BATAVIA, Ohio – Officials from all levels of government joined executives from Design Within Reach, a furniture and home accessories company, Duke Realty and the Clermont Chamber of Commerce to mark the opening of a huge distribution facility at South Afton Industrial Park, the first property developed on SR 32 and Half Acre Road.
“We’re very pleased to celebrate the opening of the second-largest industrial building in Clermont County,” Commissioner David Painter said. “Design Within Reach employs more than 100 people in this $17-million, 617,760-square foot distribution center. It’s second in size only to the former Ford plant, which was built almost 40 years ago.
“We’re honored to welcome Design Within Reach as the first business to locate in the South Afton Industrial Park – a 242-acre shovel-ready industrial park in Williamsburg Township. South Afton Industrial Park is owned by the Clermont County CIC with the intent of bringing more jobs to Clermont County.
“We appreciate the commitment of Duke Realty, which built the facility and purchased 46 acres at South Afton. We firmly believe that South Afton Industrial Park will spur development in the eastern half of Clermont County. Our investment will pay off for all of Clermont County.
“Our partners have included Williamsburg Township, the Williamsburg Local Schools and the Village of Williamsburg. This team has made things work.
“As government, we don’t create jobs, but we can help create an environment that will lead to new jobs.
“We’re thankful Design Within Reach for selecting Clermont County. We wish you much success in the future.”
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About South Afton Industrial Park: A 242-acre industrial park at the southeastern corner of State Route 32 and Half Acre Road in Williamsburg Township. The land was purchased by the Clermont County CIC (Community Improvement Corporation) in February 2016 for $4.9 million, using proceeds from the Ivy Pointe development in Union Township. The CIC has invested $2.7 million in infrastructure at South Afton. An economic impact study by the Economics Center of the University of Cincinnati estimated that the industrial park would eventually create more than 1,800 direct jobs and more than 1,600 indirect jobs. Read more here: www.southafton.com.
About Design Within Reach: Design Within Reach, Inc., founded in 1998 and headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, sells its furniture and accessories to residential and commercial customers. It is a subsidiary of Herman Miller, Inc. More information can be found here: http://www.dwr.com.
About Duke Realty: In the Cincinnati metro area, Duke Realty owns, manages, or has under development nearly 10 million square feet of industrial properties. Nationally, Duke Realty Corp. owns and operates 150 million rentable square feet of industrial assets in 20 key U.S. logistics markets. Duke Realty is publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol DRE and is listed on the S&P 500. More information about Duke Realty Corporation is available at www.dukerealty.com.
For more information on South Afton Industrial Park and this project, contact Adele Evans, jaevans@clermontcountyohio.gov, 513.732.7912.
