Barnes and Mullins

Barnes and Mullins

Sweetwater announces $76.4M expansion, adds 1000+ new jobs

Us online music retailer Sweetwater has announced it is investing $76.4 million dollars into two new facilities on its 163-acre Fort Wayne campus. The move will add 1,009 new jobs over the next five years, the company says.

Sweetwater will construct a new, 350,000-square-foot warehousing facility that will provide product storage as well as gear testing, gear photography, offices, staff amenities, customer pickup and more. An additional structure will house a new 35,000-square-foot conference centre with room for up to 1,000 people that will accommodate continuing education sessions for employees. The facility will also be available for members of the community to use for other events.

‘This new warehouse facility will accommodate the tremendous growth we’ve experienced recently,’ says Chuck Surack, founder and president of Sweetwater. ‘Our sales continue to increase each and every year, which means we need more room to be able to serve our customers in the way to which they’re accustomed. We are delighted to be able to continue to expand in Fort Wayne, where it all started.’

The buildings will be operational by the summer of 2020. The company, which employs more than 1,300 staff at its Fort Wayne headquarters, plans to hire additional distribution, logistics, sales, marketing, merchandising, programming/IT and various other administrative roles over the next five years to support its growth.

Founded in 1979 in a Volkswagen bus, this is the company’s third major expansion in recent years, announcing plans in 2012 to invest $23.5 million to add 110,000 square feet at its headquarters and plans in 2015 to invest $8.8 million to add an in-house marketing department and state-of-the-art video studio.

Info: www.sweetwater.com

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