WATERTOWN, NY — At the Town of Watertown Planning Board Meeting today, Michael E. Lundy, CEO of the Lundy Group of Companies, announced that Eagle Beverage will be building a new 7,400 square foot cross- docking/distribution center in the new Thousand Islands International Agriculture and Business Park, located on Route 3 in the town of Watertown.
Mr. Lundy also recently announced that Cazenovia Equipment was going to be the park’s first tenant.
The new Eagle Beverage facility follows a much larger project designed and built by LUNCO Corporation in 2015, located in Oswego, NY, when they constructed a 62,000 sq. ft. warehouse and distribution facility.
Dan Dorsey, Jr., President, Eagle Beverage, explained the need for the new facility and relocation of their current location. “As a result of our new facility in Oswego almost all of our product is received in our Oswego warehouse where it is then set up by individual customer order and shipped to Watertown for cross-docking. Then, the individual route driver’s pick-up the orders for delivery to the customers.
This has eliminated the need for large warehousing facilities in the Watertown area. It also has demonstrated to the company that the location on the Black River side of Watertown is not the most efficient for our delivery system and customer base. The location of the new AgriBusiness park is ideal for us. Easy access to
Interstate 81, and other major routes were what we were looking for. The design of the new facility will be more efficient, and it is designed specifically to what our needs are – including a docking and staging facility. We will also have a redemption area at this facility, which has been designed to be incorporated
into the building.” Mr. Dorsey also noted the existing facility on Black River/Route 3 has been sold but chose not to disclose details of the sale at this point.
Mr. Lundy spoke to the continued relationship with Eagle Beverage and the benefits it brings to this project. “Working with Dan and Eagle Beverage on their Distribution/Warehouse facility in Oswego prior demonstrates the importance of continuity and relationships that LUNCO and the Lundy Group of Companies bring to a project. When we do multiple projects with a company (such as Eagle Beverage), we already know about what their needs are, not just in construction, but in what will improve their workflow, their overall efficiency, increased productivity and more. That is what design/build is all about. We have
established that working relationship and knowledge previously with Eagle Beverage, so when they explained what they were trying to accomplish with this new facility, we already had an understanding and were able to build that into the design of this new facility. Ultimately, it makes a tremendous difference.”
Mr. Lundy commented on the addition of Eagle Beverage to the AgriBusiness Park. “The addition of Eagle Beverage really shows the importance of the location that the AgriBusiness Park brings. We bring two access points to Interstate 81, along with easy access to Route 3. Businesses such as Eagle Beverage want easy access, within minutes, and our Park provides that. In addition, food & beverage warehousing and distribution centers are a target market we have identified for the AgriBusiness Park. Eagle Beverage is the perfect fit.”
Plans call for the project to be completed in by next Spring.
