Large Chemical Firm Plans Headquarters for Schilling Farms

By Ron Caldwell
– The Collierville Herald –

An international company has submitted plans to town planners to locate its corporate headquarters in the 448-acre Schilling Farms development.

In a report obtained by The Herald, Helena Chemical Company has asked the town to be put on the May Planning Commission meeting agenda for a 6.3 acre site in Schilling Farms.

The company plans to be located in a four-story, 104,473-square-foot office building on Schilling Boulevard.

Helena Chemical Company has 2,251 employees in the U.S. and internationally while its Mid-South office currently located at Southwind has 28 employees. The company is an international manufacturer and distributor of agricultural products.

The company has grown in the past decade, acquiring in 1994 Cuproquim, a copper fungicide manufacturer and agricultural products distributor in Mexico. As well as Agripro Seeds. In 1996, Helena merged HyPerformer Seed Division into Agripro Seeds.

In addition to the plans for Helena Chemical’s corporate headquarters, officials with Boyle Investment Company, developer of Schilling, announced that an 18-acre development called the Orchards at Schilling Farms will also be before the Planning Commission on May 1.

The site will be located on the southwest corner of Schilling Farms bordered on the north by Winchester Road and on the east by the Joel Porter property.

The applicant for the development is Hastings Properties of Atlanta.

The plan for the residential development calls for single family homes with four homes per building, according to Boyle officials. The proposed density is 4.8 dwelling units per acre, according to the plan submitted Tuesday to town planners.

Two new banks, Fazoli’s Restaurant, two apartment complexes, and a 62,000-square-foot office building have all been approved by the town and are in various stages of construction, according to Gary Thompson, vice president with Boyle.

Also, Schilling Farms has received a go-ahead from town planners on a four-story hotel. Master Hospitality Services has committed to open a SpringHill Suites by Marriott at Schilling Farms on a 3.47-acre parcel on Schilling Boulevard adjacent to the Schilling Farms YMCA.

In addition to the hotel, plans have also been unveiled for a 16,000-square-foot, two-story office building on the same site as the hotel within the Schilling Farms development.

When fully completed, Schilling Farms will offer 80 acres of office space, 70 acres of distribution space, and 900 homes as well as shops, parks, the Schilling Farms Middle School, apartments, a church, a day care center, and the Schilling Farms YMCA.