Koch prioritizes Brandon with new admin building
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/05/2022 (1317 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
After an almost two-year delay, Koch Fertilizer Canada celebrated the opening of its new $30-million administrative building on Wednesday.
Brandon is the only Koch facility location in Canada. The new administrative building will bring together operations, logistics and sales and marketing along with more than 100 employees under one roof.
Premier Heather Stefanson, Mayor Rick Chrest, provincial ministers and other dignitaries were on hand Wednesday to celebrate the grand opening of the new administrative building and tour the facility.
“This building represents a $30-million investment in our community of Brandon,” said Kelly Simonson, managing director of Koch Fertilizer Canada. “Our employees made this investment possible by applying Koch’s market-based management culture combined with the outstanding skills, knowledge and experience of our team we have been able to build a world-class operation.”
Although initially promised, the Sun was denied a question-and-answer session, as well as a scrum with the premier and tour of the facility.
A ground-breaking ceremony was held in April 2019 for the new building, but it faced delays in construction due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The two-storey building was initially scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2020.
The office building is 54,000 square feet and holds 288 employees, consolidating employees from five buildings into one.
The $33-million project, one of the largest investments ever made at the Brandon site, is the first of several significant upgrades designed for expansion, efficiency, improved environment and health and safety performance. Koch Fertilizer expects to invest nearly $130 million into the overall improvements at the site in the coming years.
Horizon Builders Ltd., established in Brandon 40 years ago, was selected as the project’s general contractor.
“Supporting the local Brandon economy is critical to our philosophy,” Simonson said. “We are committed to being a good corporate citizen, preferred supplier and a good employer to our team.”
Koch Industries, Inc., is a privately held company with 130,000 employees, operating in 60 countries around the globe. The company provides materials to strengthen plants and potentially improve crop yield. The Brandon location has been in place for 55 years and in continuous operation since 1966.
Stefanson lauded the new building for the potential impact it will have across Manitoba. The Koch building marks a significant investment in the province, complementing the economic recovery and growth highlighted in Manitoba’s 2022 budget.
“This is exactly the type of investment that we want to attract here in Manitoba,” Stefanson said.
Her hope is the province will continue to attract future businesses to grow Manitoba’s economy and pay for social services, including health care and education.
“This is a huge part of our economic development and growth strategy.”
Sandy Trudel, director of Economic Development Brandon, described Koch as “the blood in our economic activity” within the Brandon region.
Westman is an agricultural-based economy and a critical partner. She appreciates the confidence shown in the local and regional economy through Koch’s investment in Brandon.
“Thank you for placing your confidence not only in Brandon but in Manitoba,” Trudel said.
Many Brandonites have connections to the Koch fertilizer plant, said Mayor Rick Chrest.
He grew up in the east end of the city and witnessed the plant first being erected in the 1960s. He later worked at the facility for a short time in the previous administrative building more than 30 years ago.
Koch’s commitment to construct a new administrative building showed the company is deepening its roots in the community, Chrest said. The investment ensures hundreds of residents will continue to be employed at the plant into the future, along with supporting many suppliers and partner industries and customers.
“There are few more noble endeavours than making inputs to grow food in our world, and that’s exactly what this plant does that we are so proud of,” Chrest said. “We’re very, very proud to have Koch in our community for such a long time.”
» ckemp@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @The_ChelseaKemp