Final site plan approved for new Great Lakes Power Products world headquarters in Madison Village

By Bill DeBus bdebus@news-herald.com @bdebusnh on Twitter

Final site plan approved for new Great Lakes Power Products world headquarters

Great Lakes Power Products has moved a step closer toward beginning construction of its new world headquarters in Madison Village. The final site plan for the company’s 110,000-square-foot building was approved by the Madison Village Planning Commission at a meeting last week. By formally expressing its support, the commission provided administrative approval of the project for purposes such as zoning, development of a stormwater management plan, and architectural review, said village Administrator Dwayne Bailey. Panel members voted unanimously in favor of the plan, which now goes to the Lake County government for further review. The county will examine the company’s plan for items that include construction practices and adherence with Americans with Disabilities Act regulations.

Lake County also will issue building permits for the company’s project. Great Lakes Power Products, which is currently based in Mentor, intends to construct a new building on River Street, also known as Route 528. The project will be built on property bordering the southeast side of the Interstate 90 and Route 528 interchange, and stretching south to Route 307. “We spent a lot of time in the building design and the development of this structure,” said Harry Allen Jr., Great Lakes Power Products chairman and founder, during the Dec. 21 meeting. “And at the end of the day, this is going to be quite an asset to the village of Madison and the county of Lake.”

The company will consolidate its current headquarters at 7455 Tyler Blvd. in Mentor with a service center it operates at 3691 Shepard Road in Perry Township and move them to the new building in Madison. Plans call for the company to bring 50 full-time jobs with a total annual payroll of $3 million to the Madison Village location. The planning commission, along with giving its blessing to the final site plan, approved subdivision of the land that the company bought to build its headquarters and accommodate other business development. In the northwest corner of the company’s property bordering I-90 and Route 528, a new Love’s Travel Stop will be built. Love’s also received final site plan approval for its project at the Dec. 21 meeting.

Great Lakes Power Products headquarters will occupy 15 acres and Love’s Travel Stop is being constructed on 18 acres, Bailey said. Overall, the land purchased for development by Great Lakes Power Products comprises about 48 acres. Subdivision stipulates how the property will be legally reconfigured for what’s being built upon it, Bailey explained. “The boundaries have to be changed to accommodate the new public roadway that’s going to be in there, and to create a site for the Love’s and a site for Great Lakes Power,” Bailey said. “So that is the resubdivision of the land, creating new property lines and the new dedicated public roadway that’s going to bisect the property.” Lakeland Construction, based in Painesville Township, is serving as the design-build firm for Great Lakes Power Product’s new world headquarters. Bill Vondra, an engineer and consultant contracted by Lakeland Construction for the project, attended the Dec. 21 meeting.

Vondra was asked by Planning Commission Chairman Mark Vest about when ground would be broken for the project. “We’ll start moving earth as soon as we can,” he said. “The big thing is weather constraints and controlling soil runoff and all the good things to keep the environment happy.” Vondra said some of the permits from the Army Corps of Engineers are in place for the Great Lakes Power Products and Love’s sites. Great Lakes Power, founded in 1973, is a full-line distributor, manufacturer and rebuilder of power transmission products and accessories. The company consists of 13 locations nationwide with a total workforce of about 160 employees, said Great Lakes Power Products Vice President Andrea Morris, who is the daughter of Harry Allen Jr.

In February, the company received a Madison Village Economic Incentive Grant for construction of its headquarters.

The grant contract states that the company intends to spend about $9 million for building and land construction and $2 million for machinery, equipment, furniture and fixtures. The grant provides a way for the village to help the company finance the construction project, as long as the company maintains a staff of at least 50 full-time employees and a payroll of $3 million each year, for a 10-year period.

To our partners in the working environment,

We want you to know that Lakeland The Construction Group is doing everything in our power to be responsible and help stall the advancing of Covid -19 while remaining at work. We have instituted protocols and are taking every precaution to protect the health of the employees, our facilities, and to ensure business continuity during this unprecedented time. We have been diligent in these measures and have been monitoring the ever changing advisement from the CDC to preserve the health and safety of our company family and yours. With that said, we have decided to institute a 100% mask wearing policy at our job sites for the foreseeable future. We urge you to start to pursue avenues to provide your crew masks. We understand that this could be difficult in this climate which is why we are allowing a wider variety of masks on our jobs then we would normally. If you have any specific questions about this please reach out to us.

If you need a potential source please let us know and we will try and provide you some information. Lakeland The Construction Group will continue seeking opportunities to be of service to our community during these challenging times. Despite the hardship and disruption we are all experiencing, we believe this crisis provides us with an opportunity to pull together as a community and show our best selves.

Thank you for your continued service during this unprecedented time. We appreciate all of you and wish you good health going forward.

Lakeland The Construction Group to design-build Great Lakes Power Products in Madison Ohio

Painesville, OH, Feb 24, 2020/– Lakeland The Construction Group has been selected as the Design-Build General Contractor for the Great Lakes Power Products new world headquarters in Madison Village, Ohio.

Located in Painesville, Ohio, Lakeland is a General Contractor, specializing in Design-Build Construction, Metal Building Systems, and Construction Management. Lakeland was founded in 1986 by owner and President Fahim F. Gemayel and has since completed many projects in both private and public sectors. Lakeland’s portfolio includes; institutional, educational, retail, religious, residential and industrial construction.

“This is a very exciting time for Lakeland. We are proud to be working with GLPP to help develop their new world headquarters. Our design team is working closely with GLPP management to accommodate their existing operations in Mentor and Perry into the new facility”, Fahim F. Gemayel, President, Lakeland The Construction Group.

The project is located on 50 acres on River Street, (Route 528). It will be built on the property bordering the southeast side of the Interstate 90 and Route 528, and extending south to Route 307. The first phase of the project will consist of a new 110,000 by 160,000 sqft building, on 15 acres in which Lakeland is set to break ground early this spring. The remaining 35 acres are under design for future development.

Lakeland has plans to include local workforce as an initiative to promote economic growth in Madison. Further details will be available on their website late spring.

Media contact: Jose Casanova, Director of Marketing, (440) 579-1100, jcasanova@LMS86.com.