Quarry Buys Plant, Has 989 Acres to Sell

VERMILION, OH-American Stone Industries Inc., a subsidiary of American Stone Corp. has purchased the former Lithonia lighting plant here. The property has 172,000 sf in buildings on the 15-acre site at 850 West River Rd., which was vacated by Lithonia’s parent company Acuity Brands in 2005.

The producer and distributor of building stone plans to relocate all of its stone fabricating, storage and distribution from its current location in Amherst to set up headquarters here. Russ Ciphers, president and CEO of the company, tells GlobeSt.com that the property includes 5,000 sf of office space. The rest of the land will be used to store and distribute stone brought out from its active quarry in Florence Township, OH. Though he refused to divulge the purchase price for the Lithonia property, Ciphers says the company will spend $1 million on new equipment here.

Ciphers says the new plant and the new equipment will substantially improve production. “A major advantage is that we will now be able to operate year-round,” he says. “The company has always had to suspend operations in the unheated, 1930s-era Amherst facility during the coldest months of the year.”

He says the company hopes to move into the new building by September, to beat winter. The company is a subsidiary of Cleveland Quarries.

Ciphers says the firm is still looking for a buyer for its 969 acres, seven abandoned quarry pits that look like lakes in Lorain County. The company has officially terminated a deal from a company called Trans European Securities International LLP, which had announced various plans to buy the property for between $15 million and $24 million, and entice investors to help build a $1.2-billion leisure resort.

The grandiose plans would have featured the construction of a mixed-use development along State Route 113 with residential property, high-end retail, a hotel, a golf course and a year-round aquatic center with a retractable roof. However, American Stone ended the deal in March, saying Trans European took to long to buy the property. Ciphers did say the property is zoned for multifamily residential, with up to a 25-story building allowed, but says he will not comment on Trans European.