Home improvement retailer Lowe’s Cos. Inc. said Monday it has begun building a flatbed distribution center in Mississippi to serve four Southeastern states.

The 200,000-square-foot facility will initially employ about 35 people and be located on Mangum Road in Purvis, Miss. It will serve more than 60 Lowe’s stores in Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama and Florida.

The project is expected to cost about $15 million and be completed in the middle of next year.