SPOKANE – King Beverage is planning a new warehouse with accompanying office space on a 20-acres parcel purchased from Spokane Airport Board for $1,957,923.
The board made the announcement Nov. 17.
The parcel is at the northwest corner of Geiger Boulevard and Flightline Boulevard.
Records show Cory Barbieri of Goodale and Barbieri Co. as the broker handling the transaction.
Although the specific address is yet to be determined, the warehouse is set to be over 200,000 square feet.
A 20,000-square-foot, two-story office will sit in front of the warehouse, records show.
In an area showing a lot of current industrial growth, planners will work to keep and maintain as much of the existing trees and natural landscaping as possible.
Records show site work is planned to begin next summer; officials said it should be operational in 2023.
King Beverage is a locally owned wholesaler for Anheuser-Busch. It has served the region more than four decades, King Beverage President and Chief Executive Officer Peter Rusnak said.
Rusnak said his father started King Beverage in 1980, and that he took over as CEO eight years ago.
The company currently employs 100 people locally and another 250 throughout the state, Rusnak said, adding it’s too early to predict how many jobs the company will create. But the warehouse will add personnel, drivers and filling other positions essential to the King.
Rusnak said he hopes to expand the service area and partner with new suppliers.
The distribution center will be “the shovel in the dirt” for the future of King Beverage, the president said.
The facility will be “as green as possible” and he hopes to incorporate solar panels on the roof to fulfill some of the power needs, he said, noting he has been discussing delivery vehicle possibilities and hoping to work with Volvo or Tesla to potentially incorporate electric semis.
Rusnak said there will be at least one supercharging station for large electric vehicles.
“The Airport Board is pleased to partner with Peter Rusnak, King Beverage, and Cory Barbieri on this important land acquisition,” Spokane Airport Board Chairman Ezra Eckhardt said. “This sale supports a second-generation business and assists in their further growth and success.
“The property sold to King Beverage in the Airport Business Park offers a strategic location in a rapidly expanding transportation and logistics center on and around the airport that is complimentary with King Beverage’s new distribution center.”
Documents show the chief executive officer for Spokane Airports also wants to show support for other regional and local businesses, and Lawrence J. Krauter said, that the “sale of surplus property to private sector partners is another way in which the airport benefits the regional economy by directly supporting new development and job creation.”
Because the airport is a financially self-sufficient entity this revenue will also help the airport cover “operational needs and capital costs,” Krauter said.
Reporter Matthew O. Stephens can be reached at reporter2@cheneyfreepress.com
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