Penguin Random House, the leading global trade book publisher, announced Monday it will invest in a major expansion of its longstanding national distribution and fulfillment center in Crawfordsville.
The planned 650,000 square foot increase will enable the facility to double its annual shipments of physical print books, enhancing the company’s industry-leading supply chain. This will result in more rapid and efficient daily deliveries to booksellers across the country, benefitting customers and consumers.
The facility, acquired by the company in 2001, is home to a diverse and dedicated population of 900 employees. Long one of Indiana’s leading business employers, Penguin Random House’s operations center is recognized as a valued contributor to the region’s economic and cultural presence.
As part of the decision-making process to support the company’s expansion, subject to normal due diligence and local approvals, Penguin Random House is seeking $5.6 million in tax incentives, which goes before the city council May 13.
“Penguin Random House has continued to grow in Crawfordsville and has become a strong partner in our success,” Mayor Todd Barton said. “This new investment in their Crawfordsville operations further solidifies their position as an industry leader and as a premier employer in our region. We greatly appreciate their ongoing confidence in this community, and look forward to working alongside them to ensure the success of this new expansion.”
Penguin Random House ships more than 450 million physical books worldwide each year, emanating from its more than 300 U.S. imprints and outside-client publishers. It has published more than 80 Nobel and 120 Pulitzer Prize winners, and many of the world’s most widely read adult and children’s fiction and nonfiction authors. The Crawfordsville distribution facility is one of its four U.S. supply-chain book hubs, with two in Maryland and a third in Reno, Nevada. From Indiana, every month, the company ships newly published hardcovers and paperbacks, and daily, replenishes backlist titles, from its Penguin Young Readers, Random House Children’s Books, and DK Publishing divisions.
“We are deeply grateful to Mayor Barton, the City Council of Crawfordsville and the Office of Economic Development for their ongoing support and enthusiasm for our mission to provide our authors with the widest and fastest distribution of our books,” said Annette Danek, executive vice president, global supply chain officer, Penguin Random House. “ The cooperation we receive daily from the city, from Montgomery County, and from our wonderful employees, who live here, ensures a welcome future for print books, and for those who sell them, as well as for our commitment to freedom of expression, and to freedom of reading choices for everyone.”
Lori De Reza, senior vice president of distribution, added, “My Crawfordsville colleagues and I are thrilled by this commitment of our civic leaders to the work we proudly perform at our facility on behalf of Penguin Random House authors, illustrators, and publishers. It is a privilege for us to contribute to our community’s economy, as we help get our books into the hands of America’s booksellers and book buyers.”
Penguin Random House, the world’s largest trade book publisher, is dedicated to its mission to ignite a universal passion for reading by creating books for everyone. The company, which employs more than 10,000 people globally, was formed on July 1, 2013, by Bertelsmann and Pearson. As of April 1, 2020, Bertelsmann is full owner of the company. With more than 300 imprints and brands on six continents, Penguin Random House comprises adult and children’s fiction and nonfiction print and digital English- German- Spanish- and Portuguese-language trade book publishing businesses in more than 20 countries worldwide. With over 16,000 new titles, and more than 700 million print, audio and eBooks sold annually, Penguin Random House’s publishing lists include more than 80 Nobel Prize laureates and hundreds of the world’s most widely read and lauded authors.
