Specialty Bakery initially sought a brownfield site for its new facility. “We thought if we could find a building that fit our needs footprint-wise, we might be able to fast-track the project,” recalled Ahmad Hamade, CEO. They learned differently. “There are buildings available, but by the time you put the drains and floors in, the cost and time in putting up a new building are more advantageous than having to retrofit an existing building because of our custom needs,” he noted.

Jim Zakian, executive vice-president, supply chain, saw it from a different angle. “Typically, when you go into an existing building, it’s not laid out the right way,” he explained. “Often, it’s warehouse space, and warehouse space has all of the doors along the long wall. But manufacturing is totally opposite of a warehouse. Its doors are along the short wall because you want to use the length of the building for production.”

In the end, the company decided on a greenfield project that provided almost everything it needed. “I wanted to put in skylights, but they proved to be cost prohibitive,” Mr. Hamade joked.