Working with the Atlanta office of St. Louis-based Arco Design/Build, First Industrial plans to break ground on the project in June and have it completed by spring 2004. Ford will lease the property for 10 years, during which time the automaker will use the facility to distribute parts to its dealers in Georgia.

The Henry County project will be similar to the high-velocity center First Industrial is completing for Ford in Mebane, NC, Sam O'Briant, vice president of development services for First Industrial's eastern region, tells GlobeSt.com. "Building state-of-the-art distribution facilities is one of the many ways we serve the needs of our customers," O'Briant says.

Building a distribution center in less than 12 months is routine for the First Industrial-Arco team, O'Briant says. "It's easier to work on project of this kind in the summertime," he says.