PLANT CITY, Fla.- — Ace Hardware Corporation, the world’s largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative, officially broke ground on its new Retail Support Center (RSC) which is being relocated from Tampa to nearby Plant City, FL.
The Tampa RSC has been an integral part of Ace’s network of distribution facilities strategically located around the world. It serves more than 200 regional Ace Hardware retail locations.
Relocating the Tampa RSC, which Ace has operated since 1977, allows Ace to add more than 315,000 sq. ft. to its current capabilities. Construction is set to commence in October with a target completion date in November 2021. According to County Line Farms One LLC, the property developer, the expansion will bring in an estimated 200 construction jobs to the community. The company expects to employ at least 162 full-time equivalent employees in Plant City. Of those, approximately 119 are currently at the Tampa location and they will move over with the new facility.
“We are excited to break ground on our new Plant City Retail Support Center, an important piece in our overall supply chain,” said Lori Bossmann, Executive Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer for Ace Hardware Corporation. “Ace’s continued volume growth has driven our need for a larger facility to accommodate our growing business demands. This relocation will enable faster service for Ace retailers and ultimately our valued customers.”
“We looked at Plant City as, really, a community that shared our missions and our values,” Chuck Ungaro, global real estate manager for Ace Hardware Corporation, said. “Your motto is ‘preserving the past and embracing the future,’ and that goes hand-in-glove with what we do as a company. We want to embrace the future and preserve our past as well. We wouldn’t be who we are today with our community and that’s something that is very important to us. We felt a really strong sense of community in Plant City, as well.”
“On behalf of our City Commission, I would like to welcome Ace Hardware Corporation to Plant City,” said Mayor Rick Lott. “Development activity along County Line Road continues to generate great employment and economic development opportunities for our city, its residents and our neighbors.”
