Growscape, an industry leader in garden and décor solutions for growers, retailers and distributors, continues to expand its base of operations by officially opening a new 750,000 square foot distribution center at its already existing 500,000 square foot manufacturing site at 16395 East High Street on Oct. 15 in Middlefield.
“It’s 100% an investment in the future in numerous ways,” Growscape’s Chief Executive Officer Ed Cooper told The Weekly Villager. “Sustainability is key, and it is a core to everything that we do.
At the grand opening, Growscape hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony that featured Cooper and Growscape’s Chief Operating Officer Gavin Collier and local leadership including Mayor Ben Garlich and Geauga County Commissioner Jim Dvorak.
According to Cooper, the addition of the new distribution center represents a more efficient model of production for the company. He also acknowledged the environmental impact that the new facility will have in helping the company reduce its carbon footprint.
“Having all of our distribution at one site will eliminate 1,500 tons of CO2 each year because we are cutting about 500,000 freight miles out of our trucks just running stuff back and forth into ourselves as opposed to sending it out to customers,” he added.
Cooper said that the company needed a new distribution center as it continues to grow at a rapid rate, as Growscape’s parent company, Platinum Equities, purchased Classic Home and Garden, a garden center in Shelton, CT. He said that the conversation about a new distribution center began in Feb. 2024 and Growscape broke ground on its new site in Oct. 2024 with a goal of completing the project in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Collier noted the immediate benefits that Growscape would gain by having a new distribution center.
“This expansion strengthens our ability to service growers, retailers and distributors with greater efficiency and ultimately improve service to our customers,” he said.
Cooper lauded the partnerships that Growscape formed in this new venture which was accomplished at a rapid pace.
“I joined the company in Feb. 2024,” he noted. “We talked about launching this in quarter four of this year. I came to the site and saw our awesome manufacturing facility. I walked in the back, and it was a plot of dirt. Every two weeks or so that I came back, it went up without a hitch so really great work there.”
He also credited Growscape’s leadership for not only ensuring this project was completed in a timely fashion but also for still maintaining its daily operations. Cooper added that Growscape was also having discussions about adding onto Growscape’s new distribution facility as the company continues to grow.
Garlich, who previously worked as a Growscape site manager before assuming the role of the Mayor of the Village of Middlefield, spoke glowingly of the impact that Growscape has made on the Middlefield community.
“It is the people who invest in our community, and we never neglect that. We have tried to make an environment that is efficient, user-friendly, and business-friendly. We don’t waste time on things that do not matter,” he said. “Our community is successful because of your investment here.”
Dvorak said that Growscape exemplified the pride of the Middlefield community in its rapid growth and uniqueness. He also expressed his excitement about the impending job opportunities that the new distribution site would offer to Middlefield.
“I am just so proud of the collaboration and the local jobs for local people,” he noted. “There is going be a lot of people working here and it is going to vibrate throughout the whole county.”
Rob Cseresznyes, the Vice President of Scannell Properties, a real estate development company, talked about the collaboration required to make this project a success.
“There is always an open door and a genuine interest in finding a way to move forward,” he added.
David Michael, Vice President of Sales at Peak Construction, a general contracting company from Tallmadge, OH, spoke at length about the structural integrity of the new distribution site as well as the instant benefits it provided to Growscape.
“Another unique aspect is that they fit 60,000 pounds of product in here,” he said. “We had to put a level of interact sprinklers on the top level to meet FM Global and Industry Standards so that they could store their product in the facility. There are 43 miles of sprinkler pipe in this building so we could connect it all and have a direct link to Cleveland from here.”
He added that they also needed to install a new sanitary line around the building to replace the existing one that had been abandoned and already filled underneath the building.
“That made it a logistical challenge that we had to install the new sanitary line around the building and then wait 60 days for it get properly inspected and approved before we could switch over, so we ended up filling that after the building was up and had to leave holes out in the floor,” he said.
