On Tuesday, August 25, 2015, First Industrial Realty Trust of Mount Prospect, Illinois, held an official ground breaking ceremony at the former site of the Tunkieicz farm located on Highways S and H in the Village of Somers.  The project, which will be completed in multiple phases, will begin with the construction of a 600,000 square foot building.  George Stoner, President of the Board of Trustees for the Village of Somers spoke at the event.

“It is my pleasure and privilege to welcome all of you to this groundbreaking.  Today is a historical day for Somers.  We are celebrating a visible beginning to our first industrial park, and we could not be more pleased with our experience working with Adam Moore, and his team at First Industrial. To appreciate the significance of where we stand today, I’d like to share how far we have come since April 13, 2015, the day the Plan Commission approved the conceptual site plan for this project.  At the time, Somers had no industrial parks or tax incremental financing districts.  This site had no sewer or water service, and there were no plans for Highway S and Highway H road improvements.  Six days prior to the Plan Commission meeting, the electors of Somers approved incorporating a portion of the Town into a Village on April 7th.  This resulted in the election of six new Village Trustees and President, who were sworn into office on June 18^th.  Yet, despite all of these changes within Somers, when First Industrial presented an opportunity for one of our land owners to sell their property, which would become our first industrial park, Somers leadership shifted into high gear and faced the challenge of getting the job done.   None of this would have been possible in such a short time frame without the commitment from a team of people who were involved with shaping, organizing, and directing this project.  These people were willing to meet at 6 AM, meet evenings, and work weekends.  The negotiations were tough, but in the end, we arrived at an agreement that will make everyone proud for years to come.  At this time, I want to individually thank and acknowledge the team that played a key role in this project:

• William Morris, Village Administrator
• Ann Brumback, Assistant to William Morris
• Somers Plan Commission and Staff
• Jeff Davison, Village Attorney
• Dave Geertsen, Village Trustee
• Gary Sipsma, Director of Highways for Kenosha County
• Andy Buehler and Ben Fiebelkorn, Kenosha County Planning and Development
• Dan Snyder, Sr. Director of GAI Consultants, serving as Village Engineers
• Jim Mann, Sr. Municipal Advisor at Ehlers Advisory firm, serving as Financial Advisor to the Village
• A long-time Somers family who had the foresight and vision to provide a utility easement that will benefit the entire community
• And, last, but not least, Adam Moore and his team of professionals at First Industrial. It was a pleasure to work with all of you on this project.

First Industrial, thank you again for choosing Somers.  We look forward to your success and to watching your progress as the first 600,000 square foot building becomes a reality.  Again, welcome to our community.” – George Stoner
 

For additional information, click here to read First Industrial press release.

Photos from the event.

Left to Right: Brad Kluever, First Industrial; Adam Moore, First Industrial; Jojo Yap, First Industrial;  David Harker, First Industrial;  George Stoner, Village of Somers President; William Morris, Village of Somers Administrator;  Jim Schlundt, First Industrial; Warner Briske, Partners in Design; Chris Seifert, Riley Construction; Adam Artz, Pinnacle Engineering; Dave Riley, Riley Constuction

(Photo by Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson)

Left to Right: Wayne Koessl, Retired Somers Economic Development Committee; Dave Geertsen, Trustee Village of Somers; Jojo Yap, First Industrial; Al Brokmeier, Trustee Village of Somers

Left to Right: Sam Badger, Broker, NAI Hiffman; George Stone, Village of Somers President

(Photo by Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson)

Dan Snyder, GAI Consultants; Al Brokmeier, Village of Somers Trustee; Jeff Davison, Village of Somers Attorney

(Photo by Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson)

Andy Buehler, Kenosha County Planning & Development; Tim Kitzman, Clerk-Treasurer Village of Somers

(Photo by Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson)

George Stoner, Village of Somers President; Tim Geraghty, Attorney, Godin, Geraghty, Puntillo, Camilli, SC ; Adam Artz, Pinnacle Engineering

(Photo by Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson)

(Photo by Jacqueline Klapproth Nelson)