Updated Aug. 28 at 9:14 a.m. after returning calls to the business owner prior to the original post.
A year after renting an industrial building in Strongsville to expand its operations, Woodpeckers manufacturer and distributor Woodpeckers moved to Brunswick to build its home.
Woodpecker owner Richard Hamill said the company is planning a new headquarters to accommodate growth and improve efficiency, primarily by moving product from its leased location on Foltz Industrial Road and its flagship store on Prospect Road.
"It's a few flights a day," Hamill said.
Through Woody Acres LLC, Hummel purchased a 30-acre parcel at 1564 W.
Woodpecker, Hummel and Streetsboro industrial design founder Geis Cos. It received approval from the Brunswick Planning Board for a two-phase project on the site.
The first is a 200,000 square meter building. The plan calls for a futuristic 225,000-square-foot second building, according to city records.
"We, as the city government and the city, are very excited about this project. The company will initially create 250 jobs for the community," said Grant Angst, Brunswick's director of economic and community development, in a phone interview.
Angst said Brunswick would be a perfect fit for the company because its industrial parks are full of similar niche businesses, which he describes as private, often family-owned. Woodpecker told the city it would build a small office for its headquarters, as well as manufacturing and warehouse space.
The Woodpeckers are not asking the city for incentives, but will automatically receive a larger incentive when the $1 million facility expires. You can get full property tax deduction for 15 years for website development. That's because the area falls within an area designated under the original Ohio Community Reinvestment Act, which was amended in 1994 to provide more incentive controls.
Woodpecker says on its website that it started in 1988 as a seller of woodworking tools, initially at a woodworking trade show. In 1993, it began manufacturing router tables and mounting plates. Since then, it has become a manufacturer of elevator guides, guidance, design and measuring equipment and equipment.
"We're proud that our devices are made in the USA," the site says.
Hummel's profile on the website of Legacy Business Advisors, a Medina-based business consulting firm that offers succession, estate planning and related services, says he enjoyed carpentry until he lost his IT job. During this time, he launched the company from his kitchen table.
Brent Painter, Strongsville's economic development director, said he wasn't surprised by the news about the Brunswick woodpeckers. However, he declined to comment on the company's exit plans.
Hamill said he had no complaints about Strongsville. He said the woodpecker could not find land for the project there.
