PULLMAN — Pullman's renaissance continues with the anticipated arrival of a Whole Foods distribution center within two years.
First announced last month, the planned 140,000-square-foot facility will act as a hub for Whole Foods delivery trucks traveling to and from the franchise's 25 Chicago-area stores and 70 across the Midwest. It's expected to add 150 jobs to the area.
According to the Mayor's Press Office, Whole Foods was drawn by "the Pullman neighborhood’s skilled workforce, close proximity to the interstate and diverse business climate."
Although Gov. Bruce Rauner likes to compare the business climates in Illinois and Indiana, saying Illinois needs reforms to compete, Chicago succeeded in luring the distribution center from Munster, Ind., in part by sweetening the deal with $7.4 million in Tax Increment Financing funds earmarked for the project.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel touted it Monday as part of a city initiative to revive industrial corridors.
"By modernizing Chicago’s industrial corridors, we can generate economic and job opportunities for residents throughout the city,” Emanuel said. He added it "will also serve as another chapter in a much larger story about the return and resurgence of manufacturing and technology jobs right here in the city of Chicago."
Emanuel earlier referred to it as Whole Foods "doubling down on Chicago's South Side," as it opens new stores this year in Hyde Park and Englewood, and said it "adds to the renaissance that is happening in Pullman."
Whole Foods was not only drawn by the nexus of highways surrounding Pullman, but to two key suppliers, Method and Gotham Greens, already located in the neighborhood.
"It's a nice big site," said Whole Foods spokeswoman Allison Phelps. "We're really exited to have new space to grow." According to Phelps, the Munster distribution site is on five acres, while the Pullman site, on vacant land on what amounts to the 700 block of E. 111th St., is 16.5 acres, a major difference that also contributed to the move.
"Building a new Whole Foods Market distribution center in the Pullman neighborhood is a smart decision and is the next logical step in our 23-year commitment to the city of Chicago," said Walter Robb, chief executive officer of the firm. "More than just a smart business investment, this new distribution reinforces our company’s core mission.
"Whole Foods Market has always been dedicated to access to fresh, healthy foods, sustainability and supporting our local communities," he added. "This location lets us bring all of these things together in a brand new facility for real, long-term economic benefit for one of Chicago's most historically significant and dynamically changing neighborhoods."
The firm's Midwest Regional President Michael Bashaw said Whole Foods is "incredibly proud of the opportunity to be a part of a neighborhood that’s so connected to Chicago’s past and also such an important part of Chicago’s future."
"A little over one year ago President Barack Obama designated the historic Pullman district as a National Monument. Today, Whole Foods is joining the robust group of manufacturing companies that call Pullman home,” said Ald. Anthony Beale (9th). He called it "an investment in the future — the future of Chicago and the future of the Pullman-Roseland area."
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
