Fleet Team holds ceremonial groundbreaking 

By Dan Holland

Employees of Fleet Team, Inc., which plans to open a new global headquarters at the former site of Vatterott College, located at 5025 E. Royalton Rd., gathered in the 38,400 square-foot shell of the former school on Nov. 19 for a ceremonial groundbreaking attended by city officials.

Fleet Team, a fleet management company in the materials handling industry, will eventually move its current Rockside Road headquarters in Independence to the new location at the northwest corner of Interstate 77 and East Royalton Road. The location, which is also expected to include a new 29,500- square-foot building to be built during a second construction phase, is expected to eventually employ up to as many as 125 persons.

Along with the city of Broadview Heights, partners in the project include JobsOhio, in partnership with Team NEO. The design and build team of MPG Architects, Richardson Design and JTL Construction is tasked with renovating the interior and exterior of the existing building. 

“We have existing employees who live in and around this region, and from a recruitment perspective, we think this is an awesome recruiting tool for us to be able to show what we refer to as the pinnacle of the entry point to Broadview Heights,” said Fleet Team president Doug Riddle. “So, when people are driving up and down I-77 and see this this newly renovated building and are wondering what it is, we think that is going to draw attention to us from people who are wanting to come to work in a facility or business like ours. This will be a national recruiting tool and a retention tool for us.”

Mayor Sam Alai said this is something “truly unique.”

“The vision of the leadership team with Matt Adams [president of parent company GNCO], Doug Riddle and Andy Gray [MPG Architects] – between those three gentlemen and the collaboration with our city, they’re turning something that was old and outdated into something new and exciting on a spot that is going to become the centerpiece of Northeast Ohio,” Alai said.

“I don’t think there will be a nicer building between the city of Cleveland and Charlotte, North Carolina along I-77 than this,” Alai continued. “I’ve seen the plans and their vision, and because of their vision and their business acumen, they’re going to bring a lot of business, a lot of work and opportunities to this corner of I-77 and Route 82 in Broadview Heights.”

The full construction/renovation process is expected to take between 10 and 12 months once it begins in earnest, according to Riddle.“The idea behind this is that we’ll be able to grow into this building and property,” said Riddle. “The property is 11 acres total, and some of the acreage can’t be seen, as it goes over the cliff and down into the creek basin at the rear. But we want to utilize that space; we want to use it for collaborative areas and exercise areas. We’re talking about having potentially a second phase to grow into, which would give us another 30,000 square feet of space once it’s all done.”  

photo caption: Officials representing the city and Fleet Team Inc. ceremoniously break ground on Fleet Team’s new Royalton Road headquarters. Photo by Dan Holland.