Carhartt clothing maker proposes Fort Worth distribution center with 500 new jobs

Carhartt, a Michigan-based manufacturer of workwear clothing, is seeking to lease a new 1.2 million-square-foot distribution center near Texas Motor Speedway with tax incentives from Fort Worth.

The City Council is expected to vote April 11 on a proposed seven-year tax abatement, or exemption, of up to 75% of the company’s business personal property taxes, capped at $2 million. A public hearing would be held that day.

The new distribution center, at 16101 Wolff Crossing, would create 500 full-time jobs by the end of 2024, according to the city.

The family-owned workwear manufacturer produces heavy-duty work clothes including jackets, overalls and coats, along with fire-resistant clothing and hunting apparel.

Carhartt products are sold across the country at Dick’s Sporting Goods, Boot Barn, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Bass Pro Shops and other retailers. Carhartt also has more than 35 company stores in several states from New York to Washington.

The company, based in Dearborn, Michigan, intends to lease a 1.2 million-square-foot building west of Texas Motor Speedway near State Highway 114 to meet growing demand for its products.

As part of the deal, Carhartt would make a capital investment of $80 million in business personal property, including providing for machinery and equipment. The project is expected to generate at least $50 million in taxable value by 2025, the city said.

This means the city of Fort Worth, Denton County and the Northwest school district would be able to generate more tax revenue from the project.

The city’s tax exemption would apply only to Carhartt’s business personal property, because the manufacturer plans to work with a third-party logistics company to oversee the distribution center’s management, construction and design.

With annual revenue of $2 billion, Carhartt has operated in the U.S. since 1889 and employs 5,500 people. Carhartt’s new Fort Worth distribution center is expected to generate more than $3 million in new tax revenue over the next decade. City officials say they expect the distribution center to pay for itself in about two years of operations.

This is only the latest addition to Fort Worth’s growing work apparel industry. Dickies is relocating its headquarters to downtown after operating in Fort Worth for more than a century, and Justin Boots has been headquartered in the city for more than 140 years.