FERGUSON, Mo. – While workers moved ground on Performance Food Group’s new, nearly 350,000-square-foot facility in Ferguson’s NorthPark business development last week, stakeholders cheered the official groundbreaking.
“I’m excited because it’s in north (St. Louis) County,” St. Louis County Councilwoman Rita Heard Days said.
Nearly a week after that gathering, Days reflected on what it means to her district.
“Clearly, in our area, we can certainly use all the jobs we can get,” she said. “I was excited to see that they wanted to move there and actually build a brand-new building.”
Performance Food Group is relocating from its current warehouse on North Broadway in St. Louis. According to our news partners at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the county offered a tax break on half of any new assessed value of the real estate over 10 years, half-off personal property taxes for a decade, and a sales tax exemption on construction materials. The county also agreed to issue up to $117.3 million in bonds to help finance a portion of the project.
“We have to play the hand we’ve been dealt so far. This is how business is working these days. We’re offering incentives to get people to come,” Days said. “Amazon is right across the street and Boeing received some, and so it is the cost of doing business these days, so we have to be willing to play in that game.”
Performance Food Group has more than 150 locations and 30,000 employees. It delivers food and related products to restaurants, businesses, schools, retailers, theaters and convenience stores. The company says the facility will bring nearly $120 million in new investment and nearly 100 new jobs. Operations at the Ferguson site are scheduled to start in 2025.
“In my opinion, it’s the best place they can be,” Days said.
