The retail and outdoor recreation equipment company REI Co-op announced October 10 it had opened a distribution center in Lebanon, Tennessee as the organization looks to expand operations to the Midwestern and Southeastern U.S.

The new state-of-the-art distribution center will serve more than 60 stores and 5.6 million REI members in the region.

The venue employs over 230 full- and part-time employees. As it expands, the number of workers could increase to 350 people.

“We believe the climate crisis is the greatest threat to our business and the future of our planet. REI is leveraging its values and cooperative model to minimize our environmental footprint while serving the outdoor community,” said Sylvia Wilks, REI’s chief supply chain officer. “Our new Lebanon distribution center allows us to improve our delivery speed to customers and stores, increase our throughput capacity and agility, and lower costs all while achieving new sustainable building standards.”