Orgill expanding operations in Hurricane, providing community boost of 157 new jobs

The Orgill Distribution Center in Hurricane, Utah, date unknown | Courtesy of Orgill Inc, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Thanks to a multi-agency partnership, an independent hardlines distributor with over $3 billion in annual sales will expand their operations in Hurricane.

In this file photo from 2019, Gregg McArthur filing papers to run for St. George City Council, Jun. 7, 2019 | Photo courtesy of Gregg McArthur, for St. George News

Orgill Inc., headquartered in Collierville, Tenn., was considering a move of its Hurricane operations to Nevada. Had they made that move, they would have taken 234 jobs with them. They also would have left a 540,000 square-foot distribution center in Gateway Industrial Park vacant.

“This has been a complex, retention-oriented effort from August 2020 on when the company’s site selection consultant first approached us,” said councilman and St. George Area Economic Development director of economic development Gregg McArthur. “Nevada was our main competition.”

McArthur said the project benefitted from the efforts of multiple partners including the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development, the St. George Area Economic Development Council, the Economic Development Corporation of Utah and a slew of others.

Instead of moving to Nevada, Orgill, which distributes hardware and home improvement products, plans to build a 427,000 square-foot addition and hire 157 new employees over the next 10 years. The expansion includes capital expenditures of $20 million, which will bolster the Washington County economy.

File photo of executive director of the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development, and former Senator, Dan Hemmert, date and location unknown | Photo courtesy of the Utah Legislature, for St. George News

“We’re pleased that Orgill is expanding in a rural part of Washington County,” said Dan Hemmert, executive director of the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development. “The company has been a steady, long-term contributor to the local economy. We look forward to the future impact Orgill will have here.”

Orgill moved to Hurricane in 2004, thanks to state of Utah-sponsored business incentives. While the current expansion did not involve a state incentive, it did use incentives through a local redevelopment agency.

“We are delighted that Orgill has elected to expand their operations in Hurricane City,” said Hurricane Mayor John Bramall. “They have been a great corporate partner in our community, providing quality jobs for our residents for the past 15 years.”

Orgill currently serves more than 11,000 retail hardware stores, home centers, lumber dealers and farm stores throughout the United States and Canada, as well as 50 countries worldwide.

“It has been amazing to watch our customer base in the West grow over the years,” said Darin
Houskeeper, Orgill’s vice president of distribution–west. “This expansion will allow us to serve our existing customers more efficiently, and to prepare for further growth in the future.”

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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