ABC Supply Co., of the state’s largest privately-owned companies, is slated to establish its first location in Milwaukee.
The Beloit-based company, owned by co-founder Diane Hendricks, is planning to renovate and refurbish an existing warehouse at 11200 W. Heather Ave. in Ganville’s Towne Corporate Park on the city’s far northwest side.
ABC Supply says it is the country’s largest wholesale distributor of roofing supplies and one of the largest of siding, windows and other select exterior and interior building products, tools and related supplies.
The company plans to use 62,000 square feet of the Heather Avenue building for warehousing and distribution purposes, and another 6,170 square feet for office space. It has also requested permission to use part of the site for outdoor storage. Outdoor storage isn’t typically permitted in the park, but the City Plan Commission granted the company an exception during a Monday meeting.
According to a city staff report, ABC Supply Co., is seeking the location so it can be closer to customers in the region seeking a close supply chain facility for building trades involved in the building and rehabilitation of homes in the community.
Presenting the item to the plan commission on Monday afternoon, Don Jeziorski, real estate asset manager for ABC Supply, stated that the company had spent about a year coming up with a plan for the building.
“We are looking to lease this location on a long-term basis, and hire approximately 15 to 25 employees,” Jeziorski said. “We will also spend approximately $1.5 million making improvements to the site – between the landlord and us, between us and the landlord.”
The building that ABC Supply Company plans to occupy is owned by Hendricks Commercial Properties, which was also founded by Hendricks.
George Erwin, an attorney representing Hendricks Commercial Properties, noted that the last tenant the company had in the building was a heat treating business that badly damaged the interior of the structure.
“The HVAC systems were destroyed, the electrical systems were destroyed, the walls were caked in substances that were hazardous. We have spent the better part of a year and a half rehabilitating the building in order to secure the interest of ABC,” he said.
