Norton Air Force Base Transforms into Logistics Hub

Medical supply firm Medline Industries contracted with Hillwood (Dallas) to build a 400,000-sq.-ft. distribution center on 20 acres at Hillwood's AllianceCalifornia development in San Bernardino, Calif. The 2,000-acre business park is on the site of the former Norton Air Force Base. Construction already is under way on the building and should be complete by September.

The new Medline facility will reportedly aid the company in its expansion plans, said Bill Abington, president of Medline operations in a local news report. He said that it will help the company to deliver medical supplies with same or next day service.

Based in Mundelein, Ill., the Medline operates 29 distribution and service centers and exceeded $2 billion in sales last year. The company manufactures and distributes more than 100,000 products to hospitals, extended care facilities, surgery centers, home care dealers and agencies and other markets. One of the country's largest privately held providers of medical supplies, the company has doubled its sales volume in the past five years, averaging between 10-15% growth per year.

Other facilities on the former Air Force base in include a 600,000 sq.-ft. Kohl’s distribution building, a 1.2 million-sq.-ft. Mattel facility and a 1.8 million sq.-ft. Stater Bros. distribution facility. In total, Hillwood plans to develop approximately 14 million sq.-ft of industrial space on the site.

Source: Medline, Hillwood.