SJE held a grand opening Thursday, March 28, to celebrate the completion of its new 51,000-square-foot facility located in Ashland, Ohio. More than 60 visitors attended the event, which included a ribbon cutting, tours, product demos and refreshments.

President & CEO Dave Thomas cut the ribbon outside of the new building despite a sprinkling of rain. Afterwards, visitors went inside to look at the facility. Ashland employees offered tours of the new building and gave product demos. Those in attendance included Ashland Mayor Matt Miller, as well as SJE’s business partners, building contractors and officials from the city and county.

“This is a larger facility than we had previously and we’re all on one floor, which improves communication and collaboration, and just gives us a chance to continue to grow and expand,” said Thomas. “We’re anticipating significant growth in our panel products and we do a lot of panel manufacturing here in Ashland.”

After the grand opening, an internal event was held for employees and their families. Employees had the opportunity to show their loved ones their new workspace. To end the fun, they used an overhead crane to break a bottle of champagne against the wall in the warehouse, christening the new building.

The new facility is located at 2221 Ford Drive in the Ashland Business Park. SJE acquired CSI Controls in 2008 and manufactures products in Ashland for all three of its brands (CSI Controls, PRIMEX and SJE Rhombus). About 65 employees work at this branch.

“The future is bright for this location, for the employees here,” said Thomas. “We’ve invested a lot in making this a permanent home for us."