Whole Foods opened a new 140K SF distribution center in Pullman this week, joined by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Alderman Anthony Beale. The building, a joint development of Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives and Ryan Cos., will bring 100 permanent jobs to the far South Side neighborhood.

The distribution center will provide increased access and better service to Whole Foods Markets throughout the Midwest and in Ontario, Canada, and replaces a previous distribution center in Munster, Indiana. It is the latest development in a five-year stretch of activity spearheaded by Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives, which redeveloped a 180-acre former Reyerson Steel site into Pullman Park, a retail development anchored by a Walmart; Pullman Industrial Park, home to a Method home cleaning products plant and a Gotham Greens rooftop farm; and Pullman Crossings, an industrial park. CNI's efforts have brought $250M in real estate investment and over 1,100 jobs to Pullman.

The Whole Foods distribution center was financed in part with New Market Tax Credits designed to promote investment in distressed and low-income communities.