FFA Expands Merchandise Center

The National FFA Organization held a groundbreaking Tuesday for its new $3.5 million, 36,000 square foot Merchandise Center in Indianapolis.

The new building will house FFA's merchandising, licensing and customer and distribution services departments.

"This new facility will help support our future growth of agricultural science education nationally," says Doug Loudenslager, chief operating officer. "We project that we will grow from 7, 200 local FFA chapters to 10,000 chapters in 2015, and we will need this facility to help support these additional programs."

"We will be able to meet current customer demand and build future capacity," said Lee Anne Shiller, director of merchandise operations.

Nearly 40 existing FFA staff are expected to move into the center by June, with the capacity to house 70. The move allows for a $1.4 million expansion at the National FFA Center that will be completed prior to the 2007 National FFA Convention.