Ohio company buys Whirlpool building

Ohio-based Spartan Logistics said Wednesday that it has purchased a large distribution building from Whirlpool Corp. in Fort Smith.

The nearly 620,000-square-foot building on Jenny Lind Road is part of a 150-acre complex that encompasses 2.2 million square feet of buildings, including Whirlpool's old main plant that is not part of the deal and remains vacant.

The terms of the sale were not released. It is expected to close later in the year, but Spartan Logistics will take over operation and marketing of the property from Whirlpool immediately.

At its peak, Whirlpool employed 4,600 workers in Fort Smith. The appliance-maker closed its plant in June 2012, resulting in the loss of about 800 jobs that still remained. At the time, economists and city officials said the closing shocked the local economy.

Spartan Logistics is a third-party logistics company that specializes in acquiring and operating older properties as distribution centers in major manufacturing areas. In late October, Spartan Logistics signed a short-term lease to occupy about 100,000 square feet of the facility it has now purchased.

Business on 05/08/2014

Upcoming Events