Work has begun on the facility, which has a price tag of $11 million, says John Strittmatter, president of Ryan Southwest. He would not disclose the lease consideration with Ryan Cos. US Inc., but similar deals have a value of $7 million to $8 million. The facility, which will be completed in late summer, sits on 21 acres in Yuma Commerce Center near the intersection of Interstate 8 and South Araby Road.

Strittmatter tells GlobeSt.com that Alside chose the Yuma site for its proximity to Southern California and Arizona's favorable tax structure. "This new facility will serve Texas, Arizona and California," he says, adding Alside will employ 80 people to begin with and will ramp up to 150 people in 2006.

Phoenix-based Dickinson Architects designed the facility, one of several Ryan has built for Alside. The Minneapolis-based developer is finishing up a distribution facility for Alside in Ennis, TX, a suburb of Dallas.