Lawson to put HQ near O’Hare; distribution center in McCook

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Updated: January 10, 2012 11:29AM

Lawson Products, a distributor of maintenance and repair supplies, is moving its headquarters, but the company isn’t going far.

Lawson Products and Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office Wednesday announced the company will move its corporate headquarters from Des Plaines to the city, in an area near O’Hare International Airport, in the early summer of 2012.

Additionally, Lawson announced plans to lease a new, state-of-the-art Midwest packaging and distribution center in McCook. The facility will be constructed and owned by CenterPoint Properties, a leading national industrial real estate and development firm.

“We have spent the past several years investing in our business transformation, building a solid platform for the sustained growth of Lawson,” Lawson CEO Tom Neri said in a release from the company. “When our new packaging and distribution center is completed and our headquarters are relocated, we will further improve operating efficiencies that will help us achieve our vision to be our customers’ first choice for maintenance, repair, and operating solutions.”

About 400 people work at the company’s headquarters.

Lawson Products, founded in 1952, is traded publicly on the NASDAQ exchange. The company is a distributor of maintenance, repair, and operations supplies, in all 50 states as well as Canada and Puerto Rico. More than 300,000 parts are manufactured by Lawson.