Under Armour is bringing 1,000 jobs to Sparrows Point

With a Tuesday announcement from Under Armour, Sparrows Point is going from steel to shield.
The sports giant is taking space in the redeveloping former industrial site and bringing lots of jobs with it. Plans call for a 1.3-million-square-foot distribution center at Sparrows Point, the former home of the famed Bethlehem Steel mill dubbed “The Beast of the East.”
The facility is set to open in 2018, and the company said it aims to employ 1,000 people in the area when it is fully operational.
The “distribution house” will focus on fulfilling orders for Under Armour’s ecommerce, and the company said it would feature “state-of-the-art equipment and systems.”
Showing Under Armour’s knack for going big once again, the facility will be slightly larger than Amazon’s 1-million-square-foot distribution center on Broening Highway.

The area’s steel operations halted in 2012 after owner RG Steel filed for bankruptcy. Last year, Sparrows Point was renamed Tradepoint Atlantic last year as the new owners and local officials envisioned a home for companies that would benefit from the 3,100 acres of space, port and ground transportation.
Under Armour had some big economic development backing for the latest project. The company received a $2 million conditional loan from the Maryland Department of Commerce, and the state will also fund an additional $2 million for real property and infrastructure improvements through the Maryland Economic Development Corp. Baltimore County is also kicking in a $200,000 loan to purchase equipment, pending County Council approval.
“We take great pride in collaborating with Governor [Larry] Hogan, [Maryland Commerce] Secretary [Mike] Gill, Baltimore County Executive [Kevin] Kamenetz, Tradepoint Atlantic and the many other state and local officials who share our commitment to create economic and job opportunities for the greater Baltimore community and Maryland as a whole,” Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank said in a statement.
The company’s presence along the water in Baltimore will be even better established with the new operation. Along with the new headquarters it plans to build in Port Covington, Under Armour also operates a distribution center in Curtis Bay.