Paoli’s Turn5 is opening a giant fulfillment center in Kansas

Come Oct. 29, Paoli, Pa.-based ecommerce company Turn5 — which sells custom parts for car enthusiasts — will cut the ribbon on a 365,000-square-foot fulfillment center in Lenexa, Kansas, in a push to streamline its national reach.

The Midwest hub is expected to add another 100 jobs to the company’s headcount of around 400 over the next three years. Turn5 kicked off the year by inaugurating a 90,000-square-foot Chester County HQ (peppered with perks like outdoor conference space and a bowling alley).

“Our presence in Kansas will help us expand our fulfillment operation and create better customer experiences,” said CEO Steve Voudouris. “We value our long-term relationships with customers, and connecting with like-minded people from all over the country who share a passion for customizing their vehicles and making them genuinely unique.”

For a little scale and context, ecommerce titan Amazon has three fulfillment centers across Kansas, including an 850,000-square-foot fulfillment center opened last August.

“Kansas’s central location and our focus on building and maintaining an outstanding infrastructure are key reasons many smart companies choose our state for distribution centers. It is easier, faster and less expensive to ship to and from Kansas,” Gov. Jeff Colyer said in a statement. “We are proud a thriving eCommerce company such as Turn5 has selected Lenexa for its new distribution hub and wish them great success.”

Turn5, founded in 2003 by Voudouris and his brother Andrew Voudouris, runs three sites in different auto niches: American Muscle, Extreme Terrain and American Trucks, which cater, respectively, to muscle-car, all-terrain and pickup-truck fanatics.

Similar to Philly, the Midwest state touts its geographic location as an advantage for business: Tim Cowden, president and CEO of the Kansas City Area Development Council, said the central location is key for ecommerce firms.

“The region’s central location and infrastructure mean 85 percent of the U.S. population can be reached from Kansas City within two days or less,” Cowden said. “That equals huge value for ecommerce fulfillment.”