A northeast Arkansas commercial real estate company is planning what it says is the first “lifestyle-focused, master-planned, mixed-use development” on 140 acres in Trumann (Poinsett County).
Haag Brown Development of Jonesboro announced the Steel Creek Development in partnership with Roach Manufacturing Corp. of Trumann, which makes conveyors and conveying equipment.
A warehouse and distribution center for Roach, also known as Roach Conveyors, will anchor the project, which could also include office and retail space, restaurant outparcels, single- and multifamily housing — even an event venue and a hotel.
“We purchased land where we intend to build a distribution center for Roach Manufacturing, but we had a vision for more than just a warehouse,” Roach Manufacturing Corp. President and CEO Mike Roach Sr. said in a news release. “We really want to help make these amenities available to our community. We are excited to see this project come to life.”
The acreage is north of a Walmart Supercenter on Industrial Park Access Road and fronts Interstate 555. Other amenities in the plan include a walking trail and a lake.
“Our ultimate goal is to connect this trail network to the Sunken Lands River Trail,” Haag Brown Principal Joshua Brown said. “The trail would pass by the most significant sites in the city, such as the Trumann High School, Elementary and Pre-K schools, Arkansas State Technical Center, the old Singer community center, and downtown.”
Developers said the Roach Conveyors facility will be built as part of the project’s first phase, which is scheduled to start soon and open in March 2024. In an interview, Brown put the size of the Roach facility at at least 100,000-SF.
Brown said Roach views the project as a way to recruit new businesses — including restaurants and grocery stores and other retailers — to the community.
“So when, you know, the next restaurants and the next retailers that do come, they want to make it really easy … just to go and be a part of this development,” he said.
In November 2021, Haag Brown announced plans for a 263-acre logistics, warehousing and digital fulfillment e-commerce park along Interstate 555 in Jonesboro. It was the announcement of that project, Brown said, that inspired Roach to approach his company about doing a project in Trumann.
Roach Manufacturing was founded in 1953 and employs more than 300 people at three plants in Trumann and Caraway. It makes gravity, belt, roller, chain driven, flexible, extendable, accumulation and line shaft conveyors.
The company announced in August 2020 that it would expand its facility in Caraway (Craighead County), creating 30 new jobs over the next two years. The company’s plans included building a 25,000-SF addition to the 22,000-SF facility.
Northeast Arkansas is a hub of conveyor manufacturers. Other companies in the region include Hytrol Conveyor Co. Inc. and FMH Conveyors, both of Jonesboro. Another company, Automated Conveyor Systems Inc., is based in West Memphis.