Bradco Supply to take over vacant facility in Wauconda

Wauconda will welcome a new business to town when Bradco Supply moves into a 55,000-square-foot facility on Barrington Road that has sat vacant for a year.

The national building materials distributor is consolidating two of its Chicago-area branches, one in Antioch and one in Mundelein, into the Wauconda building it recently acquired.

"We felt that we could consolidate both of those locations into a much better, much larger facility," said Mark Singer, director of real estate for Bradco.

He said the business grew out of its space in Mundelein, and the lease on the Antioch building was up for renewal. When company officials saw that the seven-acre Wauconda property near Rt. 176 was available, they decided to combine the two branches.

Debra Ogorzaly, Wauconda's economic development coordinator, said the location was formerly occupied by Wilson Wholesale, a similar business that moved to a Naperville location about a year ago.

"It's already set up for their type of business," she said.

The Wauconda Chamber of Commerce will hold a grand opening for the facility at noon on May 21. Ogorzaly said it's good to see a new business coming to the village in these economic times.

"Our business is off, but it's not going to last forever," Singer said. "When you have an opportunity to get a new facility in a good market like Wauconda, we were fortunate enough to (be able to) take that opportunity."

The new building is larger than the two branches Bradco Supply is consolidating and will provide some new features. Chief among them is an 8,400-square-foot showroom to display products that include roofing, siding, railing and other exterior and interior supplies.

While Singer said Bradco often sells to professional roofers and remodelers, clients also include private individuals. Kevin Koch, who managed the Mundelein branch, will head the new Wauconda facility. Bradco Supply also has locations in Aurora and Alsip.