March 12, 2014 at 2:31 p.m.
Rhinelander beer distribution operation moving to Arbor Vitae
Property at Hwy. 51 and Airport Road had been purchased a few years ago
Rhinelander beer distribution operation moving to Arbor Vitae
That's according to company president Ken Eggen, who said the hope is to have construction of a new Arbor Vitae facility on two lots at the corner of U.S. Highway 51 and Airport Road begin next month.
"If Mother Nature cooperates," he said. "The plan is to scrape the ground whenever we can in April, the cement would be there by early May, the steel shows up ... it typically takes about four or five months to build that type of building and my goal is that it is built and completed in time for Beef-A-Rama so we can have a little open house type thing to coincide with that event."
He said the building will be a combination drive-thru warehouse with some offices.
After looking at the company's distribution territory, Eggen said the reason for the move "is that the Woodruff-Minocqua-Arbor Vitae area is a more central location to service that footprint."
Regarding the proposed Hwy. 51 project scheduled to begin in 2017, Eggen said he doesn't think the new operation in Arbor Vitae will have much of a traffic impact.
"There's going to be three or four trucks turning left there [Airport Road] to go north," he said. "Our trucks are going to be leaving at around 6 a.m. so I don't think traffic is going to be at its peak there at that point and they typically return at around 3 or 4 p.m. and what we're talking about is eight delivery trucks."
He said product will be moved from the company's headquarters in Green Bay by trucks that would be on the road around 1 or 2 a.m.
"There's going to be a dozen sales people and their vehicles," he said. "That would be the other traffic. They would come and go sporadically on different days."
Robin Stafford, a project development supervisor in the Rhinelander office of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, told The Lakeland Times Friday he personally hadn't heard of Dean Distribution's Arbor Vitae plans.
"Typically, though, if something like this goes through, our access staff will look at any impacts to Hwy. 51," he said.
Brian Jopek may be reached at [email protected].
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