Dayton might give pet retailer $450k for to lure 600 new jobs

The city of Dayton is considering giving $450,000 to pet retailer Chewy in support of its project to bring 600 new jobs to the Dayton airport.

Dayton commissioners this week will vote on a development agreement that provides grant money to the online pet product company.

Chewy is opening a new e-commerce fulfillment center that will create about 600 jobs at a new facility on Lightner Road that is projected to have an annual payroll of $17 million, according to city documents.

MORE: Report: Pet supplies company signs lease on huge facility near Dayton airport

Chewy’s leasing and occupancy of the facility leverages a $45 million investment that included the construction of the building and improvements to the roadways and utilities around it, city documents state.

The $450,000 grant money will help fund improvements to the new facility, including machinery, furniture and equipment, the city said.

“It’s an incentive-driven package that is based on employment,” said Terry Slaybaugh, Dayton’s director of aviation.

MORE: Ohio OKs credits to bring 600 Chewy.com jobs to Dayton, 1,400 jobs to region

Chewy plans to occupy a new, 690,500-square-foot warehouse that will help them reach all of their customers within a day, Slaybaugh said.

“Our location provides Chewy and other companies out here access to 60 percent of the U.S. and Canada within one day,” he said.

Chewy’s new state-of-the-art logistics facility will be completed and occupied late spring, early summer, Slaybaugh said.

The facility is the fourth under construction at the Dayton International Airport. Site work has begun on a fifth.

When all five buildings are occupied, they will employ more than 2,200 people and will offer 2.7 million square feet of logisitics and manufacturing space, Slaybaugh said. Combined, they represent an investment of about $92 million.

MORE: Report: Pet supplies company signs lease on huge facility near Dayton airport

RELATED: These jobs are expected to see the highest demand in Ohio through 2024

About the Author