SHAWANO, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A Wisconsin-based distributor is growing its footprint in Northeast Wisconsin.
The first beam was placed on Reinhart Foodservice’s new 260,000-square-foot distribution center in Shawano Thursday.
But first, the first beam was signed by employees and residents and lifted into its spot.
“From the very beginning, the Shawano community, everyone from the mayor’s office to the zoning board, has been real supportive of keeping us here in the community. We thought this was a great place to invest,” said Jeff King, president of Reinhart Foodservice.
This is the sixth time Reinhart has expanded in Shawano. The new construction is just a half-mile from the current warehouse. It will be environmentally friendly and much larger than the current space.
With the expansion, King tells FOX 11 the company estimates about 50 new jobs will be created in Shawano over the next few years.
“That’ll be a combination of sales professionals, purchasing professionals, warehouse employees, administrative employees in the building to support the marketplace as well as drivers.”
“They had looked at some other sites,” said Shawano Mayor Ed Whealon.
Shawano Mayor Ed Whealon tells FOX 11 it almost didn’t happen, but it was important to him to keep a large distributor in the area.
“It’s huge. These kinds of projects for communities this size don’t happen very often and when they do you take advantage of that.”
Shawano is home to a number of national and international companies, Whealon says, keeping them here means keeping jobs in Northeast Wisconsin.
“Reinhart is a big part of the puzzle and the picture,” said Whealon.
Construction on the new distribution center is expected to be finished by spring 2020.
