- Stord plans to invest more than $40 million to expand and modernize its Hebron fulfillment center.
- The project will add 525,000 square feet of warehouse space and create 500 jobs in Boone County.
- Company leaders cite Northern Kentucky’s location and logistics infrastructure as key to the expansion.
For Stord co-founder and CEO Sean Henry, Hebron just made sense.
The community’s proximity to Interstate 71/75 and the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport makes it a hub for air and ground logistics.
Founded in Atlanta in 2015, Stord is a third-party logistics company that provides end-to-end fulfillment, warehousing, transportation, and e-commerce technology solutions for brands, with a focus on direct-to-consumer and omnichannel companies. The company works with recognizable brands such as Native, AG1, True Classic and Bodyarmour, among others.
Today, Stord announced that it would invest over $40 million in the coming years to overhaul its existing 520,000-square-foot fulfillment center in Hebron. The investment will add 525,000 square feet of warehouse space, including an additional second floor of 8,772 square feet, ready for further expansion.
This month, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority approved $2.3 million in tax incentives tied to meeting specific hiring and hourly wage benchmarks.
“We tend to grow in a more campus-like strategy where we start to put facilities near each other, and new clients and early-stage businesses who want that first location are just absolutely loving the market,” Henry told LINK nky. “We hope over the next decade and beyond, that this is one of many expansions and our first 1,000 jobs to come, not our last.”
Stord first moved into the Greater Cincinnati market in 2024 after acquiring its initial warehouse at 1200 Worldwide Blvd. from Pitney Bowes. Davis said Northern Kentucky provides Stord with the operational capacity to offer more one-to-two-day delivery services. The facility provides Stord with access to major metropolitan areas, including Louisville, Lexington, Indianapolis, Columbus, and Cleveland.
“This region and a circle of a few 100 miles around Hebron stand out as one of the best markets out there to achieve that single node distribution,” Henry said. “So that was part of our thesis when we entered the market, and frankly, what we’ve seen since is we’ve just dramatically outpaced our demand expectations.”
Furthermore, Stord’s investment will help modernize the facility by installing new automation systems, expanding the racking infrastructure, and implementing Stord’s proprietary AI-enabled technologies. Henry said Stord focuses on using AI to enhance its workforce’s capabilities.
“AI for us is not to replace jobs, simply to augment the growth and scale, but also the quality and efficiency. Can we use AI to make better, faster, cheaper decisions for our customers? And then, can we use AI to make our average associate and employee’s life in that building better, faster, cheaper as well, by optimizing the movement they have to do day to day, the packing they have to do day to day, and more,” Henry said.
Stord also announced that its investment is expected to create 500 jobs at the new warehouse. These roles will range from entry-level positions to senior leadership managing the day-to-day demands of a modern fulfillment center. Boone County Judge/Executive Gary Moore expressed the county’s excitement about the job creation in a news release.
“Stord provides national brands with the tools they need to effectively deliver their products in-store and online, in addition to value-added services such as kit assembly and embroidery, while also seamlessly delivering household name products to customer homes through advanced technology solutions,” Moore said. “We are excited that more than 500 new good-paying jobs will be created in Northern Kentucky.”