New warehouse debuts at struggling Ill. airport

MASCOUTAH) — A fresh produce distributor’s new, nearly $6 million warehouse at a struggling southwestern Illinois airport is expected to employ about 80 workers by this fall.

Gov. Pat Quinn attended a grand opening Thursday at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah for the more than 36,000-square-foot refrigerated warehouse.

Traverse City, Mich.,-based North Bay Produce intends to use the site to send fruits and vegetables to international customers. The company specializes in apples, asparagus, blackberries, blueberries, pomegranates, raspberries and peas.

St. Clair County owns the airport and contributed more than $2 million and the refrigeration equipment. Officials hope the site becomes a player in global trade.

MidAmerica has struggled since opening in 1998, and it lost its last passenger service a decade later.