Port Authority lands first occupant for the former Jeep factory

Airgas, Inc., a distributor of industrial and medical gases, and equipment, agrees to build a 40,000 square-foot facility

The former Jeep plant just landed its first occupant since closing in the mid-2000s.

The Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority has landed its first occupant for the former Jeep factory site in central Toledo that the agency bought and cleaned up.

Airgas, Inc., a distributor of industrial and medical gases, welding equipment, and other supplies, has agreed to build a 40,000 square-foot facility in the southwest corner of the 111-acre site now known as the Overland Industrial Park.

The port authority's board of directors today approved a lease-purchase agreement with Airgas under which the company will either buy the site for $316,800 or pay rent totaling that amount over a 10-year period if the port is unable to complete the Voluntary Action Plan process associated with the site cleanup by the end of next year.

The facility is expected to employ 25 people and represents a consolidation of Airgas operations in northern Ohio and southeastern Michigan, according to a port authority staff report.