On Wednesday (Aug. 31), a ground breaking ceremony was held for a brand new, 241,140 square foot Cold Storage Warehouse Facility in the Northeast Redevelopment Area (NERA) of Burien.
Speakers at the event included Burien Mayor Lucy Krakowiak, Port of Seattle Commission President John Creighton, Rob Adams from Tippmann Innovation, and Western Distribution Services President John Naylor. Dan Mathews, Chair-Elect of the Seattle Southside Chamber of Commerce, served as Master of Ceremonies.
Western Distribution Services, LLC, a Renton-based logistics and cold storage warehouse provider, addressed their belief that the site’s proximity to the Seattle and Tacoma seaports and Sea-Tac Airport was essential to their interest in Burien.
“We believe that the opportunity is great here [in Burien]. The Port Alliance between Seattle and Tacoma made me feel comfortable bringing a business here,†said Western Distributor Services President John Naylor. “We are right smack in the middle of a great spot. The improvements on both 518 and 509 will lead right into the airport and the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma. It’s really a great thing.â€
Naylor is happy to call Burien “home.†He said, “It feels good, like this was just meant to be. I have wanted to do something like this since the 1980s. Working with Burien has been great.â€
In her speech, Mayor Krakowiak addressed three key points as to what has been accomplished by NERA’s first industrial construction:
- Bringing new jobs to Burien;
- Increasing and diversifying Burien’s revenue base;
- Proactively Managing transportation and storm-water infrastructures.