FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 26, 2006
Media Contact:
Jennifer Abshire or Susan Hancock
Abshire Public Relations
912.695.7881 / 912.844.9549
Oneida Ltd. Announces Plans to Open 500,000-Square Foot Distribution Center in Pembroke
SAVANNAH, Ga. – Oneida Ltd., one of the world’s leading marketers of stainless steel flatware and dinnerware products, recently signed a lease with North Point Real Estate to occupy a 500,000-square-foot warehouse facility at the Interstate Centre in Pembroke, Ga. The building, which is currently under construction, will serve as the company’s new East Coast distribution center.
Developer North Point Real Estate owns the facility, which is located at the intersection of I-16 and Hwy. 280, and brokered the deal. Construction on the built-to-suit warehouse is expected to be completed in December of 2006. The distribution center will employ approximately 150 workers.
“This announcement is great news for Bryan County,” said Jeff Jepson, a principal at North Point Real Estate. “We are delighted that a major company like Oneida decided to open a significant new distribution center here in coastal Georgia.”
Oneida Ltd. is the second major tenant to lease space at the Interstate Center, a 270-acre industrial park in Bryan County which was developed in 2003 to attract corporate tenants to the area. Last year, German corporation Orafol announced plans to open its U.S. headquarters and first manufacturing facility outside Germany at the business park.
“We’re pleased to welcome Oneida to Bryan County and the Interstate Centre,” said Jean Bacon, executive director of the Development Authority of Bryan County. “Oneida was looking for a site which offered easy access to the Georgia Ports Authority, I-95 and I-16. We look forward to a prosperous relationship with them and are especially thankful for the number of jobs they’ll bring to the community.”
The warehouse is part of Oneida Ltd.’s global strategy to establish centralized East Coast and West Coast distribution centers. Last year, the company signed a five-year lease agreement for a 244,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution facility in Lebec, Calif., which currently employs approximately 100 workers.
“We look forward to establishing a vital, successful distribution center in Bryan County,” said XXX, XXX of Oneida, Ltd. “This location should prove critical to our success in maximizing the distribution of our products to retailers along the East coast. We are grateful to North Point and to the Development Authority of Bryan County for their help in securing this first-rate site.”
ABOUT NORTH POINT REAL ESTATE
Headquartered in Savannah, North Point Real Estate is the largest developer at Crossroads Business Center, spearheading the development of 2.8 million square feet of new office and warehouse space at this 1,700-acre office park adjacent to I-95 and the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport. Company principals have planned and developed a wide range of office buildings, industrial warehouses and master-planned residential communities for owners and investors. For more information about North Point, please visit www.northpoint-re.com online.
ABOUT ONEIDA LTD.
For more than 100 years, Oneida Ltd. has been one of the world’s largest marketers of stainless steel flatware, and offers a complete range of tabletop products. Its operations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Australia market stainless, silverplated, and sterling flatware products, china dinnerware, and crystal and glassware items. The company originated in a utopian community established in the mid-nineteenth century, and has had a strong reputation for quality since that time. For more information about Oneida, please visit www.oneida.com online.
