Columbus Industrial Real Estate: Bulk Distribution, Data Centers and Central U.S. Logistics

Brian Doyle serves as senior vice president and Columbus market officer for Link Logistics, overseeing a Central Ohio industrial real estate portfolio in one of the Midwest's key distribution hubs. With Columbus positioned at the center of the United States and anchored by the cargo-focused Rickenbacker International Airport, Brian helps businesses navigate a market characterized by bulk distribution demand, emerging data center infrastructure and aggressive tax incentives that attract major manufacturing operations. Link Logistics' Columbus portfolio serves companies ranging from third-party logistics providers and e-commerce operators to data center suppliers and advanced manufacturers. In this Q&A, Brian discusses warehouse space in Columbus—what drives demand, how the market is evolving and why Columbus remains attractive for regional and national distribution operations.

What drives demand for industrial real estate in Columbus?

Brian: Columbus has historically been a bulk distribution market. Bulk here generally means facilities of 400,000 square feet and above, though there's also a heavy presence of million-square-foot buildings. That scale has been consistent and will continue to be.

The region benefits from a very favorable business climate, particularly a 15-year tax abatement on new construction that makes it attractive for large-scale operations.

Location is another advantage. Columbus sits in the center of the country, reaching more than 50% of the U.S. population within a day's truck drive. The logistics advantages are very similar to Indianapolis, Columbus' neighbor to the west.

The Columbus market is largely driven by third-party logistics providers, e-commerce users, data center suppliers and, more recently, solar panel manufacturers. Regional and national distribution, rather than local delivery, is the driving force—companies use Columbus to move goods east, west, north and south throughout the country.

How do industrial submarkets differ across Columbus?

Brian: Bulk distribution dominates throughout Columbus. The region has very flat land, which makes the development process straightforward without many barriers to entry.

The Southeast submarket—also referred to as Rickenbacker—is the most significant submarket. It’s generally the preferred location for bulk operations because it’s adjacent to Rickenbacker International Airport, a cargo-focused air hub, and represents the largest submarket in Columbus at approximately 75 million square feet. The Rickenbacker submarket is defined by institutional ownership and an institutional tenant base—every major logistics operator has a presence there.

In the Northeast submarket, Intel announced a chip manufacturing campus near New Albany in 2022—a 2.5-million-square-foot facility representing upwards of $20 billion in investment. So now you see a supplier network beginning to take hold nearby. 

What emerging trends are shaping Columbus' industrial market?

Brian: Columbus has always been a bulk market, but several significant trends have emerged over the last few years. 

Intel’s announcement kick-started what has become a data center hub in the Columbus area, with Amazon, Meta and Google all establishing operations in the area. The data center boom is creating substantial ancillary demand. Link Logistics recently leased a 740,000-square-foot building to a major 3PL whose end customer is Meta—they will store data center components and equipment in the building to support Meta's campus. More of that supplier and vendor demand is expected as data center development continues.

Beyond data centers, other major manufacturers are establishing operations in Columbus. Anduril is investing billions in the Southeast submarket to manufacture drones. Honda and LG operate major plants in the region, and all of these operations generate vendor, supplier and worker-related demand that creates trickle-down effects throughout the industrial market.

How does Columbus' tax structure benefit industrial users?

Brian: Columbus offers a 15-year, 100% property tax abatement on new construction, which is a significant advantage for companies evaluating locations.

The region also has a JobsOhio program that provides additional tax incentives tied to job creation. Companies operating within buildings can benefit from these incentives based on their employment levels.

These tax advantages, combined with Columbus' central location and logistics infrastructure, make the market highly competitive for attracting bulk distribution operations and manufacturing facilities.

How does Link Logistics support companies looking for warehouse space in Columbus?

Brian: Link Logistics is one of the larger industrial real estate owners in the market. Our portfolio includes diverse product types across different geographic locations—we're spread around the region from east to west and north to south, which allows us to accommodate users with different warehousing needs and directional distribution patterns.

Our product mix is well-suited for bulk operations. We have million-square-foot distribution facilities as well as rear-load buildings that can accommodate smaller, mid-bay users.

Link Logistics is actively pursuing opportunities to support vendors and suppliers serving major data center and manufacturing facilities. The recent leasing deal I mentioned supporting Meta's data center components demonstrates that capability, and we're positioned for more of that type of demand as data center development continues.

We've also implemented creative solutions to help customers expand. In one case, we couldn't physically expand a building, so the tenant leased an adjacent building and Link Logistics constructed an exterior building connector that allows fork trucks and product to move between the two facilities seamlessly. It’s essentially a passageway on steroids. 

Looking ahead, what opportunities do you see for businesses considering Columbus for their warehouse needs?

Brian: Columbus is one of the fastest-growing metros in the Midwest, and the industrial market will continue to be driven by its central location, distribution hub status and the Rickenbacker cargo airport.

The region's industry base is diverse—manufacturing and distribution remain strong, but R&D activity has increased over the last several years. Columbus has also developed as a fashion and apparel hub, with companies like Abercrombie maintaining headquarters in New Albany.

Market conditions are improving after a stagnant period through 2024 and early 2025. The latter half of 2025 saw significant leasing activity, with many companies securing large blocks of space. Development has been muted recently—Columbus has historically been aggressive about new construction, but that pipeline has slowed. Limited supply is now supporting stronger demand fundamentals.

Development activity is expected to increase in 2026 as the supply-demand balance tightens. For businesses evaluating Columbus, the combination of central U.S. location, tax advantages, cargo infrastructure, and emerging data center and manufacturing clusters creates compelling opportunities for regional and national distribution operations.

Explore available warehouse and distribution space in Columbus to learn more about industrial real estate opportunities in Ohio and the central United States.