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Famous Distribution to Invest $10M for Sebring Center
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- An Akron company is buying the 349,000-square-foot Sebring building formerly occupied by Little Tikes Toy Co. and will invest $10 million to retrofit the facility as a warehouse and distribution center.Famous Distribution Inc., a wholesale distributor of heating and cooling, plumbing, industrial and building supplies, will relocate 17 jobs to western Mahoning County, company officials said today, and create 30 jobs over the next three years."We were looking to geographically locate our network of branches for our customers and this building fit our needs," said Marc Blaushild, vice president of Famous Supply Inc., at today's meeting of the Mahoning County Board of Commissioners.Famous Supply and Pittsburgh Supply are operating divisions of Famous Distribution Inc., which was founded in 1933 by the Blaushild family.The village of Sebring passed a resolution Aug. 30 recommending that Mahoning County commissioners grant Famous Distribution an enterprise zone tax abatement. Commissioners complied at today's meeting. In addition, the state of Ohio "is chipping in a low-interest loan for $1 million, a job creation tax credit, and a Ohio workers training grant," said Julie Michael Smith, the governor's regional representative. The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber's economic development action team had been working to fill the vacant industrial building since early this year when Little Tikes announced that it would cease operations in Sebring. Little Tykes employed as many as 300 at the plant but employment plummeted during the last two years of its operations, according to Walter Good, director of the chamber team."In June, we began courting Famous Distribution," Good said. "The company was considering sites in other parts of Ohio, as well as Pennsylvania. Based on its logistical needs, available project incentives and the location and condition of the Little Tikes building, we made the case that the Mahoning Valley is where Famous should locate its proposed central distribution center." Famous Distribution employs more than 300 workers in Ohio. Its new Sebring distribution center will serve branches located in 24 communities throughout Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Visit the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber at www.regionalchamber.com"