New headquarters, warehouse planned for engine parts maker

Interstate-McBee, a global provider of engine and fuel injection parts for diesel trucks and locomotives, is starting to have the parts assembled for a move of its own to Oakwood Village from 5300 Lakeside Ave., an industrial area just east of downtown Cleveland.

Construction of a 210,000-square-foot warehouse and headquarters complex is beginning on a 32-acre site at 7400 Oakleaf Road, according to a notice filed April 1 with the Cuyahoga County Fiscal Office.

Signed by Brad Buescher, treasurer and chief operating officer of Interstate-McBee, the document stated that Premier Development Partners of Cleveland will build the structure for Interstate-McBee. That same day, a $19 million mortgage from KeyBank for the project was recorded with the county.

Interstate-McBee is a legacy but low-profile private company launched in 1947 on Carnegie Avenue near East 70th Street. It relocated to the industrial Goodrich-Gannett area on Lakeside in 1986, according to its website.

Launched as diesel engines replaced gasoline ones in heavy-duty trucks, the company originally served as a rebuilder of diesel fuel injectors. It grew though acquisitions to serve multiple diesel engine makers and to begin providing original equipment for engines in the truck and railroad engine markets, as well as parts for natural gas providers. It also serves as a distributor.

The project has been in the works for some time. Legislation providing an income tax incentive and a property tax abatement were adopted by Oakwood Village Council in 2021. At that time, the company said it would move to the new property about 150 employees from Cleveland with a payroll of about $6 million annually.

Interstate-McBee said in a footnote to its incentive application that it expected to add another 30 full-time employees after it moves to Oakwood.

After the new structure is finished, the company said it would exit part of a multitenant building at 5300 Lakeside Ave. that it leases for its headquarters and warehouse space. Two manufacturing sites, also in the Lakeside area, and more than 100 full-time employees, will not make the move to the new property, according to an incentive application filed with the village.

The site of Interstate-McBee’s location was purchased March 29, 2021, for $2.6 million, according to county land records. The purchase was made by Oakwood Center LLC, which was incorporated in 2019, according to online Ohio Secretary of State records. Oakwood Center’s most recent agent, according to state records, is Trent Rundell, whose LinkedIn profile says he is controller at Interstate-McBee.

Buescher, Interstate-McBee treasurer and COO, declined comment on the company’s Oakwood plans. Oakwood Village Mayor Gary Gottschalk said the company would provide a visible addition to Oakwood’s highway location, but declined to discuss plans in detail.

Premier Development in an April 6 e-newsletter acknowledged it is constructing a property for Interstate-McBee. Spencer Pisczak, president of Premier Development, declined to comment on the project without getting approval from the company.