Following a public hearing on Monday, November 22, the Pleasant Prairie Plan Commission approved a Conditional Use Permit including Site and Operational Plans for the request of BJ Korman with EMCO Chemical Distributors. EMCO plans to occupy and modify the existing building located at 10303 80th Avenue in LakeView Corporate Park. The company will use the new building to store equipment, raw materials, and finished products, ranging from empty metal drums to finished chemical products.
The building EMCO plans to occupy was last used in late 2019 by Fair Oaks Farm for warehousing storage. Site changes will increase the parking lot, adding 59 new semi-truck trailer stalls on the eastern and southeastern ends of the building. EMCO will also improve the landscaping on the site with added berms, trees, and plants to screen the additional semi-truck parking area. In addition, EMCO plans to build an interior truck maintenance area to service EMCO's fleet vehicles.
The new storage facility will extend EMCO's corporate operations, located at 8601 95th Street. The property is zoned M-2, General Manufacturing District, and storage of High-hazard Group H uses within the district are allowed. EMCO Chemical intends to start site work in February 2022, with a projected occupancy date in spring 2022. Upon completion, EMCO anticipates hiring ten additional full-time employees.
EMCO is one of the leading providers of chemicals and chemical-related products and services in North America. The company blends chemicals, utilizing solvent and water-based formulas, and packages them into desired containers to meet customer requirements. The company was founded 50 years ago, in 1971, by EMCO President Edward Polen. EMCO joined the Pleasant Prairie Business Community in 2010, purchasing a 30-acre site in LakeView Corporate Park. The Pleasant Prairie facility was perfect because it was specially outfitted for chemical operations and contained the substantial infrastructure needed for a chemical distributor. In 2013, EMCO retrofitted the 260,000 square foot building and relocated the company's Corporate Headquarters from North Chicago to Pleasant Prairie.