AutoZone expects to employ 400 people when the plant in Humboldt North Industrial Park is fully operational. AutoZone considered dozens of communities in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland before deciding on Greater Hazleton as the site for its newest distribution center, according to John Warden, an executive vice president with The Walker Company, the site selector for the project. “In addition to our workforce, several other factors helped us locate this project here. The Governor’s Action Team brought significant state financial incentives to the table. The Hazleton Area School District, Hazle Township and Luzerne County approved the land in Humboldt North for LERTA tax status. And the assistance provided by our industrial and educational community, the Manufacturers and Employers Association, CareerLink and the Chamber of Commerce was invaluable,” says Kevin O’Donnell, president of CAN DO, an economic development agency for Hazleton. Joining CAN DO and local officials in making the announcement were AutoZone representatives including Bill Graves, senior vice president of supply chain customer satisfaction; Rod Halsell, vice president of distribution and customer satisfaction; Dave Ronk, regional distribution center manager; Joe Buehrle, distribution center manager; and Joe Lorson, direction of supply chain construction. “The increasing scope of our business requires that we enhance our supply chain capabilities,” says Bill Graves, SVP of supply chain customer satisfaction. “AutoZone’s new facility in Hazle Township will bring even more efficiency to the process of delivering the right part at the right price to our retail and commercial customers.” Boston Taps Lehigh Valley Brewery Company, Inc., The Boston BeerAugustsale agreeannounced in that it has signed a purchase and ment with Diageo North America, Inc. to acquire a brewery located 60 miles outside of Philadelphia, for $55 million. The company expects to begin brewing Samuel Adams beer in the fourth quarter of this year. “This agreement is a great opportunity to revitalize a classic brewery and restore its capability to brew our craft beers, which are increasingly in demand among beer drinkers nationwide,” says Martin Roper, president & CEO of The Boston Beer Company. Boston Beer’s purchase of the brewery includes retaining approximately 194 jobs for the local community, many of which are held by long-term, experienced brewers. The plant is located in Breinigsville, a town in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley with an awardwinning brewing history. Boston Beer also owns and operates successful breweries in Boston, MA and Cincinnati, OH. Bill Graves, senior vice president of supply chain customer satisfaction for AutoZone, speaks at the company’s announcement ceremony. “Our staff spent countless hours, weeks and months coordinating all of the meetings and information this company sought during the site selection process. Before joining the CAN DO board, I had no idea how much hard work goes into courting a new industrial tenant. I think everyone who is involved in this process has an appreciation for the amount of work that goes into bringing new jobs to the area,” says CAN DO Chairman of the Board Thomas Sandrock.

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Business Facilities -November 2008 Contents First Word Sanpshots Corporate Moves: Utah Kodak Develops a Megasite in Upstate New York Anatomy of a Deal: Studley Finds a New Space for Myspace Metro Spotlight: Johnson City, TN A Renaissance of Growth in Medical Plastics The Lone Star State Flexes Its Muscles Asia: A Portrait of Growth Sky's the Limit for High-tech in Arizona Corporate Moves: Pennsylvania Ohio Leads the Way Alabama's Tide Rolls to the Future IEDC 2008 Award Winners Advertiser Index Introducing Navigator Livexchange

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