It was close to 100 degrees the day I visited 13 Athlete’s Way in Mt. Juliet. I strapped on my Under Armour branded hardhat and reflective vest and began what would result in a three mile tour through a construction zone.
The site was nearly unrecognizable from the last time I was there in October when Athlete’s Way didn’t yet exist. Wasting no time, Under Armour stayed true to its project name, Fast Break, and broke ground on that October day just minutes after announcing its plans to invest $100 million in a new one million square foot distribution and warehousing facility.
In just eight months, the site has completely transformed, and in the center of 83 acres sits the beginnings of what will be a state-of-the-art building with enough space to hold 23 football fields under its roof. Throughout my tour with Eric Wanner, senior director for Under Armour’s Nashville operations, I couldn’t help but be drawn in by the lifestyle of the brand. Wanner referred to the massive structure as a “distribution house,” echoing the company’s “Protect this House” campaign. He never called staff employees, but rather teammates. “We want to be the employer of choice in Wilson County, so how we take care of our teammates is the foundation of what we’re building,” he said as we walked past rows and rows of shelving painted in UA’s signature red and black.
