A rendering of 100 Performance Drive in Mahwah
By Joshua Burd
A lawn and garden tools company is expanding its footprint in New Jersey with a lease at a newly built, 271,000-square-foot distribution center in Mahwah.
The company, Snow Joe, announced this week that it had inked the lease with developer Sitex Group for the property at 100 Performance Drive. Its new home, which is less than a mile from the intersection of Route 17 and interstates 87 and 287, sits near the state’s northern border with New York and provides the firm with easy access to the Interstate 95 corridor.
“We’re excited to expand our distribution footprint in Mahwah … and we project more than 100 new jobs will be created in Mahwah to support this distribution center,” said Joseph Cohen, CEO of Snow Joe. “Strategically located in (northern New Jersey) along Interstate 95, the Mahwah facility will facilitate faster distribution of our product, which is essential for our company to operate efficiently, especially since there is often higher demand for our product during winter snowstorms and other weather-related emergencies.”
The building is part of the former Sharp Electronics North American headquarters, which Sitex acquired in 2015 and has since repositioned. Snow Joe will occupy the campus alongside Jaguar Land Rover North America, which announced in 2016 that it would move its headquarters to the site.
Brain Scheuer of Chaus Realty advised Snow Joe in the transaction, while Ken Lundberg and Patrick Lennon of NAI James E. Hanson represented Sitex.
“From the moment we were approached by The Sitex Group to be the leasing agent for this property, we immediately recognized the great opportunity that both this building and the Mahwah area held for a distribution and fulfillment-oriented company,” said Lundberg, senior vice president with NAI Hanson. “With record property prices throughout much of Bergen County and a highly limited supply of state-of-the-art buildings, submarkets like Mahwah present industrial users with an ideal mix of affordability, flexibility and accessibility that make these areas a perfect location for companies like Snow Joe.”
The new facility features 36-foot clear ceilings and can manage 25,000 pallet positions, Snow Joe said in a news release. Plans have also called for 36 dock doors and early suppression, fast response sprinklers, two drive-ins and parking for 25 trailers and 184 cars.
“I’m proud that our state-of-the-art projects are meeting the needs of an expanding company, like Snow Joe and am happy to see that Snow Joe’s growth has translated to such a positive impact on the New Jersey economy,” said Brian Milberg, principal of Sitex Group.
Snow Joe, which also has a line of Sun Joe products, was founded in New Jersey in 2004 and manufactures ecofriendly and affordable lawn and garden tools, the company said. Its other products include battery-powered snow blowers and snow throwers.
Its existing footprint in New Jersey includes a 120,000-square-foot e-commerce distribution center at 305 Veterans Blvd. and a 33,000-square-foot building at 100 Triangle Blvd., both in Carlstadt.
“We are equally as excited to learn that Snow Joe, a leader in the lawn and garden consumer market, has decided to name Mahwah as one of its primary distribution centers,” Mahwah Mayor Bill Laforet said. “Welcoming Snow Joe into the township helps to create new jobs and opportunities for our community, while simultaneously providing the company with the logistical advantages that Mahwah has to offer.”
Sitex, NAI Hanson mark start of construction for Mahwah warehouse
