The nation’s leading operations hub helping product-based businesses scale beyond the garage or spare bedroom is bringing its co-warehousing model to IL, celebrating with the launch of a new “Made in Chicago” grant, offering the winner $5,000 toward their start.

ELMHURST, Ill., Sept. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Saltbox, the operations hub for product-based businesses with 13 locations across the US, announces the opening of its first Chicago-area location in Elmhurst this Fall. The 114-suite facility at 934 N. Church Rd. will bring flexible warehouse and office space, loading docks and an on-site operations team to the Chicago market. Designed for businesses that have outgrown working from a garage, spare bedroom, or fragmented collection of storage and office spaces but aren’t ready to commit to a traditional warehouse, Saltbox will give growing businesses the ability to expand their operations. Its co-warehousing model combines private warehouse and office suites with the shared infrastructure businesses need to receive inventory, prepare orders, and ship products.

“Chicago has been one of the markets our members have requested most,” said Olivia Mariani, VP of Marketing at Saltbox. “Product-based businesses are increasingly operating across multiple regions to get inventory closer to their customers, reduce shipping costs, and build more resilient operations. Chicago gives our members a critical Midwest hub while bringing the Saltbox model to a new community of entrepreneurs and operators.”

Members receive month-to-month access to loading docks, mail and package receiving, daily carrier pickups, equipment, conference rooms, a content studio, high-speed Wi-Fi, printing, in-suite power, 24/7 security and reserved parking. Kitchen, workspace, and community areas give founders and their teams room to work beyond the warehouse floor.

The on-site operations team is central to the Saltbox model. Team members receive inventory, bring it to members’ suites, support carrier handoffs, and help solve day-to-day workflow challenges. Businesses can also access Saltbox Fulfillment and S.O.S. (Saltbox Operations Support) for additional hands-on help as their volume and operational needs change.

“Space is only the starting point,” said Katerina Cirilli, CEO of Saltbox. “We built Saltbox to help members run the operation around their products, in an environment where the people, equipment, and infrastructure are already in place. Chicago’s economy has always been shaped by builders and makers, and we believe they deserve an operating home that can keep up with their ambition.”

The Saltbox team chose Elmhurst so that Chicagoland founders and their teams could run their operations closer to home, instead of the common scenario of needing to drive long distances to industrial corridors separated far apart from the rest of their day. The new facility will be situated just minutes from downtown Elmhurst, offering a walkable stretch of restaurants, coffee shops, and services nearby.

The Elmhurst location places members near the transportation routes and commercial communities that power the Chicago region. The I-290 and I-294 interchange is approximately five minutes away, O’Hare International Airport is within a short drive and Elk Grove Village, one of the country’s largest industrial parks, is seven miles from the facility, with downtown Elmhurst about two miles away, keeping restaurants, services and other amenities accessible to members and their teams.

Suites range from 88 to 1,809 square feet: smaller suites accommodate approximately four pallets and one or two people, giving emerging businesses a practical next step after outgrowing the home, while larger suites can hold as many as 125 pallets and provide room for a full team managing fulfillment under one roof. The building also incorporates details from Elmhurst’s history, with conference rooms named Salt Creek, after the waterway where the area’s earliest settlers made their homes, and Cottage Hill, the community’s original name from 1845 to 1869.

“I’ve been walking this building since it was bare concrete while also training for the Chicago Marathon,” said Lucy Voss, VP of Operations at Saltbox. “Both take the same thing: showing up consistently, including on the days when the work is hard. That’s something Chicago business owners understand well. We’re building this location for the people doing that work every day.”

Saltbox Elmhurst is designed for ecommerce and direct-to-consumer brands, consumer packaged goods companies, wholesalers, and businesses handling light assembly or kitting, along with project pros, designers and industrial operators who need functional space, dock access and operational support without building those capabilities themselves. It’s not intended for businesses that only need inexpensive storage, a self-storage unit may be a better fit there, but for teams actively shipping, receiving and managing physical operations, Saltbox offers more control, visibility and flexibility than a fully outsourced model can provide.

To celebrate the company’s commitment to supporting small businesses, Saltbox is proud to launch the Made in Chicago Grant, awarding one qualified Chicago-area product or ecommerce business a $5,000 credit toward membership at Saltbox Elmhurst in honor of their opening. The grant is open to eligible businesses throughout Chicagoland and the western suburbs, including Elmhurst, DuPage County, Elk Grove Village and Oak Brook. One winner will be selected at random from qualified entrants and announced at the grand opening ceremony in the fall. The credit applies to Saltbox membership fees and does not cover additional services, and no purchase is necessary to enter. Businesses can enter and review the complete eligibility requirements at saltbox.com/made-in-chicago-grant.

Businesses interested in becoming among the first Saltbox Elmhurst members can also join the Chicago waitlist at saltbox.com/location/chicago-elmhurst. Waitlist members will receive early access to tour availability and membership information.

ABOUT SALTBOX

Saltbox is an operations hub for product-based businesses, offering co-warehousing, flexible workspace, Saltbox Fulfillment, and hands-on operational support to help teams run their day-to-day operations.

By bringing the infrastructure needed to operate a physical-products business under one roof, Saltbox gives members more control, visibility, and flexibility without the overhead and rigidity of a traditional warehouse or the loss of control that can accompany a fully outsourced solution.

Founded in 2019, the Saltbox network includes 13 locations across nine major U.S. markets, with ongoing expansion underway. Learn more at saltbox.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/after-years-of-demand-saltbox-launches-first-illinois-location-with-114-suite-elmhurst-operations-facility-this-fall-302874307.html

SOURCE Saltbox