Tire Rack Inc., a national distributor of performance tires and related products, opened its new warehouse and distribution center in September. Developed and build by Griffin Land, the 304,200 s/f facility sits on 58 acres within New England Tradeport, at 100 International Dr. The facility also has all site approvals in place to grow to 450,000 s/f.
As a large-scale project with a tight timeline, The Tire Rack Inc.'s distribution center demanded both an optimal site and an expert developer receptive to the challenge. New England Tradeport, a premier 600-acre master planned business park, accommodated the project's scale, with Griffin Land providing the client build-to-suit expertise, project turnaround, and subsequent property management.
The Search
New England Tradeport was chosen after an extensive site search throughout the Northeast. "Having a site that was able to be brought into construction phase in a very short period of time was critical," said Matt Edmonds, vice president of marketing at Tire Rack. "We evaluated sites throughout the region and the Tradeport site met the large size and tight timeline constraints."
Hiring skilled labor was also a key element to their selection process. "We found that there was a well skilled and abundant workforce in the area and we were pleased with the team we hired."
Project Delivery
Griffin Land focused on fulfilling the client's needs, meeting not only requirements for the facility but the absolute need for Tire Rack to be open and ready to ship going into the busy winter season. "Site approvals were applied for in September of 2008 and secured in less than three months," said Tim Lescalleet, senior vice president of Griffin Land. "We utilized the most cost effective and time efficient building technologies to deliver the project on time." To successfully meet the project's aggressive delivery schedule, Griffin Land elected to use a "tilt-wall" building process: casting the concrete panels on the floor slab, then lifting them into place by crane. "The tilt-wall construction process proved to take weeks off our typical construction schedule," said Lescalleet.
"The key that made this distribution center project move along so successfully and on time was the relationships that worked together with the groups at Griffin Land," said Edmonds. "Their focus on fulfilling our customer needs and meeting not only our requirements for the facility, but the absolute need to be finished and ready to ship going into the busy winter season was a true testament to Griffin Land's commitment to their tenants."
The Tradeport
A premiere business park, New England Tradeport is located in the towns of Windsor and East Granby. Its access to I-91 and nearby Bradley International Airport has made it a magnet for some of the top companies in America. Since its inception in 1997, New England Tradeport has grown to include 15 industrial and flex buildings totaling in nearly 2.5 million s/f of industrial, flex and office space for 26 businesses. Additional "shovel ready" sites and space for lease remain available in the park.