Melanie Lekocevic is reporting in The Daily Mail the Ferguson Enterprises distribution center on Route 9W in Coxsackie has received an economic development grant from Central Hudson Gas & Electric. The company will receive $200,000 as part of the Poughkeepsie-based utility company's Shovel Ready Sites program. “Central Hudson recognizes the importance of new private sector investment and job creation in the Hudson Valley,” said James Laurito, executive vice president of Central Hudson’s parent company, Fortis, Inc. The goal of the company's grant program is to attract and retain employers in the local area, according to Laurito. Funds can be used for site planning, environmental impact reviews and infrastructure. This is the ninth Shovel Ready grant Central Hudson has awarded to local businesses since 2009. Virginia-based Ferguson Enterprises is the nation’s largest wholesale distributor of plumbing supplies. It employs approximately 20,000 people nationwide, at 1,400 locations. The company opened the Coxsackie distribution center last year. As of February 1, Ferguson had created 90 full-time and five part-time jobs at the 460,000-square-foot facility. It has the capability to expand at that location by an additional 300,000 feet if demand is sufficient. Read the full story in The Daily Mail.