The company has been on its 33-acre property at 2601 S. ThirdSt. for 130 years, starting as the Kentucky Wagon Manufacturingfirm. However, the company needed to expand, and the parcel issurrounded by the University of Louisville. "We're now in about450,000 sf, but it's spread out around several buildings. We knewwe needed to move to other buildings with more open spans, to helpus better serve the market," says Charles Ducas, VP and generalmanager at the company.

The University of Louisville Foundation has purchased the S.Third Street site for an undisclosed amount. The college presidentJames Ramsey has not said how the property will be used, though ina statement he said, "it opens the door for a dramatictransformation as our Belknap campus grows from 287 acres to nearly320 acres."

Ducas tells GlobeSt.com that his firm has an option on another25 acres next to its new building. "We may build another building,probably about the same size. We need to think about what we willneed for the next 50 years," he says. The company will start itsrenovation of the site soon, he says, and will ad on 20,000 sf ofoffice. The firm will be able to keep its paint shop operation atthe S. Third Street site for three years, Ducas says.