California-based OA Logistics/JLA Home, a subsidiary of E&E Co. Ltd., will expand its East Coast operations in the Savannah area, starting with a 1.1 million-square-foot e-commerce fulfillment center that will add 200-300 jobs within 16-18 months.
“This is just the beginning,” said OA Logistics Chief Operating Officer Rodney Dickey, who made the announcement Tuesday morning at the Georgia Foreign Trade Conference on Sea Island.
“We are expecting phenomenal growth in Savannah.”
The company already owns and operates a 679,000-square-foot distribution center in LogistiPort Industrial Park off Dean Forest Road. That facility produces and ships pet beds for JLA Pets, part of JLA Home. All are part of E&E Co., a global company involved in the home furnishings marketplace.
“OA Logistics is the operations arm of E&E Co., which imports a variety of products for the home, including furnishings, rugs and art,” Dickey said. “We have been expanding our product line, which now includes 13 different divisions, all of which will be represented in Savannah.”
When the company began to look at expanding on the East Coast about five years ago, the search extended from New Jersey to Miami, Dickey said.
“Back then, there were a lot of large industrial buildings available in Savannah and we were able to purchase our LogistiPort building. Today, that’s not the case, so we are looking for a site on which to build.” he said.
Savannah was a clear winner in OA’s expansion search, Dickey said, for a number of reasons.
“I’d have to say the port of Savannah, with its excellent import facilities, was the No. 1 factor,” he said. “But the entire state has a great
business environment. Everyone was fantastic to work with, from the Savannah Economic Development Authority, the Development Authority of Bryan County and Liberty County Development Authority, to Peggy Jolley at Georgia Power and Jan Melcher at Quick Start.”
Curtis Foltz, Georgia Ports Authority executive director, called JLA’s expansion great news for Georgia.
“We look forward to continuing to support their rapid growth through our ports,” Foltz said. “We are committed to expanding our facilities to ensure JLA has a long-term partner here in Georgia.”
The new Savannah operation will provide “pick and pack” fulfillment of online orders for a number of large companies, Dickey said.
“We plan to grow here,” he said, adding that the company is already talking about the possibility of another million square feet to follow.