Midland Marketing buys Schult facility in Plainville
by Mike Corn, Hays Daily News   12/2/2010

PLAINVILLE -- The former Schult Homes manufacturing facility here has been sold to Midland Marketing.

Rooks County commissioners Tuesday opened and accepted the only bid that arrived by the deadline that had been set. A second bid was submitted via e-mail, but delays caused it to arrive the morning after the 5 p.m. Monday deadline.

Details about what Midland Marketing will do with it remain sketchy, although Rooks County Economic Development Director Roger Hrabe on Wednesday said a portion of the facility will be used to expand Midland's fertilizer, seed and chemical operations in the Plainville area.

Midland Marketing's general manager, Vance Westhusin, a Plainville native, could not be immediately reached for comment.

Based in Hays, Midland Marketing operates 10 area grain elevators, including one in Plainville. It also operates a service station in the community.

Midland Marketing submitted a bid of $400,000 for the 143,440-square-foot facility that once manufactured houses.

Schult closed the Plainville operation in January 2008, at a time when nearly 150 people were working there. The parent company of Schult Homes, CMH, tried to sell the facility, but no one would meet its $1.5 million asking price.

Rooks County ultimately agreed to purchase the facility for $250,000, less almost $44,000 in accrued taxes.

"The bid accepted was in their opinion a really good bid," Hrabe said of the response from commissioners.

It did not, however, detail how many jobs might be created by the purchase.

Instead, Hrabe said, Midland said jobs would be retained and the new facility will allow for expansion and the possible creation of new jobs.

It's unlikely Midland Marketing will need all the space available in the four buildings on the Schult campus, and it could spin off parts of the purchase.

The sale is expected to be completed sometime before Christmas, Hrabe said.

While the Midland Marketing bid was the only one submitted by the deadline, a second bid came via e-mail. Hrabe declined to say who submitted the bid, which was for the creation of a new manufacturing facility.

"Even if it would have arrived on time," Hrabe said, "I believe the county commission would have made the same decision."

As well, the Midland Marketing bid was higher than the second bid.

"I would say that we're pleased," he said of the bid that was accepted. "Even more than satisfied, I would say they were pleased."

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The auction for everything left behind when Schult moved from the building is set to begin at 9 a.m. Dec. 18.

The auction, to be handled by Plainville auctioneer Don Hamit, will be at the Schult facility.

Because of the sheer number of items to be sold, it's possible Hamit will be operating two auction rings.