On July 12, broadline MRO distributor Grainger announced plans to open a new 500,000-square-foot distribution center in Gresham, Oregon sometime in 2025.

Grainger said the new Northwest Distribution Center will provide the company additional capacity in the Pacific Northwest region to “continue delivering best-in-class, next day complete orders across the United States.”

“Opening a new, highly automated distribution center ensures we can continue to reach 99 percent of the U.S. market the next day,” said Barry Greenhouse, Grainger Senior Vice President and President of Global Supply Chain and Customer Experience. “The Pacific Northwest is a market we’ve identified as a strategic expansion location to stock many more products than we do today, benefitting more local customers.”

The company said it plans to break ground this summer. The building will be constructed on a vacant 48-acre parcel of land in an industrial area of Gresham, near Portland, Grainger said.

This new facility will Grainger’s 11th distribution center. Grainger also currently operates distribution centers in Pacific Northwest states Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana.

The Gresham distribution center is expected to house more than 135,000 industrial supply items, including hand and power tools, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment, fluid power solutions, lighting, power transmission equipment, and motors.

The company said it anticipates the new facility will employ approximately 80 team members, and over time will employ more than 150 people.

Grainger also is opening two bulk warehouses in Pennsylvania and Texas in September, plus a third in North Carolina in 2024.

On MDM’s 2023 Top Distributors Lists, Grainger ranks No. 1 among Industrial Distributors, No. 1 for MRO Distributors, No. 5 for Fluid Power Distributors, No. 7 among Power Transmission/Bearings Distributors, No. 15 among Electrical, Data & Security Distributors, No. 17 for Fastener Distributors, and included among top JanSan and Safety Distributors.