BendPak Honors Founder With Its New Industrial Complex in Alabama

BendPak Inc. has named its new Alabama development the Donald R. Henthorn Industrial Complex in honor of its late founder. Phase 1 of construction, including a new logistics and distribution center, is complete. The complex is situated on 33 acres near BendPak’s existing East Coast campus in Mobile County. The California-based manufacturer’s growing Southeast operations position the company to effectively serve customers across eastern North America, company officials stated in a press release.

“This industrial complex reflects my husband’s lifelong optimism and his faith in the power of hard work, innovation and quality manufacturing,” says Ginger Henthorn, BendPak principal. “Our family is incredibly proud of this development. It was one of the last major projects Don worked on, and we are honored to memorialize his legacy by putting his name on it.”

Don Henthorn founded BendPak in 1965 and directed its evolution from a small machine shop into the premier supplier of car lifts, automotive service equipment and specialty consumer products, noted the release. Today, the BendPak Inc. umbrella includes well-known brands such as Ranger, Autostacker, QuickJack, Cool Boss, APEX, JackPak, MaxJax, and Ergochair. Although Henthorn transitioned day-to-day management to the current leadership team in 2022, he remained a constant presence as chairman emeritus, coaching the team daily until his passing in 2024.

Designed to Meet Evolving Customer Needs

“BendPak prioritizes investment in the agile, automated infrastructure necessary to secure a resilient future,” says president and CEO Jeff Kritzer. “The Donald R. Henthorn Industrial Complex represents a bold bet on the enduring strength of the American economy and our unwavering dedication to ensuring our customers thrive, no matter how the market may shift.”

Due to its size, the Donald R. Henthorn Industrial Complex is being built in phases. Phase 1 included extensive site preparations and construction of a 261,600-square-foot logistics and distribution center. This state-of-the-art building integrates product distribution, warehousing, and quality control with critical customer-facing functions, including sales and service. By streamlining supply chain and distribution operations, the facility significantly improves product availability and fulfillment speed, with many in-stock products able to ship the same day, directly enhancing the overall customer experience, the company said.

In addition to warehouse and office space, the facility features a dedicated showroom outfitted with the latest equipment from across BendPak’s brands. It will serve as a premier destination for customer visits, product demonstrations, training and special events.

Designed for peak operational performance, the center incorporates advanced material handling systems and safety-focused layouts that are optimized for maximum efficiency. To ensure employee comfort, it is outfitted with 24 of BendPak’s own Cool Boss CB20HVLS high-volume, low-speed ceiling fans to maintain a consistent, comfortable environment throughout the warehouse. BendPak says that every aspect of the site was engineered with future growth in mind, allowing the company to scale the facility seamlessly as necessary.

Business Growth Drives Building Boom

This development is the latest in a sustained series of real estate expansions for the privately held company. In less than a decade, growing demand across both the automotive and consumer sectors has led BendPak to expand its Santa Paula, California, manufacturing and distribution center, establish a new global headquarters in Agoura Hills, California, and build a substantial presence in Alabama, the company said.