FLORENCE: Township celebrates groundbreaking

By Amy Batista, Special Writer
   FLORENCE — NFI Real Estate last Wednesday officially broke ground at its site, NFI Park at Florence Crossings, set to feature Subaru of America’s new parts distribution center and training facility.
   ”It’s a great day for Florence Township,” said Mayor Craig Wilkie at the ceremony on Aug. 22, “(and) beginning of a new era. We look forward to a long partnership.”
   Subaru of America is based in Cherry Hill, and its new facility at NFI Park at Florence Crossings, 2020 Route 130, will be less than half a mile from the New Jersey Turnpike and Pennsylvania Turnpike extension.
   The Florence mayor said discussion began in 2006 on how the town could best develop the site. In the spring, township officials were contacted by NFI, but they were unaware of who the potential client was at that time.
   During last week’s formal groundbreaking ceremony, local community officials, business leaders and project managers — among others who were invested in the project — were present.
   Michael Landsburg, real estate manager of NFI Real Estate, said it was early April when he got a call to come to “this site to see a client.”
   ”Well, we set the date for April 10,” said Mr. Landsburg, adding it was a windy day as he stood on the site trying to hold marketing boards in either arm.
   ”(Subaru of America) took a leap of faith with us that we could deliver, and through a lot of hard work, commitment, dedication and efforts from many, many parties involved, we were able to get from that tour on April 10 to a signed lease for this complex transaction in under three months,” Mr. Landsburg said.
   Noteworthy, the company will bring jobs to the area.
   ”(It will bring) 250 to 300 construction jobs and a minimum of 30 permanent jobs,” Mr. Landsburg said in an email to the Register-News on Aug. 24.
   At the ceremony, Mr. Landsburg gave a “personal thank you” to the people who “were in the trenches” to help make the deal a success, which included Richard Brook, Florence Township administrator.
   ”Through a lot of late night calls, emails, meetings . . . we certainly wouldn’t have been here today without that commitment from you,” Mr. Landsburg told Mr. Brook.
   ”I can’t describe how excited we are to be here today,” said Jeff Brown, vice chairman and president of NFI. “It truly is a great day for us to recognize the new winning trifecta in South Jersey — Subaru of America, Florence Township and NFI Industries.”
   He stated, “The built-to-suit project is the largest industrial development in our state in 2012.”
   Also, Mr. Brown said 2012 marks the 80th anniversary for NFI.
   ”Having Subaru of America as an 80th birthday present is just fine with us,” Mr. Brown said.
   Mr. Brown said NFI’s profile as of 2012 includes 23 million square feet in North America.
   ”Utilizing our supply chain company help differentiate NFI from other real estate developers that were competing for the Subaru project,” he said. “Some of those supply chains solutions include leveraging our 2,000 truck fleet to provide moving Subaru’s auto parts from (its) existing location to (its) new parts location in Florence Crossings.”
   He added the company was “utilizing our existing solar to support the state’s vision on renewable energy. This building at Florence Crossings for Subaru will be energy efficient with NFI providing energy solar panels on the rooftops. It also brings a lot of joy knowing that we will be furthering NFI’s involvement in Florence Township as we construct the new community garden and make donations to the local food bank.”
   Mr. Brown thanked the Florence Township Council, Zoning Board of Adjustment and Planning Board in addition to Mayor Wilkie and Mr. Brook.
   ”All of Florence Township has been super to deal with and has been very positive about bringing business opportunities to Florence,” Mr. Brown said. “We could not have done this program without your help and support, so, from our family and our company, thank you.”
   Mr. Brown congratulated Subaru for its “record-breaking growth for 2012.”
   ”We are so proud to be part of the local community,” said Thomas Doll, chief operating officer of Subaru of America.
   Mr. Doll continued, “Subaru is a growing and vibrant company in the local area. Just five years ago, we were just selling about 180,000 cars a year. Last year, we sold about 266,000, and this year we are going to sell $320,000.
   ”This facility that we are building is a testament to the growth that we are apparently enjoying and the prosperity.”