Gsi To Move Into Old Tidyman’s
GSI Outdoors, the San Diego-based distributor of camping goods that this week announced plans to relocate to the Spokane Valley, will move its headquarters into the former Tidyman’s Warehouse Foods store at Pines and 12th.
Camping accessories such as cookware, prospector’s gold pans and even mini-espresso makers will be shipped from the Valley site to retailers all over the world.
The old grocery store was vacated four years ago when a new Tidyman’s was built at Sprague and McDonald.
Kathy Scott, corporate secretary of GSI, said the company distributes to domestic catalog sellers and retailers such as REI, Wal-Mart and Target.
Scott also listed Japan, Germany, Canada, New Zealand and Australia as countries to which GSI exports.
The Spokane Area Economic Development Council announced the move Wednesday.
GSI had expressed interest in moving to the Northwest about a year ago, and the EDC had been courting them since.
Sally Harris, the EDC representative who recruited GSI, said the company should be in operation at the 40,000-square-foot facility here no later than October. The company was based in San Diego ever since starting there 10 years ago.
Scott said GSI found the Valley attractive because of lower real estate costs, making it easier for employees to buy homes.
She also cited state tax advantages as a factor in the move.
Washington’s proximity to export destination Canada was another plus.
“We moved from border to border,” Scott said. “We don’t send anything to Mexico, but we do receive from (manufacturers) there.”
In addition to distribution of other companies’ products, GSI also offers its own line of custom-manufactured goods. Those include cedar shower decks for recreational vehicles.
The company will employ about 25 people, seven of whom are moving from San Diego. The others will be hired here for entry-level jobs in GSI’s packaging department. There will also be one or two clerical job openings.
Although many manufacturers pre-package items, Scott said a lot of those products aren’t packed in commercial-quality containers. GSI repackages them, and the company will seek to purchase those packing materials here in the Northwest.
, DataTimes