Sports store races to Wilso – Distribution center heads to Gladeville

GLADEVILLE — Wilson Sporting Goods – widely recognized as an industry leader in tennis, golf, baseball and football equipment – will be the next distribution center headed to the southeast Wilson County area, officials announced Monday.
Located in Nashville-East Logistics Center, the facility will occupy a 300,000-square-foot spec building leased by First Industrial Realty Trust.
Although they joked about a potential marketing campaign linking the Wilson brand to the name of the county where the center is located, officials said the decision to locate in Middle Tennessee came after months of research.
"We did a detailed study of a lot of markets across the country and found the Nashville market to be number one," said Dave Martin of Wilson Sporting Goods. "In the Nashville area, ProVenture had the best building and the best offer."
The company initially plans to employee about 100 workers with some local hires and some coming from locations in Utah and South Carolina. But that number may grow.
"We have an option on another 250,000 square feet," Martin said, noting more space would mean additional workers.
"Right now, we're working with local temp agencies," warehouse manager Mark Andreolla said. "We'll take a look at how they perform and make decisions about our permanent workforce."
AmerSports, the parent company of Wilson, is consolidating existing facilities in Utah and South Carolina into the local distribution center.
"We're getting ready to move," he said. "We've started to plan for the move and how we're going to consolidate."
Wilson will officially take possession of the building in three weeks.
"We're very excited and they're equally excited," said R. Steven Preston, regional director for First Industrial, the company that owns the building.
His company is one of the primary players in developing a nearly 200-acre tract in Nashville-East that includes Wilson Sporting Goods.
"This place has really changed out here," County Mayor Robert Dedman said. "I remember when they first cut the road … It's just grown big-time. … It brings in a lot of tax dollars too."
Wilson Sporting Good's major brands include Wilson, Atomic, Suunto, Precor, Salomon and Mavic.
Features Editor Sherry Phillips can be reached at 444-3952 ext. 44 or by e-mail at sherry.phillips@lebanondemocrat.com.