Keystone Automotive chooses the West Plains for new distribution center

A multinational corporation that specializes in aftermarket and specialty auto parts will open a distribution center on the West Plains. Keystone Automotive Corp., a subsidiary of LKQ Corp., will build a 250,000-square-foot warehouse just off of Hallett Road south of Interstate 90, according to Robin Toth, vice president of business development at Greater Spokane Inc. The facility will employ about 60 people and should be open by the end of the year, she said. Rick Romero, director of public works for the City of Spokane, told the city public works committee that the new warehouse will be located at 6120 S. Thomas Mallen Road. He didn’t name the business, but said about one-third of the jobs created there will pay more than $40,000 a year, while the rest will pay less than that. Keystone Automotive’s new facility won’t be far from another large distribution plant built by Caterpillar three years ago. Toth said it’s GSI’s hope that the distribution center will grow, just as Caterpillar’s has. The distributor of heavy equipment opened in 2013 with 90 employees and its workforce has about doubled, Toth said. The location, near the Medical Lake interchange, is close to the freeway and the airport, she said. “It’s just a good place for a facility like that,” she said. The land is owned by SDS Realty Inc., which also handled the transaction. “Originally, Keystone was looking for an existing facility to move quickly into this area,” Victor Overholser, of SDS Realty, said in a news release. “Our market doesn’t have 250,000-square-foot warehouse vacancies. It quickly became evident that they would need a build-to-suit facility.” Garco Construction Inc. is building the new warehouse, which should be finished by the end of the year, the news release said. Toth said Keystone operates a smaller distribution center at 3200 E. Trent Ave. Officials at Keystone and LKQ didn’t return calls seeking comment. LKQ Corp., based in Chicago, provides alternative and specialty parts for vehicles, trucks and RVs in North America, Europe, Australia and Taiwan, according to the company’s most recent earnings statement.