Trucking firm plans warehouse that could bring 200 jobs to Antrim Township
Jim Hook
Chambersburg Public Opinion
GREENCASTLE -- One of the nation's largest trucking companies plans to build a warehouse near Exit 3 of Interstate 81 in Antrim Township.
A. Duie Pyle, based in West Chester, plans a 200,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art warehouse on Molly Pitcher Highway (U.S. 11) across from World Kitchen. The logistics center would be much smaller than the 1-million-square-foot mega warehouses that have popped up along I-81 in recent months.
Pyle will store and move items for their customers at the third-party logistics center, according to L. Michael Ross, president of the Franklin County Area Development Corp. Similar operations include Franklin Storage near Chambersburg and Allen Distribution near Carlisle.
More:Construction begins on big box warehouse at Shippensburg
John Luciani, COO of LTL Services at Duie Pyle, estimated that 150 to 200 jobs would be created -- including drivers, dockworkers, warehouse workers, mechanics, operations support, supervisors and administrative roles. Construction is to be finished in 2020.
Pyle, with its familiar orange logo, is the nation's 19th largest less-than-truckload carrier and the 79th largest for-hire carrier, according to Transport Topics.
Warehousing, distribution and trucking has been driving Franklin County's economy in recent years. The hottest sector for job growth added 400 jobs during the past year, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry.
Trucks from the Pyle warehouse will share Exit 3 with traffic from Antrim Commons Business Park, which is being developed at the exit. The traffic impact from the new terminal should be minimal because the company is already servicing the area out of its York terminal, according to Luciana.
More:Big warehouses threaten Greencastle historic site
More:'Big boxes' expected to bring thousands of jobs to Greencastle area
Antrim Township hasn't received a plan yet from the developer, according to Township Manager Brad Graham.
The project includes a full-service fleet maintenance garage and a warehouse with more than 80 cross-dock doors for expedited loading and unloading.
By building the warehouse, Pyle can add capacity and offer integrated transportation, warehousing and distribution services under one roof, Luciani said. Pyle also can offer same- and next-day distribution, assembly and value-added project capabilities, final-mile delivery options, consolidation and de-consolidation and complete integration with Pyle's LTL, Brokerage, Custom Dedicated and Warehouse and Distribution solutions.
Pyle also this week announced the opening of its Hagerstown, Md., service center at 16125 Business Parkway, off Greencastle Pike (Md. 63) west of Hagerstown. The 21-door service center is fully integrated with Pyle's commercial transportation resources.
More:These are the jobs with a future in southcentral Pa.
"Pyle has provided comprehensive service to the Hagerstown region for many years, making the area an ideal location for us to build on our commitment to our customers," Luciani said. "Opening a new service center means we will now have a physical presence in a leased facility for the immediate term."
The service center offers quick and easy access to all major Northeast and mid-Atlantic metropolitan markets with its location near the I-81 and I-70 corridors and nearby rail yards, he said. Pyle will be closer to its customers in the Hagerstown region, can reduce travel times and enable customers to develop regional supply and distribution networks.
Jim Hook, 717-262-4759