The giant white building off I-480?

Monday, October 16, 2006

Imagine, 30-foot ceilings, an open floor plan with a wall of windows and enough storage space for your lifetime and the lifetime of everyone you know. That's what is in the 3-year-old, 400,000-square-foot gem of a building off I-480 in Brook Park.

If you drive the stretch of I-480 near West 130th, you might have seen the blue-trimmed, white structure take shape in 2003. I watched it go up and was pleased that Cuyahoga County was gaining a big manufacturer. The location is great and the visibility even better to let everyone know who you are and what you make.

The building, on 34 acres owned by Walter and Karin Laich, was built for their Laich Industries Corp., which manufactured lawn chairs, laundry baskets, kitchen accessories, sports items like collectible helmets and other plastic products.

Brook Park gave the company tax abatement because Laich !ge=002 Column=001 OK,0002.05ágreed to move about 100 jobs to the building. Laich arranged for Geis Cos., a builder of industrial manufacturing and distribution facilities, to build a plastic injections molding plant, warehouse and office building to consolidate three Laich plants. Geis owned the building and leased it to Laich Industries three years ago.

Vince Adamus, Brook Park commissioner of economic development, said sales were strong when the project was conceived, but by the time it was completed, high oil and resin prices and the competitive Asian plastics market had hurt Laich Industries. It closed the plant in 2005 and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Geis Cos. recently sold the building to Weston Inc. and its affiliate Keystone Realty Investments Ltd., and it was renamed Weston Distribution Center. Weston has leased most of the office space and has 220,000 square feet of warehouse still available.


--Allison Carey
Plain Dealer reporter

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Weston Inc.
29300 Aurora Road
Solon, Ohio 44139
Phone 440.349.9000

 

 

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