By Shereen Siewert
Badger Liquor Company, Inc., a family-owned and operated business with headquarters in Fond du Lac, was given preliminary approval Tuesday to purchase city-owned property for a new distribution center in Wausau.
During Tuesday’s Economic Development Committee meeting, members unanimously approved the request, which calls for purchasing a roughly 4.7-acre parcel in the Wausau Business Campus for $59,162.50, which amounts to $12,500 per acre. The company is not asking for any city assistance for the project, which will consolidate the group’s Elcho and Mosinee cross-docks. Existing drivers will be retained.
Badger services the alcoholic beverage industry through distribution of wine and spirits statewide. The company is the largest wine and spirits provider in Wisconsin.
The proposed project consists of a new, 22,538-square foot distribution center that includes three exterior semi tractor trailer receiving docks, 17 interior docks for delivery trucks and an administration office, according to the group’s proposal. Surface parking is also planned. Construction would begin in spring and finish by September.
Members of the Economic Development Committee unanimously approved the proposal, which is subject to full council review.
