King Beverage Inc., a Spokane Valley-based wholesale beverage distributor, is planning a 205,000-square-foot distribution center at 3520 S. Geiger Blvd., on the West Plains near Spokane International Airport.

The project is on track to begin May 1 and will take about two years to complete, says King Beverage President and CEO Peter Rusnak.

The construction value of the new facility is estimated at nearly $8 million, according to a pre-development application on file with the city of Spokane.

The design-build team for the new King Beverage distribution center consists of contractor Divcon Inc. and Ron Mackie, owner of Architectural Ventures, both of Spokane Valley. Spokane-based Design Source Inc., which does business as DS Studio, is handling the office interior design, Rusnak says.

The new facility is expected to increase capacity and improve storage efficiency and delivery, he says.

King Beverage currently operates out of a 92,000-square-foot distribution warehouse at 6715 E. Mission, in Spokane Valley.

As previously reported by the Journal of Business, Spokane Valley-based manufacturer Hotstart Inc., which does business as Hotstart Thermal Management, has agreed to purchase that warehouse property. King Beverage will lease the space from Hotstart until the Geiger facility is complete.

Plans for the new facility call for the construction of a 144,000-square-foot, temperature-controlled storage warehouse and a two-story, 24,000-square-foot office space. The office area will have a training room and what Rusnak describes as a private hospitality room with a bar area to showcase and sample products with retailers.

Overall storage capacity at the Geiger facility will be about 8 million cases.

King Beverage serves more than half of all counties in Washington state, including Spokane County, as an exclusive Anheuser-Busch distributor of beer, wine, water, energy drinks, and spirits.