Kichler Lighting, which “strives to transform the home and workspace,” is transforming its own home and workplace. As first announced October 28th, 2021, Kichler is moving both their headquarters and their northeastern distribution center from their location in Independence, Ohio. The headquarters will now be in Solon, Ohio roughly 12 miles east and still within the greater Cleveland area.
As for the distribution center, that is a little bit different. On March 24th, Kichler and partner Kenco Group cut the ribbon at their new distribution center almost 400 miles east at a new industrial park complex in the Lehigh Valley just north of Allentown, PA.
According to the initial press release, the reasoning was twofold: allow for greater work flexibility and move the distribution hub closer to the eastern ports. “The events of the past year have provided a unique opportunity to test remote work – and we’ve seen that the company operates quite effectively,” said Irene Tasi, President, Kichler Lighting, in their October 28th press release. “We firmly believe making a permanent change to a flexible workforce will help Kichler Lighting attract and retain top talent locally and beyond, as well as increase our company’s competitive edge.” Kichler is headed to a more flexible work culture, and the new headquarters will be set up for hoteling workspace options for their office staff, a showroom and testing areas.
The more considerable move is Kichler’s distribution center. The move to the Allentown area brings the center closer to the east coast ports and population centers. With its two other distribution centers located in Las Vegas, NV. and Braselton, GA. Kichler feels that the move will increase efficiency in transporting product. The new 600,000 square-foot distribution center is the first building at the JW Industrial Park Route 329 complex, which is expected to grow with other tenants to 5 or 6 facilities. The new Kichler distribution center has required up to 55 new hires, including forklift drivers, warehouse staff, and inventory leads, most of which have been filled.
While the news is good in Allentown, unfortunately the move is going to result in the loss of 78 jobs in Independence, OH. The company filed a layoff notice with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services in mid-March, with the layoffs expected to officially take place in the second quarter of 2022. Kichler was founded in 1938 in Cleveland and, from humble beginnings, became a globally recognized brand that, at one point, had upwards of 400 people employed in eastern Ohio.
In 2018, Kichler was purchased by the publicly traded Masco Corp. based in Michigan. The home improvement and building products company paid $550M for the acquisition.
With the recent news that NELA Park was being sold, this has been a tough month for the lighting industry in Ohio.
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Allentown Reaction
Independence Reaction