Construction on the new home for a longtime Derby business, Aircraft and Commercial Enterprises, began this week.
The $1.5 million project is at 800 N. River in the West End Business Park. The 15,000-square-foot building, set on a 2.2-acre site, will house 20 of the company’s 33 employees. The other employees work around the country.
The company, now at 221 W. Market, will lease out that 7,000-square-foot structure after the move, which should be in about six months, said company president Mike Helmer.
Helmer and other company officials, along with employees, city officials and the contractor attended a brief groundbreaking ceremony July 19 at the site.
The business, which was founded in 1984 and incorporated in 1986, distributes a wide variety of parts for manufacturers in the aviation industry. Those parts include fasteners, straps, wires, cables and electronic components.
While most of its work is with aerospace and defense contractors, it also works with businesses in the rail and marine industries.
The company doesn’t make parts, but serves as the agent between part manufacturers and the end user.
Because of the company’s growth, the business needed a larger operations space, and the new home, which more than doubles its space, will do just that, he said.
Helmer said he’s excited to finally get the work in process, even if it took a little longer than he thought it would.
“We had issues with appraisals and getting everyone on the same page,” he said.
However, that’s all done and Helmer is ready to see the plans become a reality.
The park’s lots are owned by the city, which often offers incentives, such as abatements and industrial revenue bonds, for business to locate there. However, in this case, it offered to sell the land to the company for $1 instead of other incentives. Helmer said he was pleased with the deal.
“They made it easy,” he said. Staying in Derby was a major part of the project, he said.
“That was one of the deciding factors,” Helmer said.
Most of the employees either live in Derby or nearby and didn’t like the thought of driving to Wichita, he said.
Helmer credited his employees, many of whom have been with them for years, for the business’s success.
“They made this company what it is today,” he said, “and we really appreciate that.”
The structure will be built by Smith Construction of Wichita. It will face west, to River Street, and sit about six feet higher than the road.
Alan Smith, president of the construction firm, predicted a smooth build, with steel arriving in September.
“The weather is going to be just fine,” he said. “It’s the right time of the year to build.”
The structure will be a Chief building, which is based on a metal building system from the Grand Island, Neb.-based company. Smith Construction has built numerous structures in the area based on their designs.
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