Study ranks Ritzville high in potential for distribution warehousing

A recent study from the Boyd Company once again ranked Ritzville as one of the top cities in the nation for distribution warehousing. The analysis also ranked Othello as the top city for food processing plants.

This is not the first time Ritzville was ranked near the top in a study for distribution warehousing.

In 2015, Adams County Development Council (ACDC), in partnership with the county and municipalities, hired the Boyd Company to conduct a similar survey. The survey showed Ritzville as the second-most cost effective city operating distribution warehouses.

In a May 9, 2018 press release, the Boyd Company announced it conducted two site selection studies comparing Adams County to cities across the nation, one comparing the cost of operating a food processing facility and the other for a distribution warehouse.

In the warehouse study, the Boyd Company compared Ritzville to 25 other cities in the U.S. within regional proximity to major port and intermodal transport facilities.

The study found operating a distribution center in Ritzville would cost more than $11.62 million per year, the second lowest cost of the 25 cities surveyed and the lowest on the western side of the country. Chesterfield, Virginia, was found to have the lowest operating costs at over $11.60 million.

The costs for the warehousing study were projected for a 500,000-foot square facility employing 150 workers.

In the food processing study, Othello was shown to be the most cost-effective city out of the 30 surveyed with a cost of over $23.1 million.

The cost was projected for a 125,000 square feet facility employing 300 workers.

Principal Owner John Boyd Jr., explained the Boyd Company sees Ritzville as a candidate for a distribution warehouse for a variety of reasons including the access to highways, the intermodal transportation system and transportation infrastructure.

Boyd noted the affordable cost of housing and utilities in Ritzville compared to the Puget Sound area is attractive to developers and workers who want to move to the area. The city’s quality of life, community and local schools would also entice employees to relocate to Ritzville.

Adams County Economic Development Director Stephen McFadden noted there are potential areas where developers could build a distribution center in proximity to the city.

A distribution center near Ritzville would provide the taxing districts in Adams County with an increase in revenue collected from property taxes, which would provide additional funding for county programs. McFadden noted a warehouse near Ritzville would hire workers, who could move to the City, resulting in a gradual increase in population and a potential lower cost of utilities.

It could also result in investment at the local level, such as revamping Ritzville’s historic downtown area.

McFadden explained the county will present the data from the studies to potential developers who want to invest in Adams County. He explained the goal with the study and the county’s other economic development projects is to find new developers and investors for Adams County.

For Ritzville, the objective would be to bring new industries to complement and strengthen the wheat industry and railroad.