Husqvarna, the retailer known for outdoor tools, breaks ground on its new warehouse facility at 1:30 p.m. today at 1 Poulane Drive, 1624 S. Fourth St., Nashville, Ark.
The ceremony will mark the site of the coming 350,000-square-foot facility.
Expected to employ about 40 to 50 people, the warehouse is seen as a way to deepen the relationship between Husqvarna and the city of Nashville, population of 4,600.
"We employ far more than our city population as well," said Mayor Billy Ray Jones. "Many from the surrounding community come to work in the businesses and facilities in our community, of which Husqvarna is a major presence."
The warehouse will give the local Husqvarna manufacturing facilities greater storage and distribution facilities and enable the manufacturers to ship directly from there.
The original plant has been in the area since the 1970s.
"I worked there when it was being built when I was 15 years old," said Jones, 57. "The plant has changed corporate owners several times over the years, Husqvarna being just the latest owner associated with it."
Jones said the community welcomes Husqvarna's continuing to build and expand.
"This tells us that the company views our area as important and tells us they are here to stay."
This facility is the latest Husqvarna initiative in the area. Earlier in the year, the company announced plans to increase its operational capacity. The Nashville facilities were granted upgrades to modernize technology and make the complexes environmentally friendly, such as incorporating solar power and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
"This warehouse didn't just come up recently," Jones said. "It has been in discussion for at least the last 15 years. It is a really big deal for me to see it finally being done. This will lower the costs of their operations here and make them more inclined to stay here long term. They become more competitive in the global marketplace. And Nashville as well as greater Southwest Arkansas benefits as well."
Jones also commends Husqvarna as an important corporate citizen of the community.
"They engage in lots of local civic support, like our parks and such," Jones said. "They support our civic centers, local community activities. They just are very local and very civic-minded."