New 1 million-square-foot building taking shape in Shalersville

By Christmas, the walls should be going up on what is arguably the largest industrial building in the region.

A 1 million-square-foot building is under construction near the Ohio Turnpike exit in Shalersville. Geis Construction, which is partnering with Stonemont Financial Group to construct the building, still doesn't know who will be moving into the site, but envisions that one tenant will likely occupy the entire structure.

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Local economic development leaders say there are not many industrial sites in Portage County, and companies are looking for large buildings.

"Geis didn't get its national reputation by making bad bets," said Patrick O'Malia, economic development director in Streetsboro. "If they see a demand for this type of building, they're probably right."

Geis announced its plans for an industrial park on the 450-acre parcel at the corner of Beck Road and state Route 44 about a year ago. The following June, Shalersville Township trustees approved a Joint Economic Development District with Streetsboro, allowing income taxes to be split between the township and the city. Shalersville, along with Portage County commissioners and the Crestwood Local School District, approved a 15-year, 100 percent tax abatement for the estimated 375 people expected to eventually work there.

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The building was presented to officials as a "spec" building that would be finished to suit the eventual tenant. That hasn't changed as construction on the building begins.

Bob Fridrich, senior vice president for Geis, said 1 million square feet equates to 23 acres under roof. The building measures 1,680 by 608 feet, making it slightly larger than 1 million square feet "but a million square feet is just more fun to say."

What's finished so far on building near turnpike in Shalersville

Right now, the concrete pad the building will sit on has been poured, and the walls are being assembled outside the edges of the floor. In the weeks ahead, a large crane is expected to lift the walls, weighing 300,000 pounds each, into place. The walls should all be up by Christmas, said Kevin Hartfelder, project manager for Geis.

Once the walls are in place, contractors can begin setting up the roof trusses. The trusses are now being assembled on the building floor by crane and stacked five high.

The crew at Geis say they've heard plenty of rumors about what business might be moving into the building when it opens this time next year, but no tenant has been identified. While two or more tenants could share the space, Fridrich said it's "definitely possible" that one large user could use the entire space.

"Given the proximity to the turnpike, it's pretty sought after," he said. "Given the limited stock of 1 million-square-foot buildings, it fits the need for space."

Brad Ehrhart, president of the Portage Development Board, said some businesses are looking for large industrial buildings in the area, and the fact that the building is already constructed gives Geis "a leg up."

"When it's already built, it's a great find," he said, adding that the space would work well for warehousing, logistics or manufacturing.

Thousands of potential workers near building site in Shalersville

Ehrhart said the development board's website lists labor market data showing thousands of potential workers within a 30-minute drive of the site. The proximity of the turnpike means that people from the Cleveland area to the Pennsylvania border could work there, he said. The Mahoning and Trumbull county areas, he said, have a higher unemployment rate than Portage County.

"The turnpike is an asset, not only for truck traffic but for people," Ehrhart said.

Shalersville trustees said the property has been zoned for industry since 1959, but development has never gotten off the ground. In addition to the first building, an industrial park is planned with multiple businesses on the 450-acre site.

"What you have is a world-class developer and a county that is able to put water and sewer there," he said. "That's why this is happening."

O'Malia said there also has been a lot of interest in Geis' spec building in Streetsboro, which has already opened. Geis officials said previously that the two buildings could work cooperatively.

"We see an awful lot of leads from Jobs Ohio from folks in the Midwest interested in electronic car battery production," he said, adding he's not sure the area has the infrastructure to support such a plant. Distribution centers and manufacturers tend to be interested in large buildings like the one going up in Shalersville, he said.

He said Streetsboro and Ravenna both have a higher rate of people in the workforce than the state and national average.

"People here want to work," he said. "We're beating the state and national average."

The turnpike, O'Malia said, can bring workers to both Shalersville and Streetsboro quickly.

"The turnpike, for all intents and purposes, has become an autobahn," he said, "We're importing people from Vermilion and the Pennsylvania border every single day."

Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at 330-298-1139 or dsmith@recordpub.com..

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: One-million-square-foot building taking shape in Shalersville