Locke Supply looking to expand, building $150 million HQ, warehouse in Oklahoma City
Locke Supply is about to begin construction of a $150 million distribution center and headquarters at the OKC 577 industrial development in southeast Oklahoma City.
The $1 billion OKC 577 at Interstate 240 and Bryant Avenue is being built by Richard Tanenbaum and Mark Beffort. The pair were chosen by the Oklahoma Industries Authority in late 2021 to develop the 577 acres which are close to the BNSF Railway, I-240, Interstate 35 and Tinker Air Force Base.
Locke Supply, currently headquartered nearby at 1300 SE 82, was founded in 1955 by Don and Wanda Locke and has grown to 199 stores in six states. Employees bought the company after the founder’s passing in 2000.
“Our current facility, since the 1960s, we’ve added and added to," CEO John Orman said. “Because of what’s been added over the years, we’re not designed to do what we need to do and be a distribution center.”
More: Oklahoma City construction boom continues amid rising interest and labor costs
What to know about the new headquarters planned in OKC
The new headquarters and distribution center will consolidate operations under one roof at the corner of SE 89 and Bryant. Orman said 400 of the company’s 1,750 employees will work out of the new headquarters and distribution center when it opens in late 2025.
Locke Supply operates in Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Texas, Missouri and Virginia.
“The vast majority of our business covers the state of Oklahoma,” Orman said. “We have a five-hour travel circle around the distribution center and that’s 99% of our geography.”
Orman said the new operation will allow Locke Supply to grow beyond the five-hour circle.
“We’ve not been able to accomplish the things we want to do,” Orman said. “We can't open new locations, we can’t expand. Once we get all the systems and processes in place, and we get four to six months of stability under us to accomplish the efficiencies we’re looking for, which are significant, we will be looking to expand.”
Four more buildings are set to be built by Tanenbaum and Beffort in addition to the Locke Supply development. The pair is ramping up a master plan that includes a feeder road, an access road facing I-240, sidewalks, bike paths, picnic areas, space for food trucks, basketball and pickleball courts, and wetlands.
OKC 577 was identified as one of the best sites in the city for large industrial employers in a study commissioned by Oklahoma City because of the location being near transportation infrastructure and also being in established Opportunity, New Market and Enterprise Tax Credit Zones.
More: Analysis: Another industrial park is planned for OKC, but how much is too much too fast?
Site preparation and infrastructure started earlier this year. Beffort said he and Tanenbaum are set to start construction this winter on four more speculative industrial buildings, two of which are being looked at by potential tenants.
In a prior interview, Tanenbaum said the master plan allows for about 7 million square feet of industrial space with large sites that locally have been in scarce supply.
“With everything coming back here from China, Asia and Europe, it’s not just about the supply chain, but things like Big Pharma,” Tanenbaum said. “It’s been a big challenge for the Commerce Department. These companies want large facilities. They’re primarily higher-paying jobs, light to heavy manufacturing, pharma and battery production.”
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC-based Locke Supply to build $150 million distribution center
