The company produces commercial grade ovens for restaurants, fast-food chains, hospitals, schools and other organizations.
The Middleby Corp., the Illinois-based parent company of G.S. Blodgett Corp., sold the South End site in late June to Russ and Roxanne Scully, local entrepreneurs who own a water sports shop and a pair of restaurants. They say their plans for the property aren’t set.
The Blodgett parent company bought a 180,000-square-foot facility on Allen Martin Drive in Essex from Miller Realty to be renovated into office and manufacturing space.
Blodgett, which employs about 200 people, said it has long outgrown its current location of 135,000 square feet.
“The purchase of a larger, more state of the art manufacturing facility will enable the Blodgett brand’s continued growth,” Dan Coolbeth, vice president of operations, said in a statement. “Our greatest asset is our Vermont workforce, and we are thrilled to be able to expand here.”
Calls Monday to Coolbeth and Vice President and Controller Erica Havers were not returned.
“It is painful to see a 170-year-old company leave Burlington,” Mayor Miro Weinberger said in a statement. “However, knowing this move will allow Blodgett to expand and grow jobs in Vermont, and the great potential the former site has to meet today’s Burlington goals, I am excited that this long-sought sale has been completed.”
G.S. Blodgett Corp. had its start in 1848 when Gardner S. Blodgett built a pizza oven for a local tavern, and shortly after founded the company on Bank Street. The manufacturer settled into its current location in the 1940s: three buildings between the railroad tracks and waterfront off Lakeside Avenue. Blodgett also produces products under the brand name Market Forge.
Frank Cioffi, president of the Greater Burlington Industrial Corp., said the current move had been in the works for more than 20 years.
“The Blodgett facility is just not efficient for the way you do manufacturing today,” Cioffi said, adding that materials need to be moved among buildings.
His organization helped Blodgett apply for economic growth incentives as part of the transition. The company received about $600,000 under the Vermont Employment Growth Incentive program. As a result, it needs to add about 40 jobs over a three-year period paying a wage of around $16 an hour.
“Burlington needs the additional space for the creative and tech sectors, and there currently isn’t enough space in existing buildings,” Cioffi said.
The Scullys purchased the 16-acre parcel for $14.3 million, according to the city’s property database, which shows it assessed at just over $4.1 million.
The couple own WND&WVS, a Pine Street paddleboard and water sports shop; Scully Interactive, an e-marketing and web design company; and The Spot, a surf-themed restaurant on Shelburne Road. They recently opened a second eatery near the King Street ferry dock, known as The Spot on the Dock.
Roxanne Scully also runs a franchise of SurfSet Fitness, a national workout company that trains water athletes.
Russ Scully is chair of the Burlington Business Association.
Reached Monday afternoon, Russ Scully said it is too early to announce details, as plans for the property are still being determined.
“We’ve been talking to various groups about the highest and best use for the community,” he said. “So far we’ve gotten a lot of great ideas.”
Under the terms of the sale, the buyers can’t move into the property until December 2018, according to Russ Scully, which leaves around 18 months to develop plans. He said the deal has been in the works since 2014, when he began bidding on the property.
The area is zoned for enterprise light manufacturing, which would allow for retail, warehouses, office space, parks or manufacturing. Restaurants and residential use are currently not permitted.
Weinberger told Seven Days that he would encourage the new owners to make the property’s waterfront public and expressed interest in relocating the bike path to run closer to the lake.
Russ Scully said both ideas are being considered. “We’d like to build out a WND&WVS rental facility and keep that stretch of beach accessible and open to the public,” he said.
The surf and paddleboard lifestyle shop operates a small rental business out of a trailer on a stretch of beach just north of the property. Stand-up paddleboards and windsurfers are among the equipment available to rent.
He said the beachfront in the Blodgett location is perfect for water sports, with shallow water and an ideal combination of north and south winds.
“We’re not sure exactly what we’re going to do yet, but we’re starting to have some good conversations,” Russ Scully said.
