Budnick Converting ®
Budnick Converting Plans New Headquarters in Columbia, IL
BUDNICK CONVERTING TO EXPAND; AWARDS KADEAN $8 MILLION CONTRACT FOR NEW HEADQUARTERS AND PRODUCTION FACILITY
St. LOUIS, MO, October 15, 2018 – Budnick Converting, Inc., a private, woman-owned enterprise, has awarded Kadean Construction an $8 million design-build contract to construct a 100,000 square foot headquarters and production facility, doubling the size of the company’s current operations in Columbia, IL, it was announced today.
The new structure will include 75,000 square feet of manufacturing, production and warehousing space, and 25,000 square feet of office space including the ground floor, a mezzanine area, a break room, conference room, and other commons areas.
The new structure will eventually replace Budnick Converting’s existing 50,000 square foot headquarters and manufacturing operations on an 11-acre tract adjacent to its current location, 200 Admiral Weinel Boulevard in Columbia, which is about 15 miles south of downtown St. Louis.
Construction is scheduled to begin in mid-October and completed in June 2019. The company plans to move into the new facility next summer, said Ann Wegmann, owner and president of the company.
“We are very excited about our plans to construct our new headquarters and manufacturing facility,” said Wegmann, whose father, Ed "Bud" Schwartz, co-founded the company with “Nick” Cutlich in 1952. “My Dad would be very happy we are continuing to grow the company. This expansion also will enable us to better serve our national and international clients.”
Budnick Converting, which is ISO-certified, specializes in converting adhesive coated tapes, foams, films, foils, and other specialty materials for hundreds of clients, including the transportation, appliance, consumer electronics, moving and storage, medical, and distribution sectors.
Wegmann took over operations of the company in 1982, and continues to run it today with her executive team, which includes her daughter, Quality and Communications Manager Christy Hornacek, who is overseeing the new construction and helping to manage Budnick's growth.
“This design-build project is exciting for our team because it will help this 66-year-old company continue to expand its services to its clients here and abroad,” said Mike Eveler, president of Kadean Construction.
Besides its operations in Columbia, IL, Budnick also has a second converting facility in Tampa, FL, a warehouse in Oklahoma City, OK, and a full-service joint venture operation in Monterrey, Mexico. The company also maintains six sales offices throughout North America.
The company currently employs 89 men and women at its Columbia, IL facilities and another 17 at its other operations across the country, Wegmann said. She pointed out that Budnick Converting plans to increase employment at its Columbia facilities by at least 10 percent in the next year.
Kadean has retained Gray Design Group as the project’s architect, J.R. Grimes Consulting Inc. for civil engineering, KPFF St. Louis for structural engineering, and numerous St. Louis-area subcontractors for carpentry, electrical, plumbing, concrete, and other work.
Founded in 1963, Fenton-based Kadean Construction has become one of the Midwest’s most successful construction companies, specializing in design-build, construction management, and general contracting for a diverse set of major clients in the industrial, commercial, health care, office, senior care, and multi-family industries.