Construction of the 80,000-square-foot Hartville Hardware store in Middlefield Village is on schedule, no thanks to the layers of sandstone that needed to be excavated so the project could begin last spring.
Construction of the 80,000-square-foot Hartville Hardware store in Middlefield Village is on schedule, no thanks to the layers of sandstone that needed to be excavated so the project could begin last spring.
“We knew the stone was there. We tested it prior to buying the land. We were just uncertain how to break it up,” said Gary Sommers, CEO of HRM Enterprises Inc, parent company of Hartville Hardware.
He and his brother, Scott Sommers, president of HRM in Wayne County, spoke Sept. 26 above a sea of mud surrounding the steel-framed structure in the background.
Huge trucks and equipment crawled through the soggy ground, but neither Sommer seemed deterred, noting they were just glad to get the building under roof.
The underlying sandstone is piled up by Kinsman Road until it is used onsite to ameliorate the 30-foot elevation drop from the state route.
“The rock was a little bit of a stumbling block, but since then, (the project) has gone really well,” Gary said.
The long stretches of dry weather over the summer made up for the rock-digging delay, and the project is now on schedule, he said.
The building is clad in bright yellow DensGlass, used in steel construction like plywood is used in wooden-frame construction, Scott said, adding it will be covered with siding before too long.
In March 2024, Sherpa Development LLC, the construction arm of HRM, presented plans to Middlefield Village Planning Commission for the 81,000-square-foot hardware store, 36,120 square-foot indoor drive-through lumber yard, four-storage structures totaling more than 40,000 square feet, 280 parking spaces, four loading docks and a trash compactor bay.
Overall, Hartville will have more than 175,000 square feet under roof by the store opening — currently predicted for early fall of 2025, Scott said.
“There are no plans for a restaurant,” Gary said emphatically, referring to a previous erroneous report.
Years of Planning
Planning to build in Middlefield Village has taken years.
To connect to village sewer and water, the 20-plus acres had to be annexed from Middlefield Township to the village, a process the Geauga County Planning Commission had to approve.
The parcel was rezoned commercial, a delivery driveway created for access on Tare Creek Parkway, and drainage and a detention pond design approved by Geauga County Soil and Water Conservation District.
While all that was progressing, Hartville arranged for Ivan Weaver Construction Inc. of Fredericksburg to be the general contractor, Gary said.
Because it is a two-hour drive from his office, Weaver started seeking local subcontractors, such as J.L. Taylor Co. in Middlefield, who is handling the electrical component of the project, Gary said.
Finding local labor was made easier because Hartville bought Centerra LLC in 2020, formerly known as the Western Reserve Farm Cooperative, on East High Street in the village.
Centerra employees have deep connections in the region, Scott said.
“That team has been so good and the community really welcomed the business,” he said.
It was one reason for the decision to build Hartville’s second-largest facility in Middlefield.
The other was a family connection.
“Our grandmother was born in Burton. Her family owned and operated a business there,” Scott said.
Sarah Shrock Miller was Amish born and the Sommers families follow the Anabaptist theology, Gary said.
“We grew up in the Mennonite tradition. Our faith is extremely important to us,” he said, adding they attend the Maple Grove Mennonite Church in Hartville.
Local Collaboration
Gary noted the township, the village and the county have all supported the new operation from the beginning.
“I can’t emphasize enough how helpful the local government was about working with us to make this happen. (Mayor) Ben Garlich and Leslie (Gambosi-McCoy) in economic development have had a critical role in helping us get to this point. Not all (governments) have been as welcoming and organized,” he said, also crediting those in the Geauga County Commissioners’ office for their assistance. “It’s been a real good experience with everyone involved.”
That led the largest family-owned hardware company in Ohio to invest an estimated $15 million in the community and receive a 10-year tax abatement of 75% on improvements to the parcel, which will become a Community Reinvestment Area, as reported in the Dec. 21, 2023 Geauga County Maple Leaf.
Hartville expects to have about 60 employees at the Middlefield site.
“Before we hired our general contractor, we had an estimate. We’re really pleased to see them coming in right in line,” Gary said, adding the cost of steel is lower than it was a couple of years ago.
He and Scott have been visiting the site once or twice a month, but, as details in the building interior are addressed, they expect to be in Middlefield once a week, he said.
Middlefield Village Council and Planning Commission have been working with the Hartville group to cement the relationship into the future.
“Hartville Hardware is a valuable asset to our community,” Gambosi-McCoy said in an email. “We are glad to be able to partner with them on this project to ensure their commitment to the village and the area for years to come.”
