MEBANE, N.C. —Construction has begun on Chapel Hill-based Southern Season's new distribution warehouse in Mebane.
"They serve several states, and they're going to be served from here,” said Mayor Glendel Stephenson. “We're tickled to death that we're getting a blue ribbon outfit coming to Mebane."
Company leaders echo that sentiment, saying that after a nearly three-year search, the city's industrial park was the perfect location for its new distribution center.
"The proximity to the highways in the distribution world makes it very nice to be close to those—I-40, 85 and 95,” said distribution center director Tom Baker.
With three locations across the Southeast, and another set to open in Raleigh later this month, the gourmet grocery store is growing quickly.
The distribution center will stock 80,000 items sold in store and online.
"The first phase is going to start at 100,000 square feet,” Baker said. “We'll have enough room to expand if we outgrow that building. We staff about 45 permanent workers, and will hire about 100 temporary starting in October for seasonal work through Christmas."
The industrial park and the city continue to rapidly grow with business.
Just up the street from Southern Season, CBC Americas is set to break ground on a 100,000 square foot distribution and manufacturing center.
"We've signed about four or five large projects like this just in the last two years,” said city manager David Cheek.
"Right now with the new businesses coming, we have about 1,000 jobs that are going to open up in the next 18 months,” Stephenson said.
Warehouse construction is set to wrap up in early November.