Once upon a time, Columbus residents were hopeful that the Stone Brewing Company would be expanding their operations to Central Ohio, setting up shop at the former Timken site in the Milo-Grogan neighborhood, bringing new manufacturing jobs to an area that has long needed them. That expansion didn’t happen, but Columbus is getting an even better deal with the growth of a local company at that site instead.
“When the Stone deal fell apart, we started working on a deal for a new tenant through Colliers International, but we didn’t know who the tenant was at that point,” explains Eric Wagenbrenner, VP at Wagenbrenner Development, owner of the former Timken site. “When we found out the tenant was Rogue, we got really excited. I had watched some of the CrossFit Games on ESPN, and saw Rogue was a big sponsor, but I didn’t know the extent of their growth plans here as a local company.”
Founded in 2006 by Bill Henniger, Rogue Fitness is a manufacturer of strength and conditioning equipment for popular workout programs like CrossFit. The company has rapidly grown since then, and plans to relocate from the Fifth by Northwest area to a new 500,000 square foot manufacturing facility at Fifth Avenue and Cleveland Avenue.
Wagenbrenner says that Rogue wants to be relocated by the end of 2015, so they’re moving “lightning fast” to make that happen. He said that while the lease arrangement is still being worked out, Wagenbrenner Development has been working closely with the City of Columbus and neighborhood leadership in Milo-Grogan to make sure everyone is on board with the project. The announcement of the development was made official during the State of the City address last night.
The Rogue facility is expected to take up approximately 23 of the 30 acres of the site, situated at the northwest corner of the property. This would leave room for multiple “outparcel” buildings along Fifth Avenue for additional tenants.
Wagenbrenner has tapped Elford Development for assistance with the design and construction of the new facility, and renderings are expected in the near future.
For more info on Rogue Fitness, visit www.roguefitness.com.
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