Lowe’s Companies Inc. appears to be working toward opening a distribution warehouse in Freebird Commerce Center in North Jacksonville.
The North Carolina-based home-improvement supplies company posted job openings May 30 for a cross-dock operation, including descriptions for coach, market delivery manager and market delivery assistant manager, at 13225 Vantage Way.
Listings show that the facility will comprise delivery operations for customers in a specific market for products bought from Lowe’s retail stores and Lowe’s online at lowes.com.
They say the center will need positions “that support successful home delivery operations.”
Other parts of the job descriptions include performance monitoring, inbound call monitoring, customer service and more.
Lowe’s has not responded to several emails or phone calls seeking comment, which indicates it might not have yet signed a lease but is preparing for the project for when it does.
No job count is shown, but the listings disclose there will be a workforce team.
The coach position is responsible for leading and supervising the local market administrative service associates. The market delivery manager and assistant manager coordinate between the cross dock terminal, third-party delivery, bulk distribution centers, Lowe’s stores and field delivery directors.
The city is reviewing a permit for Jim Cooper Construction Co. Inc. of Birmingham, Alabama, to build-out almost 104,000 square feet of space in Freebird Commerce Center for Lowe’s Companies Inc.
Freebird Commerce Center comprises two buildings. Plans show that Lowe’s would lease space at 13225 Vantage Way in Building One.
The build-out cost is shown as $938,750 for the 103,694-square-foot project, which includes 2,857 square feet of office space. Five South Architecture LLC of Birmingham is the architect.
The job listing specifies Building 200 but the plans show that Lowe’s would lease part of an estimated 153,000-square-foot building, which would be Building One.
The site is at southwest Duval and Airport roads, west of Interstate 95, in Jacksonville Tradeport, not far from Jacksonville International Airport.
Scannell Properties of Indianapolis is the property owner and developer of Freebird Commerce Center.
Cushman & Wakefield of Florida LLC Senior Directors Jacob Horsley and Tyler Newman represent the property.
Building One is a 156,000-square-foot building with 36 dock doors, two drive-in doors, 114 auto parking spaces and 21 spaces for trailers.
Building Two is a 117,750-square-foot building with 29 dock doors, two drive-in doors, 72 parking spaces for cars and 16 spaces for trailers.
Scannell Properties #335 LLC paid $1.63 million in December 2018 for 18.76 undeveloped acres. The seller was the Higginbotham Land Trust.
Ian MacDonald, development manager for Indianapolis-based Scannell Properties LLC, said in March 2019 he estimated the Jacksonville investment at $19 million, including the cost of the land purchase. MacDonald is based in the Dallas office, according to the Scannell website.
Lowe’s is based in Mooresville, North Carolina. It reported fiscal 2019 sales of $72.1 billion.
Lowe’s said it and its related businesses operate or service more than 2,200 home improvement and hardware stores and employ about 300,000 people. Lowe’s operated 126 stores in Florida and 63 in Georgia as of Jan. 31.
Stores average 112,000 square feet for retail space with another 32,000 square feet of outdoor garden center area.
It operates at least nine Lowe’s home improvement centers in Northeast Florida.
