Crown Automotive Sales Company, Inc. will open a distribution center next month in a 19,600-square-foot portion of a 435,000-square-foot building at 750 Greg St. in Sparks.
Crown Automotive distributes replacement parts for Jeeps and SUVs.
The company chose to close its Salt Lake City center, says Mark Consiglio, national sales manager, because the Sparks location will allow it to offer one-day service to its West Coast customers. It will hire six to eight employees locally, as none will relocate from Utah.
Despite the lagging economy, Consiglio says, Jeep sales have seen an uptick due to the introduction of the four-door JK model, which can double as the family vehicle for the off-road buyers market.
Crown Automotive began in Boston in 1963 and now operates three warehouses nationwide. Its local retail dealer is Drive Line and Gear Service on Glendale Avenue in Sparks.
NAI Alliance represented the building owner, NB Real Estate Capital of Portland, Ore., in the lease transaction and Miller Industrial Properties, LLC, represented Crown Automotive.
