Franklin-based
Carma Laboratories bought a 41-acre parcel of land at the northeast corner of West Ryan Road and South 76
th Street in Franklin, according to state real estate records.
The maker of Carmex and other lip care products paid a little more than $2.25 million for the land, which has an assed value around $60,000.
The property appears destined to be the future home of the company’s headquarters. Carma Labs
announced in January it planned to build a new headquarters in the city of Franklin. The company currently operates from a production facility at 5801 W. Airways Ave. and a distribution center and offices at 9750 S. Franklin Drive.
In a 2017 BizTimes cover story, company officials acknowledged their 44,000-square-foot production facility is the product of several additions over the years, making it difficult to move product through the facility. Its distribution facility being a half-mile away also means the product has to be trucked over for additional processing before it is distributed.
In August, documents filed with the state Department of Natural Resources indicated a 115,000-square-foot
headquarters and manufacturing development was planned for the site northeast of West Ryan Road and South 76
th Street. The documents said the project included 30,000 square feet for office and 85,000 square feet for manufacturing.
At the time, Carma Labs declined to comment, but sources told BizTimes the company had reviewed the site and had interest in developing it.
Rich Simonson, chief operating officers of Carma Labs, said Thursday the company had no additional comments on the land purchase.
In October, Simonson was among the
Franklin business leaders that signed a letter to the city of Franklin expressing concern following the initial denial of a Strauss Brands meat processing facility.
“Many of our member companies are considering expanding in Franklin, but we must admit that the treatment of Strauss is giving us pause and questioning our trust in the city,” the letter said, in part.
