Source: Kansas City Business Journal
By: Andrew Vaupel
RAYMORE, Mo., Feb. 27, 2024 Harmar Mobility LLC hopes to get a lift from a new 145,000-square-foot facility in Raymore.
The Sarasota, Florida-based company manufactures mobility and accessibility products such as platform lifts, stair lifts, ramps and scooter lifts.
Previously, Harmar had 60 employees working at 18505 E. 163rd St. in Lake Winnebago and another 20 at 11918 Grandview Road in Grandview.
All 80 workers are transitioning to the new location at 1204 S. Dean Ave., which accounts for roughly 30% of the 420,910-square-foot Building 2 at Raymore Commerce Center.
“It’s important that our employees are comfortable and happy while here at Harmar,” CEO Steve Dawson said in a Friday release. “Our Lake Winnebago and Grandview facilities served us well in Harmar’s early years; but this new space in Raymore offers our team so much more room to grow and continue producing quality products.”
According to the release, the new facility provides nearly double the office space and triple the manufacturing area as well as space for more conference rooms, an engineering lab and an employee training area.
Harmar, which has 280 total employees, is led locally by Donald Rea. He is the company’s director of operations in Raymore.
One week ago, Urban Outfitters Inc.’s Nuuly clothing rental brand also started operations at a new 634,000-square-foot fulfillment and laundry facility in Building 3 of Raymore Commerce Center. The consumer brands portfolio (Nasdaq: URBN) is expected to invest $60 million and create 750 jobs within five years at the 1 million-square-foot building, which it has leased in its entirety.
Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits took all of Building 1 for its new distribution center.
“This was a big move for us … and we are very excited about moving into Raymore, a town that is rapidly growing just like Harmar,” Harmar’s Dawson said in the release. “We couldn’t have been more fortunate to have found a great owner and contractor all in one place. It’s been a pleasure working with the teams at Brinkmann and VanTrust.”
According to Raymore Commerce Center’s website, there are currently three buildings with 2.1 million square feet completed at the industrial park.
VanTrust Real Estate, a Kansas City-based developer, has proposed five additional buildings with another 3 million square feet of space.
Colliers International’s Ed Elder, John Stafford and Ben Boyd represented VanTrust in the lease transaction. Newmark Zimmer’s Mark Long represented Harmar.
Chesterfield, Missouri-based Brinkmann Constructors was the general contractor for the building.
