NEOtrans has learned that one of Ohio’s oldest craft brewers is not only seeking to remain in Cleveland but is dusting off old plans to move its production facilities to Scranton Peninsula in Cleveland’s Flats. Sources familiar with the Great Lakes Brewing Co.’s (GLBC) plans said that if public assistance can be found to provide enough developable land for the company’s expansion, it will likely relocate there.
Two sources spoke on the condition of anonymity that GLBC is in the process of pursuing a grant from Cleveland’s Department of Economic Development and possibly other public entities to help develop nearly 10 acres of land it bought in 2018 and 2021 on both sides of Carter Road on Scranton Peninsula.
GLBC had already spent about $650,000 in 2021 to level the 8 acres of land it owns on the inland side of Carter, not to mention a large sum to buy it and nearly 2 acres on the Cuyahoga River side of Carter. Although the land sale amounts are publicly unavailable, other properties on Scranton Peninsula have sold for just over $1 million per acre, county records show. It is not known if more land is needed.
The company has been at its Ohio City location, 2516 Market Ave., since its founding in 1988. Despite the large investment GLBC has already made on Scranton Peninsula, and its apparent renewed interest in the site, GLBC’s Interim Co-CEO Steven Pauwels said the company is not prepared to announce anything yet.
“We are keeping all options open,” Pauwels said.
City officials are mostly mum on their efforts to retain GLBC, too. However, they said they are working hard to create enough developable space in Cleveland for the growing company and its approximately 200 employees.
“We’ve been working our behinds off with GLBC, one of the Cleveland’s great companies, to find them what they need in the city,” said Ward 3 Councilman Kerry McCormack. “We are working with them on issues small and large to make sure they have what they need to increase efficiency and remain true to their values.”
Assistance could include funding removing old, industrial structures from the riverfront land. It could involve cleaning land, adding utilities and constructing roadways. And it could mean adding more land to create a developable site.
GLBC acknowledged that it has abandoned its efforts to move to suburban Avon in Lorain County. NEOtrans broke the story in December 2023 that GLBC had issued a request for proposals from real estate developers for a 200,000-square-foot brewery and canning facility with a tasting room in a visible location along a busy highway. The company would vacate its canning plant in Strongsville.
Two sources said GLBC’s favored site was a 17.5-acre vacant farm on Chester Road at Jaycox Road, next to Interstate 90. There it would reportedly consolidate GLBC’s Ohio City and Strongsville production and canning facilities into the large, new building. GLBC later confirmed that it was looking at relocating everything but its Ohio City brewpub but didn’t identify the location.
Pauwels confirmed that NEOtrans’ information was correct about which Avon site GLBC was considering. But he said GLBC did not walk away from the site due to a philosophical disagreement between then-CEO Mark King who wanted to make the move out of Cleveland and GLBC’s founders and co-owners Patrick and Daniel Conway who reportedly didn’t.
“The lot at Avon that we were considering recently sold and is off the table,” Pauwels told NEOtrans.
That property and two neighboring parcels totaling 37 acres sold last month to an affiliate of the Rafih Auto Group of Canada, Lorain County property records show. The company owns luxury car dealerships in North Olmsted and in 2022 bought the former Sears store and surrounding parking lots for a planned $60 million luxury car emporium.
There has been no apparent progress on that development since then. The city of North Olmsted is showing increased interest in redeveloping Lorain Avenue and possibly areas near Great Northern Mall with more mixed use and walkable settings. The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority recently won a grant to help develop those plans.
Even if GLBC moved its production facility from its cramped Ohio City location, company officials said their brewpub across West 25th Street from the West Side Market would remain in business. The Ohio City site could soon become even more constrained with a planned hotel next door. The company’s headquarters is also there, but its future location was not certain, either.
That is despite the company paying $2.24 million in 2022 to purchase the Gehring Building, 1958 W. 25th, for an expansion of its offices as well as a possible expansion of the brewpub into the current location of the Chase Bank branch that fronts West 25th. The goal, not yet realized, was to increase GLBC’s visibility in the neighborhood’s busy Market District.
Last year, Kelly said a larger more modern production facility was needed for GLBC to grow and consistently produce the highest quality beverages. Kelly left the company in May — right around the time the company began reaching out to Cleveland for help on its expansion plans, the two sources said.
“Our current building is full of history and charm but limits us in terms of efficiency, output, and quality control,” he said. “Having everything under one roof with more state-of-the-art amenities is vital for us to remain competitive and provide the safest, highest quality experience for our customers and staff. Our assessment of any potential build site must take all these factors into account.”
With the changeover in top management, not only is efficiency, quality and more output desired, but so is offering a setting with charm and history for visiting customers. That appears to be the goal in retaining the Ohio City brewpub as well as offering the production and tasting facilities on Scranton Peninsula.
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