Published July 2003
Travis
Industries
to relocate to Mukilteo
By
John Wolcott
SCBJ Editor
A former Boeing Co.
manufacturing facility in Mukilteo will become the new home of Travis
Industries, an east King County fireplace and hearth maker that plans
to bring 400 new jobs to Snohomish County and create as many as 400 more
employment opportunities over the next five years.
The 24-year-old company
is consolidating five existing facilities in Kirkland and Woodinville
where it designs, builds and distributes Lopi, Avalon and Fireplace Xtrordinair
brands of wood, gas and pellet stoves, fireplaces and fireplace inserts.
President and CEO
Kurt Rumens said the company’s move will take place over the next six
to eight months, calling Boeing’s former Building 40-41 building a “phenomenal
facility for manufacturing.”
The Kirkland firm
lacked enough space in its present facilities to pursue new markets and
grow, Rumens said. The firm claims a 30 percent to 40 percent market share
for its wood stoves but wants to increase its 5 percent share of the fireplace
business.
Over the past two
years the company has produced award-winning new fireplaces for the market,
including its Ring of Fire, an outdoor fireplace and fountain combination.
The new Mukilteo facility will be named “House of Fire.” The company is
the nation’s largest privately owned manufacturer of hearth products that
burn wood, gas and wood pellets.
Leasing the huge,
476,000-square-foot building is particularly significant because it “not
only shows the benefits of locating at Harbour Pointe but also indicates
the attractiveness of Snohomish County has a business center,” said Colette
Mennink, vice president of the Boeing Realty Corp.
Snohomish County
EDC President Deborah Knutson agreed, adding that in addition to adding
400 jobs it takes a major segment of empty real estate off the market
in the county. She applauded Boeing’s efforts to find quality companies
for its excess space in the county.
Last month, the company
signed a $19.2 million, 12-year lease with Boeing Realty Corp. for one
of the two buildings Boeing vacated as it consolidated its manufacturing
activities in the county. The last of Boeing’s work at Harbour Pointe
ended in late 2002.
The company’s goal
is to grow from $70 million to $150 million a year in revenue over the
next five years, which would add 400 more employees. As part of the planned
expansion, Travis will install more than $750,000 worth of new manufacturing
equipment at the new facility this year, which could add as many as 50
jobs in the near term.
Rumens said he had
considered moving out of state but remaining in the area means he can
retain “98 percent of our employees.” He said Boeing Realty made him “a
very attractive offer” on the building and that he also found the attitude
of Mukilteo city officials “really welcoming.”
Richard Peterson
and Darrell Okada of Puget Sound Properties represented Boeing Realty
and Paul Jerue and Chris Langer of the Broderick Group represented Travis
Industries.
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