Grizzly plans expansion of 300,000 square feet

Grizzly Industrial has a bear of a plan for Springfield.

The Seattle, Wash.-based company has announced plans to build a 300,000-square-foot distribution center across the street from its 150,000-square-foot retail center at the corner of Kansas Expressway and Battlefield Road. The company will build the new center next to the KFC restaurant at the intersection, said Shiraz Balolia, president and owner of Grizzly Industrial.

The company, which manufactures and sells high-end wood-working and metal-working equipment, has purchased 40 acres at Battlefield and Cox Road to develop as a distribution center, and for other uses.

"We have enough land there to expand even further in the future," Balolia said.

He added that he is unsure what those expansion plans will include. Springfield will become the company's major hub, with the largest Grizzly center in the country.

In addition to Springfield's retail center, Grizzly has its headquarters and a retail center in Seattle, and a retail center and offices in Pennsylvania. In addition to its three retail centers, the company has a large catalog business.

Grizzly products are those that people will drive a distance to look at, Balolia said, and the company chose locations on either coast and in middle America for that reason.

"We find that our products, our retail stores, will attract people from quite a distance. We're not unlike Bass Pro Shops or other destination retailers in that regard," Balolia said.

The Springfield distribution center will serve the catalog portion of the business, he said. The warehouse will employ about 50 people, adding to the 65 who already work in the Grizzly retail center.

"Springfield has been a good place to do business because there's such a good work ethic among the employees here," Balolia said.

The company's headquarters will remain in Seattle, even though Springfield will be its largest center, Balolia said. Balolia founded the company in 1983.

Grizzly now has a distribution center in Pennsylvania, but has outgrown those quarters, Balolia said.

"Right now, with the growth in sales and products we're seeing, we can easily support a larger distribution center," he added.

The Pennsylvania distribution center is 120,000 square feet, half the size of the proposed Springfield center.

By the year's end, Grizzly will have more than 2,000 new items in its catalogs and retail stores, Balolia said. The company is constantly designing new machines. Grizzly caters to both the home shop and larger, commercial user.

The 40 acres Grizzly is purchasing needs to be rezoned, Balolia said. Springfield's Planning and Zoning Commission was to have heard the rezoning case May 11, and the case will then go to City Council for a first reading June 12.

The zoning request is for a change from general retail to industrial commercial zoning. Ralph Rognstad, assistant director of Planning & Development, said the city staff has recommended approving the change.

Balolia said the company will break ground at the end of June, and will open the center in November, just as it celebrates the Springfield retail center's first anniversary.

The architect for the building project will be Butler, Rosenbury & Partners and the general contractor will be Tom Wirt Construction, Balolia said.