A local fence and gate manufacturer is expanding its operations with a new, $20 million facility in northwest Ocala at a site where three sinkholes were discovered prior to the start of construction.
Construction crews have started work on a new 148,605-square-foot manufacturing plant for Antebellum Manufacturing, LLC. The new facility will be located at 2399 NW 35th Street.
Antebellum Manufacturing, LLC, is an Ocala-based company that fabricates fences and gates. The company has outgrown its current building, according to a press release.
The project is being managed by Boyd-Mox Development, LLC, in partnership with WBS Equities. The construction is being performed by Miller Construction Company. The architecture firm that designed the property is Horton, Harley & Carter.
According to a press release from the construction company, the facility should be completed early next year.
During an inspection of the property, at least three sinkholes were discovered that posed potential issues. Crews worked to use pressure grouting to solidify the ground and create a structurally sound subgrade to “support any building on the site,” according to a statement from Miller.
When it is completed, the new facility will be equipped with 53 columns, 32-foot high ceilings, eight loading docks, and 96 parking spaces.
“With this project, the People of Antebellum Manufacturing, LLC will be able to quadruple our capacity while increasing efficiency at a massive scale,” said Chris Boyd, CEO of Antebellum Manufacturing. “In an ever-changing market, we have found that domestic manufacturing with domestic materials is experiencing a bit of a renaissance and this new facility puts us in the front seat to take advantage of that.”
When the move is complete, the company will join several others that have moved into large facilities in northwest Ocala, including FedEx, Chewy, Amazon, and AutoZone.