UPDATE: Crocs to break ground for expansion soon

Dayton distribution center also plans continued hiring

Shoe company Crocs is planning to break ground on the 760,000-square-foot expansion of its distribution center near the Dayton International Airport in about a month, the center’s senior director said in an interview Thursday.

“We just got approval at the end of November to expand the campus,” said Rob Tecco, senior director and general manager of the Crocs distribution facility on Dog Leg Road within Dayton city limits. “So here in the next, we’ll call it, in the next four to six weeks, you’ll see us break ground on our expansion.”

The new addition will be complete by the end of 2021, with operations expected to in place by mid-2022. The new facility will be connected to the existing facility, giving the company a total of just over 1.3 million square feet locally.

“We’re working through all those details; we just signed the lease,” Tecco added.

Crocs needs the room. The company has been hiring feverishly since it opened.

Initially, it was thought the company would have about 130 to 150 Dayton-area jobs. That number has been steadily rising, however, with Crocs employing right around 750 full-time jobs — and the likelihood of reaching 900 full-time jobs in the distribution center. Seasonal hiring can push the number even higher.

Crocs announced plans for the second distribution center in June.

The footwear company first announced in February 2019 plans to move its North American distribution operation from Ontario, Calif. to a site near Dayton International Airport.

“We’re excited about it,” Tecco said Thursday, referring to the new expansion. “It’s built around executing the long-range plan of the business and building out capacity to support the business for seven to 10 years.”

Dayton is one of the company’s bigger employment sites, with more workers than Crocs’ corporate office in Broomfield, Colo., said Ben Morrison, Crocs human resources director.

Crocs, best known for its varieties of clogs and sandals, has had a streak of sustained e-commerce growth.

“We had the right product, right place, right time,” Tecco said.

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