News & Events

ClarkWestern Cuts Ribbon on new 214,820 SF Facility, Rochelle, IL

CHICAGO – The new 300-acre LogistiCenter in Rochelle, IL will host “piggy-back” ribbon-cutting ceremonies on Friday, September 9, to commemorate occupancy of the park’s first tenant and completion the extension of the Rochelle Dual-Access Railroad, announced Aaron H. Paris, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of DP Partners, a leading national industrial real estate company and developer of the Class A business park.

Cincinnati, OH based ClarkWestern Building Systems will cut a steel ribbon, officially opening the new 214,820 SF distribution center it leased at LogistiCenter at Rochelle’s first building -- a multi-tenant, 579,575 SF speculative building.

“On behalf of Clark, I want to extend my heartfelt appreciation and thanks to the municipal officials of Rochelle and to the community as a whole for their support and responsiveness in this start-up. The efforts of all concerned have provided us with the opportunity to begin operations in a timely and efficient manner. I also want to recognize the people of the Rochelle area; their talent and work ethic will allow us to build a strong and vibrant workforce dedicated to servicing our customers now and in the future. We look forward to being a part of the Rochelle area for many years to come,” said Bill Courtney, President of ClarkWestern Building Systems.

ClarkWestern is a leading manufacturer of cold-formed, light-gauge, steel-framing products for the construction industry. Founded in 1981, the company serves more than 300 customers in 48 states, Canada and overseas. The firm is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marubeni-Itochu Steel of America (MISA), headquartered in New York City. MISA controls numerous steel processing facilities throughout North America and in turn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Marubeni-Itochu Steel Incorporated (MISI), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

The new building located at 501 Steward Road, is in Ogle County, 60 miles west of Chicago and 20 miles south of Rockford. LogistiCenter at Rochelle is situated in the southwest quadrant of the interchange of two major Chicago industrial corridors – I-88 and I-39 – in the heart of the I-39 Logistics Corridor. The park has immediate access to the U.S. interstate highway system both north/south and east/west via I-39, I-88, I-90/94, I-80 and I-74.

“We extend a warm welcome to Clark Steel. Their decision to move to Rochelle sends a positive message to other companies currently considering our community as the ideal place to locate new facilities,” said Chet Olson, Mayor of Rochelle. “We are also fortunate indeed that DP Partners decided to build one of their ‘Cadillac’ parks here and to make a significant investment in Rochelle by developing a sizable speculative building before tenants were signed. The people at DP Partners are very cooperative and professional to work with,” said Mayor Olson.

“Since 2004 when we completed our first building in Rochelle, the facility has generated a lot of interest among companies and third-party logistics firms that want the excellent highway and dual-rail access this park provides,” said Paris, referring to the mainlines of both the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) and the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) that are accessible to park tenants via the city-owned Rochelle Dual-Access Railroad. “LogistiCenter’s rail access is what drove the ClarkWestern decision, because they will be bringing in steel coils via rail to process and manufacture metal studs for the residential and commercial construction industries. Rochelle maintains ownership of its shortline, provides a superior level of service, and puts our tenants in an excellent bargaining position,” he said.

Dual-Rail Access

The City of Rochelle will also have a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the completion of the 9,900-foot extension to its Rochelle Dual-Access Railroad at LogistiCenter at Rochelle. According to Jason Anderson, Executive Director of the Greater Rochelle Economic Development Corporation (GREDCO), the rail expansion was financed by a $1,300,000 grant from the Bureau of Railroads of the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) with Union Pacific contributing track material. Overseeing the construction of this rail project is the Rochelle office of Fehr-Graham & Associates, LLC, a Freeport, IL-based civil engineering, design and construction-management company.

DP Partners is completing a 500-foot spur from Rochelle’s lead-track extension to its building to service Clark Steel. Overseeing DP’s rail project is the Glenn Ellyn, IL-based engineering firm of Jacob & Hefner Associates. “Both rail projects are scheduled for completion by October 1 of this year,” said Dennis L. Shaw, DP Partners’ Director of Development for the Midwest Region.

“The location of ClarkWestern on the south side of I-88 and the extension of our rail line will have a significant impact on the economic development of the industrial corridor in Rochelle, making it a prime location for new business and industry,” said Anderson. Rochelle began building the Rochelle Dual-Access Railroad in 1986. The city charges no railcar switchover fees for receiving companies on its shortline.

The City of Rochelle calls itself “Hub City” to market its superior transportation infrastructure. Rochelle is one of the few places in the country where the two western transcontinental rail lines intersect. More than 100 UP and BNSF trains pass through rail-friendly Rochelle every day. The city’s excellent infrastructure has attracted other major corporations including Del Monte, Eaton Corporation, Sara Lee, Total Logistics Control, Rochelle Foods, AmeriCold Logistics, Boise Cascade, and LaGrou Distribution.

LogistiCenter at Rochelle

DP’s 579,575 SF facility is situated on a 26.84-acre site at the northwest corner of the park on the south side of I-88. The warehouse/distribution area of the building features a 32’ clear-height ceiling, ESFR fire-protection system, standard bay sizes of 50’ by 50’, drive-in doors and rail or truck staging bays on either side of the building. Clark's space includes one rail door, five drive-in doors and 10 truck docks.

The building has 364,755 SF of available space that can be expanded to more than 1,000,000 SF. Designed as a two-user, cross-dock facility, it features a two-story entrance with tinted blue-glass and precast canopy on both ends of the building. The facility also offers 43 docks on the south side, 10 rail door or 50 truck docks on the north side, two drive-in doors, and parking for 216 cars. According to Shaw, the building’s extensive docking and parking capacity is an important consideration for many rail and highway users.

The exclusive leasing agent for LogistiCenter at Rochelle is the Lee & Associates team of James B. Planey and Jeffrey J. Janda, both Principals, and Denise J. Dalicandro, Associate. DP Partners’ development team includes Shaw and Thomas A. Brown, Development Manager.

About DP Partners

Reno, NV-based DP Partners is ranked in the top 10 privately owned industrial development firms in the country. For 45 years, the firm has been an asset-based developer of industrial warehouse properties in areas with excellent transportation infrastructures including rail, air and ground transportation access. With its loyal client base, strategic partnerships and joint ventures, the company has developed build-to-suit projects for purchase and for lease and has a proven track record in the development of speculative buildings in anticipation of market demand.

With assets in California, Nevada, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Indiana and Illinois, DP Partners serves more than 300 national and regional clients including APL Logistics, Fellowes, Mack Trucks, UPS e-Logistics, PepsiCo, USCO, Alcon, FedEx, Overhead Door, and Ozburn-Hessey. The company has an ownership portfolio of nearly 22,000,000 SF throughout the country. To learn more about LogistiCenters, visit www.logisticenter.com. To learn more about DP Partners, visit www.partnerwithdp.com or call Aaron Paris at (775) 858-8080, ext. 127.