Springfield Business Journal_2020-11-02

30 · SBJ.NET NOV. 2-8, 2020 FROM THE COVER Neosho & Springfield Locations 417.451.5250 ■ branco.com Your project’s success is a team effort. Branco’s dedicated team is a leader in construction services. From preliminary evaluations to project completion, we will deliver a quality product that will stand the test of time. Landis said ground work at the devel- opment site – Highway MM and Sawyer Road – began Sept. 29 and that “construc- tion is progressing very rapidly.” He said no timelines or square footage details of the project have been announced, and the public records released to SBJ did not provide them. However, a notice of intent for an En- hanced Enterprise Zone released as part of the Sunshine Law request shows an es- timated real property investment for the building of $25 million. That same figure is noted as an expected investment in ma- chinery and equipment, though the total real property investment for the land is marked as “TBD.” The EEZ notice also points to 500 new full-time jobs with a starting wage of $15 per hour related to the project. The city in late September posted a photo of con- struction equipment with Emery Sapp & Sons’ logos. Online job listings indicate Amazon is hiring in the Springfield area. The development is utilizing the Proj- ect Lunker code name, according to Re- public City Council documents. Amazon has used similar code names in other markets, according to SBJ research. Atlanta-based Seefried Industrial Properties Inc. is serving as developer for the project in the Garton Business Park, according to city documents. Seefried’s website shows build-to-suit develop- ments for Amazon in Alabama, California and Wisconsin, and the company recently completed an Amazon fulfillment cen- ter in Stone Mountain, Georgia, that was dubbed Project Rocket, according to me- dia reports. Drury University currently owns the land – roughly 133 acres that includes the Garton Business Park and the por- tion slated for the Amazon development, according to Greene County assessor re- cords. SBJ previously reported that the private school was gifted the land. An official with the university declined to comment on the construction or wheth- er a deal was in the works for the land. The Garton Business Park is a project by Rankin Development, whose operator Tom Rankin also declined to comment on the new development prior to the release of documents under the Sunshine Law request. Amazon spokesperson Daniel Martin would only say the company “is proud of the investments we’ve made in Missouri.” “To date, we have created over 4,500 jobs and have invested over $780 million across the state including infrastructure and compensation to our employees,” he said in a statement. “Amazon is constantly investigating new locations to support the growth and increase the flexibility of its North Amer- ican fulfillment network to address cus- tomers’ needs.” The Amazon development joins another large project in Republic from Springfield-based international hu- manitarian relief organization Convoy of Hope. The nonprofit is building a 230,000-square-foot distribution center on 135 acres it purchased at the Republic and Springfield border, according to past reporting. Also, Ozarks Technical Community College this fall started its first semes- ter in the new $7.3 million Republic Cen- ter on 7.7 acres at 584 W. U.S. Highway 60. Other projects in the area include a medical marijuana dispensary from Easy Mountain Cannabis Co., a microbrewery dubbed Wire Road Brewery and the $1.1 million Republic Animal Control Center, SBJ previously reported. Amazon: Project documents point to 500 full-time jobs starting at $15/hour Continued from page 1 provided by CITY OF REPUBLIC Construction equipment from Emery Sapp & Sons moved onto the development site in late September.