Avison Young has secured a long-term lease for Easton-Bell Sports Inc. in a new state-of-the-art 813,126-square-foot distribution, assembly and shared-services center in Rantoul.
The facility is being constructed as a build-to-suit property for Easton-Bell Sports by developer The Janko Group and general contractor Peak Construction. The long-term lease agreement completed a year-long site-selection and facility-planning process that culminated with a recent groundbreaking ceremony.
Brendan Kelly and Suzanne Serino, principals of Avison Young and members of the company’s supply-chain practice, represented Easton-Bell Sports in multiple facets of the transaction.
Easton-Bell Sports is a designer, developer and marketer of sports equipment and accessories under the Easton, Bell, Riddell, Giro and Blackburn brands. The company is based in Van Nuys, Calif.
Easton-Bell Sports currently operates multiple manufacturing and distribution facilities in Rantoul. The new center will consolidate the facilities into a single, 813,126-square-foot structure with advanced technology and design capable of producing shorter lead times for customer orders, the highest quality order shipments and long-term cost savings that can be re-invested in the business.
To execute this strategic plan, Easton-Bell Sports retained the services of the Supply Chain Alliance, a consortium of companies aligned to provide businesses with turnkey solutions to real estate and related supply-chain issues. In addition to Avison Young, the alliance includes Heitman Technologies (which is responsible for architecture and facility planning); Numina Group (process improvement); and Competitive Insights (strategic supply-chain consulting.)
The new facility for Easton-Bell Sports will be located on an approximately 72-acre land site at 1001 Innovative Drive within Village Industrial Park. The 400-acre park is located at the northwest intersection of Highway 136 and Interstate 57.
Easton-Bell Sports’ shared services center has been designed to meet LEED certification standards. The facility will include approximately 33,000 square feet of office space and 780,000 square feet of light-assembly and distribution-center space. The distribution space will feature 36-foot clear ceiling heights, 50-foot by 60-foot bay spacing, and land that can accommodate future growth of up to 428,000 square feet of building expansion.
