By: Dick Brinster
EAST WINDSOR Expansion of Conair’s main warehouse facility remains in the planning stages, but Senior Vice President John Mayorek hopes construction will begin next year.
"We’re looking to expand because we’re running out of room here pretty rapidly," he said recently. "It’s a 14-to-18-month project."
The expansion is expected to add about 200 jobs to the 500 that now exist at Conair, the township’s second-largest employer. The township estimates that the new facility could bring an additional $650,00 in annual taxes, according to Mayor Janice Mironov.
A half-million parcels are shipped from here each month by the global marketer of personal care products, such as blow-dryers and shavers. The company also manufactures small kitchen appliances such as coffee makers and blenders under its own brand names as well as for private labels.
The expansion plan, already approved by the township Planning Board, calls for construction of a 450,00-square-foot facility directly across Milford Road from the existing warehouse. It would bring the square footage of the company’s warehousing here to 1.1 million.
"It’s a major project, and the board of directors always wants to look at analyses of these things," Mr. Mayorek said. "But I’m hoping we get to start earlier in the year rather than late."
The company employs 5,000 people at 14 facilities around the world. But the East Windsor warehouse is the centerpiece of the Stamford, Conn.-based company’s worldwide shipping operation. The location, just a mile from Exit 8 of the New Jersey Turnpike, lured Conair to the township in 1988.
"It enabled is us to pull containers from Port Newark, Port Philadelphia and even Port Delaware," said Mr. Mayorek, a 35-year employee. "This is really a good place for us."
The proposal would mark the second expansion here. The existing facility on a 52-acre plot grew three years ago from 470,000 to 650,000 square feet.
The 27-acre plot on which the new facility is to be built was purchased many years ago, then sold. Conair reacquired the land in 2001 after the owner did not develop it.
Buying properties, especially others firms such as Cuisinart, Waring and Pollenex, has become commonplace for Conair, which began with a $100 investment by Julian and Josephine Rizzuto. They formed Continental Hair Products Co. in New York in 1959.
Mr. Mayorek said the company, which became Conair in 1976, is constantly expanding.
"Our two main divisions, Cuisinart and Personal Care, are growing rapidly," he said.
That has helped the company approach $1.6 billion in annual sales, and Mr. Mayorek says the main location of the distribution center has played a major role in that.
"East Windsor is a very good help for us," he said. "The shipping lanes and trucking lanes give us great movement of products coming in and out.
"We like East Windsor, and we hope they like us."
They shouldn’t worry.
"Conair and its corporate leadership have been a valuable corporate citizen to the township, participating generously in the life of the community in addition to providing many locals jobs," Mayor Mironov said.
The local facility is not limited to warehousing, Mr. Mayorek explained .
"All our computers for the world are located here," he said. "We also have engineering and accounting also here."
In addition, about 5,000 square feet of the new facility is earmarked for office space. But that might be increased, Mr. Mayorek said.
"If I change the usages for more office space, then we’ll have to go back to the Planning Board," he explained.
