While the Levi's Distribution Center on Denim Way in Gluckstadt near Canton will be closing by the end of the year, there is optimism that another company could be taking over in the very near future.

After more than 40 years in Madison County, the Levi's plant announced in May that it will be closing and that as many as 450 workers will be displaced.

A new plant was recently built in Kentucky, and the company plans to move most of the Mississippi operations to the Bluegrass State, sources confirmed.

However, Joey Deason, the director of the Madison County Economic Development Authority says there is outside interest in taking over the building.

"Levi's has hired a broker and they have been showing the building," Deason told the Clarion Ledger. "There is quite a bit of interest in that building for a lot of reasons, but first is that it is in a great location."

Deason said that despite it being an older building, it is a large space that has been kept well over the years and it is at a major interchange on I-55, not far from I-20.

"We might see something happen there in the next few months. We will just have to see," Deason said. "I think we are heading in that direction."

In May, Levi's corporate said moving away from Madison County was a decision that had to be made.

“As Levi Strauss & Co. looks to the future, we have been in the process of reviewing our global distribution network to identify where changes are needed to provide the best consumer experience possible," Levi's told the Clarion Ledger Thursday in a statement. "We ultimately came to the conclusion that due to accelerating operational costs and infrastructure needs we must wind down operations at the Canton distribution center. This is not a decision we take lightly. The workers in the Canton distribution center played a large part in making Levi Strauss & Co. the company it is today. As we finalize plans and timelines, we promise to do all we can to do right by our employees and the community.”

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Despite the impending closure of the Levi's plant, Deason highlights the many other wins for Madison County in the last 12-18 months.

"I am confident with the recent announcements of Amazon and Clark Beveridge and some of our other Industries starting up, that we will be able to work with the employees (that don't move with the company) and help them find other opportunities," Deason previously said.

As for a new tenant, Deason said he wasn't sure exactly how many entities had looked at the Levi's plant, but he did know of two area companies that had investigated and were looking to "consolidate or expand."

This comes on the heels of several economic development successes for Madison County.

Clark Beverage Group, which is a distributor of beverages such as Coca-Cola, will add 30 new jobs with a $100 million expansion in Madison County that is underway.

The company will be closing its Jackson location as part of the expansion, but the transition won't be completed until 2025. All of the more than 300 employees who currently work in the Jackson plant will have the opportunity to move and work in the Madison plant.

Amazon Web Services made major news in January when it announced it will occupy two Madison County locations for the historic buildout for hyperscale development centers that could create up to 1,000 jobs.

Mississippi lawmakers completed a $259 million incentive package for the Amazon Web Services $10 billion project in Canton and Madison County.

Gov. Tate Reeves said the project represents the single largest corporate capital investment in state history. Amazon Web Services will build two sites, one a 927-acre site and the other a 786-acre site for two hyperscale data centers.

Ross Reily can be reached by email at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on Twitter @GreenOkra1.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Levi's Distribution Center in in Madison County MS to close