EAST HEMPFIELD TOWNSHIP, Pa (BRAIN) — QBP has broken ground on a new 120,000-square-foot building here. The building will serve as the distributor's East Coast distribution center. The Minnesota-based company has operated its East Coast operations out of a leased facility in Middletown, Pa., since 2011. It also has a Western distribution center in Utah.
"The new building cements our commitment to our retail partners and the surrounding community," said Kim Brown, QBP's director of distribution. "We can now reach 95 percent of our customers via ground freight in one to two days."
The Middletown facilty currently employs 55 full-time and 44 part-time seasonal employees. Brown anticipates increasing the size of its staff over the next few years.
Similar to the QBP's other two facilities, the new building will incorporate many LEED concepts and is designed to achieve Energy Star certification. For example, the building uses dimmable LED lighting and Solatube skylights. The two combine to allow automatic light sensing and adjustment, significantly reducing energy use. The open office design will be furnished in part with items made from recycled materials, and will include bike racks for employees and guests, showers, lockers, a bike path to the building and a bike wash station.
Brown expects orders to begin shipping from the new location starting in the first quarter of 2015.
