MidwayUSA is in the final stages of moving to its brand new 400,000-square-foot distribution center.
The new property, located at the corner of Highway 40 and State Route J, is 171 acres larger than the current one, which is about 5 miles away from the previous location at 5875 West Van Horn Tavern Road.
Despite past bureaucratic snags and opposition from neighbors, the inventory and operational transition to the 400,000-square-foot distribution center is set to finish in about two weeks, according to a news release. The center will include more warehouse space, more office space and more parking spaces, with room to expand.
The installation of a new NITRO Express Shipping System will allow for improved speed, accuracy and efficiency when packaging and sorting orders, according to a news release. That will allow the company to receive and ship products such as guns, ammunition and outdoor equipment faster.
The company will increase efficiency by using custom-built, precisely sized cartons for each order, reducing the average box size by over 30%, according to the release.
In 2019, the Boone County Planning & Zoning Commission denied founder and former CEO Larry Potterfield’s request to rezone the new property’s 192 acres from agricultural to planned industrial use.
Potterfield appealed the ruling before the Boone County Commission, which ruled in favor of the rezoning. Construction began in the summer of 2020.
MidwayUSA’s proposal to build the new facility was met with opposition from neighbors and land owners in the surrounding agricultural area.
Neighbors voiced concerns about increased trailer traffic, water pollution, lower property values and constant light and noise from the property.
Denny Stephenson, a longtime Missouri farmer, was one of the first to file a complaint after construction began, according to previous Missourian reporting. His farm is bisected north to south by the Sugar Branch stream, which feeds into Perche Creek and eventually flows into the Missouri River. Stephenson said at the time that his cows could no longer drink from Sugar Branch, a crucial source of water for them.
Before completing the construction, MidwayUSA seeded and mulched the property in an attempt to prevent future runoff into the streams.