Sweetwater Plans $37M Expansion
Music gear retailer Sweetwater is planning a $37 million expansion of its warehouse facilities. The project is expected to add 170,000 square feet of space and create 300 new jobs. The expansion signals robust economic health in the region, which could support increased demand for housing and renovations.
- This project marks another significant step in Sweetwater's long history of growth, which started in 1979 with founder Chuck Surack running a mobile recording studio out of his Volkswagen bus. - The expansion will add nearly 168,000 square feet to Sweetwater's existing 524,363-square-foot distribution center in Fort Wayne, Indiana. - Construction is slated to begin in April and is expected to be completed by August 2027. - To support the expansion, the Fort Wayne Redevelopment Commission has approved $6.2 million in infrastructure improvements, which will be funded by the West Highway 30 TIF district. - This is not the company's first major expansion; in 2018, Sweetwater announced a $76.4 million investment to add a 350,000-square-foot warehousing facility and a 35,000-square-foot conference center. - Sweetwater is a major employer in the region, with 2,500 employees across its entire footprint, and plays a significant role in Fort Wayne's reputation as one of the fastest-growing cities in the Midwest. - The company, which surpassed $1 billion in revenue in 2020, is the largest online retailer of musical instruments and pro audio equipment in the United States. - In August 2021, a majority share of Sweetwater was acquired by Providence Equity, a private equity firm based in Rhode Island.
