Posted: 09.10.2010
Organic Valley, headquartered in LaFarge, has announced plans for a $6.1 million
addition to its headquarters. The announcement comes just six years after opening the doors to its current headquarters.
Approved and made final by a co-op board decision last week, the new expansion
project is scheduled to break ground this November and be complete in June 2011,
adding 100 new jobs to the community over the next three years.
“We founded Organic Valley with a mission to save family farms and bring
vitality back to America’s rural communities,” said George Siemon, Organic
Valley’s CEO and one of its founding farmers. “This new expansion shows we’ve
not only accomplished our goals, but it proves that people nationwide, and more
specifically those in Southwest Wisconsin, support local businesses and the
organic movement.”
Support is in the numbers. Despite a down economy, Organic Valley predicts 19
percent sales growth in 2010, with revenue reaching $622 million compared to
$523 million in 2009. As sales increase, so do Organic Valley’s dairy product
offerings, which in the past two years have expanded to include pourable yogurt
and omega-3 milk produced by the co-op’s 1,630 farmer member-owners, more than
500 of whom are located in Wisconsin.
The expansion plan calls for a 33,000 square foot building attached to Organic
Valley’s existing 50,000 square foot headquarters. The new building will include
a research and development lab, a large multi-purpose room for wellness
activities and additional office and meeting space.
The expansion also will feature sustainable design elements including increased
energy and water efficiency, improved indoor environment quality and reduced CO2
emissions. To achieve this, Organic Valley is considering concepts such as
daylighting, recycled content in building materials, low VOC finishes, energy
efficient HVAC, water efficient bathroom fixtures and waterless urinals.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the new headquarters expansion is planned for
November.
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