Huge Developments Change I-49 Corridor

All the road work might capture your attention as you drive Interstate 49 and maintain a safe distance from the jersey barriers and vehicles jockeying for position, but the interstate itself isn’t the only thing construction workers are changing. They also are busily constructing on prime real estate along the thoroughfare.

Dust flies as workers drive dump trucks along dirt paths to empty loads. Structural steel sticks up from slabs like spires as crews work together to install them. Metal clangs as beams touch one another. Sights and sounds of large-scale building construction have filled the air along I-49.

Moves to expand outside a company’s existing walls have become priority for businesses that have seen consecutive years of revenue increases and growth. While it’s hard to imagine that growth like this wouldn’t be a good problem to have, the solution doesn’t come with a small price tag.

Sam’s Furniture, Metro Appliances & More and J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. are spending millions as they grow into buildings that are larger than 100,000 SF. The combined investment into three large-scale construction projects along I-49 is at least $45 million. The new location for Sam’s Furniture is set to open first, in early May.

 

‘Get It at Sam’s’

Customers of Sam’s Furniture in Springdale have heeded the call to “get it at Sam’s.” Of course, that’s the hook in its ads, and apparently it’s working.

Co-owner Joe Donaldson said the company has experienced “five straight years of growth.” All the growth has led to cramped quarters. “The building we are in is over max capacity.”

The solution is to move into a 120,000-SF building. The goal will be to continue to grow the value of the company. “We are moving in now,” he said.

The new store at 4326 Hidden Creek Lane in Springdale should be open the first or second week of May. He didn’t want to say the exact date because he said he’s learned from a past marketing move and didn’t want to tip off competitors.

Also, he cited competition as to why he declined to release the total investment into the project, but the building permit is valued at $2.08 million. C.R. Crawford Construction of Fayetteville is the general contractor for the project.

The existing store at 1010 S. 48th St. has 60 employees. In the first six months at the new store, the company could hire 12 or so more employees, based on sales volume, he said.

After the move is completed, the existing store will be leased to a manufacturing company. Sam’s Furniture leases the existing store from Mathias Plaza. The furniture business also operates a 50,000-SF clearance center in Rogers that will remain open.

Sam’s Furniture, a family-owned company, was established in 1991 in downtown Springdale by Sam and Becky Donaldson. The founders continue to serve as silent partners in the business.

 

‘Everybody’s On the Interstate’

Metro Appliances & More wants more. More visibility that is.

The brand-name appliance store looks to receive more exposure with a $9 million investment on nearly six acres northwest of I-49 and Arkansas Highway 264 in Lowell.

The move from 5700 N. Thompson St. in Springdale to a 120,000-SF building along the interstate will allow the store to be more visible, said Dave Wicklund, regional general manager.

“Everybody’s on the interstate,” he said.

The Tulsa-based company purchased the land along I-49 for $1.9 million in June 2015. The new store will be more than twice the size of the existing Springdale location.

 “This new showroom is going to be state of the art,” Wicklund said. “Probably the prettiest showroom between here and Dallas — unlike anything Northwest Arkansas has ever seen.”

The new store will offer better prices, the ability to buy and sell more and increased business. “I can’t imagine it’s not going to increase business,” he said about the move.

Construction is expected to be completed late this year or in early 2017, depending on the weather, Wicklund said.

Building crews recently started installing structural steel. Eoff and Associates of Springfield, Missouri, is the general contractor. Building permit value is $2.03 million.

Plans include hiring 10 more employees for the new store. The existing store has 30 employees.

That store will be sold. “We’ve been here for 30 plus years in various locations,” he said.

Metro Appliances & More was established in a Tulsa garage in 1974. The employee-owned company now has nine stores in four states. “It’s the American dream,” Wicklund said.

 

Tower 3 Rising

J.B. Hunt recently broke ground on a six-story, 133,000-SF building at its corporate headquarters in Lowell.

The project started in September and is expected to be completed in spring 2017, according to a December press release from Arkansas Economic Development Commission.

Project architect is Miller Boskus Lack Architects, P.A., and general contractor is Nabholz Construction Services. Building permit value is $33 million for the project listed as Tower 3.

Over the past five years, the company has increased its revenue from $3.8 billion to $6.2 billion, said John Roberts, chief executive officer of J.B. Hunt, in the press release.

“As J.B. Hunt’s mark on the transportation industry gets larger, so will our workforce,” Roberts said. “Many new full-time jobs will be created during the next six years to aid in this growth.”

J.B. Hunt plans to add more than 1,000 new jobs in Arkansas over the next six years, the press release shows. About 3,200 employees work in Lowell, said Carrie Johnson, communications manager for J.B. Hunt.

The existing corporate office at 615 J.B. Hunt Corporate Drive is 123,288 SF, and the adjacent Tower 2 is 107,144 SF, according to Benton County information.

Based in Lowell, the carrier was established Aug. 10, 1961. It’s been publicly held since 1983. The company includes four segments: intermodal, Integrated Capacity Solutions, trucking and Dedicated Contract Services. Ticker symbol is JBHT.

“J.B. Hunt Transport has always been located in Lowell,” Johnson said. “Our first headquarters was located at 623 N. Bloomington in Lowell.”