HUTCHINSON, Kan. —KMS, Inc., a wholesale and distribution company headquartered in Wichita, announced today that it has purchased the former Eaton building, located at 3401 E. 4th Street, that was vacated in 2017. KMS Inc. was founded in 1976 and has over 40 years of experience in the wholesale and distribution of goods.
“This large building presents a great opportunity for KMS to continue to grow and expand in our distribution business in the core of the country,” Tom George, President & CEO of KMS, Inc said. “We look forward to bringing jobs and this building back online.”
KMS, Inc. currently operates four distribution centers throughout the United States, offering a wide array of general merchandise from clothing, hardware, kitchen appliances, electronics, heaters, air conditioners and much more. This location will allow the company to grow in their wholesale distribution offerings.
“We look forward to not only the jobs this will bring to Hutchinson, but demonstrating that Hutchinson’s central location and excellent highway access are a perfect combination for companies wanting to distribute product from the Central US,” Lacie Janzen, Economic Development Project Manager said.
The Greater Hutch Economic Development Partnership worked with a number of community partners on this collaborative effort including the City of Hutchinson, Reno County, local contractors and utility partners who all helped find solutions for this project to come together.
The purchase ends a long effort by the Chamber to sell the building. “We are pleased to have the opportunity to work with KMS, Inc. and their leadership team,” Debra Teufel, President & CEO of the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce said. “This 380,000 square foot facility is a large footprint and has had a major role in Hutchinson’s manufacturing legacy. Our Greater Hutch Economic Development Partnership worked tirelessly over the last three years to find just the right tenant to repurpose this facility.”
KMS, Inc. will be making several updates to the building and plan to be operational in the next 60-90 days. The company will begin hiring in early 2021 and will be posting jobs on the Greater Hutch Job Portal at greaterhutch.com and through KansasWorks at kansasworks.com.
Eaton shut down the plant in October of 2017. The company originally announced they would close the plant in 2006 but a large infusion of cash incentives kept the building open.
Still, the plant cut its local workforce from 435 to just 300 at the time. Over the next ten years, the workforce was further reduced to just 100 employees immediately prior to the company closing the facility for good.
The building was put on the auction block in April when no one took interest in the 300,000 square foot building. A group of investors from New Jersey were the winning bidders for the building for $765,500. The deal fell through when the investors backed out on their purchase. Since then, the building has been put back on the market.