ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, August 3, 1996 TAG: 9608050035
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MAG POFF STAFF WRITER
Orvis Co. Inc., a national mail-order merchant, said Friday it is planning a major addition to its warehouse and distribution center in Roanoke.
The company expects to take bids next month on construction of a 100,000-square-foot addition to its mail order fulfillment plant in the Roanoke Centre for Industry and Technology.
The project is contingent on approval Monday by Roanoke City Council of the sale to Orvis of about 13 acres adjacent to the company's facility.
John Moticha, vice president for operations, said about three of those acres are not suitable for building because of drainage problems.
If council approves the sale, the rest of the land will be used for an addition that would increase Orvis' plant by about 42 percent. The company's current facility contains 240,000 square feet, according to Moticha.
Moticha said construction should begin in January and the addition should be ready for occupancy in May. Richard Rife is the architect.
Orvis last expanded in 1994, Moticha said, and that project was expected to take care of its needs for three to five years. Growth, however, has outstripped those projections.
The new addition will allow Orvis to maintain its current rate of adding the equivalent of 50 full-time jobs a year. The company has about 500 workers, he said, and this should swell to about 800 in November for the start of the Christmas rush.
Moticha said, however, that employment is governed by the rate of orders generated by the company's catalogs, which feature sporting goods and clothing.
LENGTH: Short : 38 linesby CNB