The Opus Group, Minnetonka, Minn., completed a 1.6 million-square-foot distribution center for Omaha, Neb.-based ConAgra Foods in Frankfort, Ind.

“We believe that the ROI is superior to the alternatives we had. The team at Opus embraced the project like they were building it for themselves. It’s the largest building ConAgra has ever built, and it was completed on time and under budget using Opus’ design-build approach, which gave us one point of contact and allowed for seamless integration with subcontractors and overall master schedule planning,” says Craig Weiss, vice president, supply chain, programs and logistics for ConAgra Foods.

The relationship began in 1990 when Opus began constructing ConAgra Foods’ corporate campus in Omaha, Neb. Since then, ConAgra Foods has enlisted Opus to design and build a nationwide network of 11 temperature-controlled and dry distribution facilities in eight states, totaling more than 5 million square feet, with the Frankfort site being the most recent project.

The Frankfort distribution center consolidated three former Midwest ConAgra Foods distribution centers into one centrally-located facility on 300 acres, including 125 dock doors and more than 850 trailer parking spaces.

“We want to be a place where carriers want to come to do business,” says Weiss. “In Frankfort, we allow driver parking onsite and have a welcome center that allows us to move trucks through in a very easy process. We can also accommodate up to 20 trailers in line without having to block any city streets. These are some of the things we did in conjunction with Opus to make it a facility of choice.”

Opus also worked with ConAgra Foods, the City of Frankfort and Clinton County to speed up a road construction project that greatly improved access to the distribution center. As a result, Clinton County redesigned the road into an ‘S’ curve, creating a straight-shot, direct access to the facility’s entrance drive from State Highway 28, which intersects with Interstate 65.

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