2 TENANTS OUT IN NEW PLANS FOR MILLWORKS
Leases will not be renewed for S&G Distillery, EnviroFlight.
The new owners of Millworks business park in Yellow Springs have plans to transform the property, partly into a destination for arts and craft beer enthusiasts, but the plans do not include extending leases for two of the tenants.
Jessica Yamamoto, who bought the property in September for $1.15 million with husband Antonio Molina, recently presented the preliminary plans to the village planning commission.
The plans call for new buildings — artist lofts and a hostel — as well as renovating the existing structures and enabling Yellow Springs Brewery to expand.
“As members of this community, we want to support and promote growth from the local businesses that are really growing and thriving,” Yamamoto said. “We’ve never owned anything this spacious before. Meeting needs of the community and honoring the village’s comprehensive plan has been our primary goal.”
The leases for two of the tenants — EnviroFlight, LLC and S&G Distillery — are not being renewed.
EnviroFlight was founded in Yellow Springs and is now a joint venture with Intexron Corporation and Darling Ingredients Inc. They utilize waste by-products to produce black fly larvae as an alternative, more sustainable food source for pets, farm animals and fish.
EnviroFlight employees 22 people for high-paying jobs, including entomologists, engineers and
research technicians, according to Liz Koutsos, EnviroFlight, LLC president.
“We have been told the lease will not be renewed,” Koutsos said. “They have a different vision for this facility that does not include EnviroFlight.”
Koutsos said their lease expires in December 2021 and whether the company stays in the area is not certain.
“We have a great group of talent here and many of them are from Yellow Springs ... have purchased homes in Yellow Springs. We think we’re very vested in this community, so it’s going to be a transition for us,” Koutsos said.
Yamamoto said EnviroFlight was the first business they reached out to, but a meeting didn’t happen until more than a month later. Yama- moto said following Tuesday’s planning commission meeting she offered EnviroFlight a 10-year lease but Scheuner said their lease there has been no response. expires in January 2020 and
Koutsos said she has not the future of their business seen such an offer since the is uncertain. planning commission meet“We were told they were ing. making room for other busi-
S&G Distillery was also nesses,” Scheuner said. founded in Yellow Springs The preliminary plans subby Kerry Scheuner and her mitted for approval to the vilhusband Hajo Scheuner. The lage included a distillery, “it husband and wife team have just won’t be S&G,” Yamabeen producing distilled spir- moto said. its at the Millworks site since “There is a company that 2010. has approached us on man-
Kerry Scheuner said they ufacturing and creating a had plans to expand and sign craft distillery at Millworks a long-term lease with the and we are confident that former Millworks owners this small company will proas demand for their prod- vide a dozen new jobs for ucts has increased, but the the village,” she said. new owners wanted the disThe leases for three arttillery to relocate to a differ- ists that have shops on the ent location on the property property are being renewed, and expansion would not including Michel Zurbu- have been possible. chen’s Sculptor’s Emporium.
Zurbuchen has been working in his current space for 22 years, but his shop will be relocated on the property. He said he sees a lot of opportunity to network and grow his business under the new owners’ plans
“In one respect it allows artists like me to have, first a place to do our craft, our art, potentially have a place to produce and sell from, it also allows us to network more,” he said.
Yamamoto said she and her husband will be available to anyone wishing to discuss their plans today from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Emporium Wines & Underdog Café.