Purolator opens regional hub in Brockville after six years

In this provided photo, Purolator Vice President Chris Spanjaard speaks to dignitaries and employees during a ribbon cutting in Brockville, Ont. on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2019. Purolator has reopened its mothballed facility on California Avenue and brought 25 jobs back to the local economy to start. (Purolator via Newswatch Group)

Editor’s note: Dates in this story have been clarified. The Purolator regional hub originally opened 27 years ago, in 1992. It closed in 2013.

BROCKVILLE – After being six years outside the City of Brockville, Purolator has reopened its mothballed facility and added 25 jobs back to the local economy.

Company officials and dignitaries, including Brockville Mayor Jason Baker, held a ribbon cutting at the 1365 California Avenue building this morning (Wednesday). The facility has already been open for about a month.

In an interview with Brockville Newswatch, Purolator Vice President Chris Spanjaard says the building, opened in 1992, was mothballed in 2013 when operations moved to Kingston – now they’re back.

“With significant growth we have seen in the last few years, we really saw needs and also opportunity for us to go back to Brockville with a dedicated facility,” Spanjaard said.

Spanjaard says the facility has been modernized and is part of a Canada-wide expansion which will see 125 new customer pickup locations and 1,200 employees hired. He says Brockville was chosen first because of its turnkey condition, its strategic location between Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa, and its potential for high growth.

The expansion is required to meet the demands of the growing e-commerce shopping division, the company said.

The Brockville facility is designed to handle international inbound and outbound shipments, small courier packages and bigger freight shipments. “It’s a completely indoor facility so our couriers and sorters can work completely in a dry and suitable environment with the most modern equipment,” Spanjaard told Brockville Newswatch.

There are already 25 employees in the Brockville area, both full-time and part-time positions, but there’s “an opportunity to grow here” with more jobs. Spanjaard says some of the employees have come back to Brockville after working in other terminals in the region.

When it comes to the local economy, Spanjaard says they are the only courier company with a dedicated facility in Brockville, which is attractive to “premium health care customers.”

As for other Eastern Ontario expansions, he says there are plans for a new terminal in Ottawa.

“I’m really proud to say that in this city – they call it the City of the 1000 Islands – I can really say that Purolator is a company with 10,000 hearts that make a difference in the lives of everyday people,” he said.