Maybe you’ve seen them or maybe you own them, but either way there’s a good chance you’re familiar with Crocs’ iconic clogs. Crocs, Inc. is one of the world’s 10 largest non-athletic shoe brands, known for its light, soft and flexible footwear. Since the company started in 2002, it has sold more than 600 million pairs of shoes. As the company continues to create comfortable shoes and Jibbitz charms allow every customer to personalize their footwear, Crocs’ business continues to boom.

This growth has provided an opportunity for Crocs to reevaluate its distribution network to ensure key business needs are being met, including prioritizing customer reach across the U.S. while maximizing workforce efficiencies. Crocs determined that by centralizing its main distribution center, not only would it provide a solution for stability, it would also offer advantages for future growth. In March 2019, Crocs announced it would relocate a main distribution center from California to Dayton, Ohio, near the Dayton International Airport.

Companies like Crocs, which have a strong e-commerce focus, increasingly see the benefits of investing in Ohio. According to Crocs, Ohio’s central location is ideal for the distribution center, allowing the company to increase shipping efficiency to consumers, wholesale partners and retail operations throughout the Americas. The company will also invest in sophisticated automation for its distribution center, and it is confident that the skilled and motivated workforce in the Dayton area will be the right talent to oversee automation, among many other positions.

According to Andrew Rees, president and CEO of Crocs, this larger, brand-new facility provides access to enhanced capacity, greater automation and a vibrant talent pool, increasing the company’s speed-to-market.

Crocs values the quality partnerships it has made in Ohio, which reinforced the company’s decision to invest in the state. To help make the relocation process smooth for the company, an economic development team made up of the Dayton Development Coalition, Montgomery County, the city of Dayton, the Dayton International Airport and JobsOhio were highly engaged throughout the process.

This team assisted Crocs with finding a temporary, move-in-ready distribution facility so it could begin its Ohio operations and simultaneously building a new, permanent structure. This flexibility allowed Crocs to get to work immediately in Ohio during the facility transition, while meeting and hiring great people.