Former 3M building in DeKalb soon to be fully occupied

DeKALB – After being vacant for more than a year, the former 3M building at 12101 Barber Greene Road is close to being fully occupied, DeKalb city officials said Friday.

CEVA Logistics, an international shipping company, first leased and moved into the building in December and began using about a third of the space to handle shipping for 3M, according to Chief Building Official Thaddeus Mack.

Because of the increased demand of handling 3M’s overseas shipping, however, CEVA is working to expand its operations and will soon occupy about two-thirds of the building, Mack added.

With the building being vacant for so long, Mack said there are some minor maintenance issues that needed to be addressed, but 3M and CEVA have been very responsive to addressing these issues.

“Everyone has been good about getting on the same page,” Mack said. “This has been a positive thing for the city.”

The remaining third of the building is being leased by School Tool Box, a Sycamore-based school supply store that has been looking to expand.

Mack said there is still some remodeling work that needs to be finished before the business can fully relocate.

“It’s good to see they have a business that’s growing,” Mack said. “We’re working hard to get this done as they have a busy season ahead of them.”

School Tool Box offers a number of services, including the Ship-to-Home program, which allows parents to order their supplies online later into the summer, provides the ability to add or remove items a student may already have and requires fewer volunteer hours.

The building had been used for manufacturing by Deerfield-based Caterpillar before it was converted for distribution purposes by 3M in 2006. The facility was then vacated in early November 2016 after the completion of the new 987,500-square-foot 3M distribution center in Park 88 in DeKalb.