By Dave Fidlin
A growing rubber manufacturer is planning to create a third expansion to its Whitewater facility.
Representatives with Lavelle Industries, 1215 E. Universal Blvd., came before the Community Development Authority and Plan and Architectural Review Commission on Sept. 15 to discuss the latest round of growth efforts.
Two years ago, Lavelle representatives came before the city and successfully made a 12,500-square-foot addition to the existing facility. In a case of déjà vu, the executives are back with plans of adding another 12,600 square feet to the building.
Members of both reviewing bodies unanimously approved Lavelle’s request at this week’s meeting, and plans are officially moving forward.
“We want to get this project going,” said Deborah Scheffler, chief financial officer with Lavelle. “This is an exciting time for us.”
Lavelle, which creates an assorted of rubber-based products for a variety of industries, also operates a facility in Burlington and plans to expand that facility as well.
When asked about Lavelle’s forward-moving plans, Scheffler said the company has carved out a niche as one of a few companies making rubber-based products in the U.S.
“It’s important to us, and it’s part of our brand identity,” Scheffler said of the made-in-the-USA mantra. “We definitely are planning to stay local.”
Commissioners and members of the CDA reviewed a series of Lavelle’s site plans, including landscaping, lighting, outdoor signage and how city utilities fit into the growth plans.
Scheffler said Lavelle is working under a tight timeline with the expansion plans. Assuming weather cooperates, the company’s goal is to begin pushing dirt and laying concrete this fall.
In a best-case scenario, actual building construction is planned for this winter, and operations would take place within the new expansion by early spring.
The new facility is aimed at accommodating some of Lavelle’s expanded product lines — the result of new customer relationships — and also is designed to accommodate a series of logistical issues within the company’s warehouse that have been hampered by the weather at times.
Throughout the meeting, CDA Chair Jeff Knight queried city representatives on Lavelle’s conceptual plans for the expansion, which were only recently presented to officials for review.
“The challenge here is the short timeline,” Knight said. “We don’t want to sacrifice our due diligence.”
But CDA staffers said the project has been thoroughly reviewed and no outstanding questions remain. Pat Cannon, CDA coordinator, pointed out a civil engineer has reviewed the plans with a favorable recommendation.
“We met as a group and went over all of the different situations,” Cannon said. “There was a lot of work that took place behind the scenes.”
While Lavelle operates its company headquarters out of Burlington, Scheffler said Whitewater’s satellite office has been an important part of the company’s growth plans.
College students are frequently hired for seasonal and part-time work.
Lavelle’s roots go back to 1912 when the company was in Chicago. At the time, Lavelle had 10 employees. Today, the company employs upwards of 300 people.
