Keystone Solid Surfaces, which fabricates and installs quartz and granite countertops for residential and commercial clients across Kansas, just closed on the purchase of an industrial complex with 4 buildings at 1655 N Wabash in central Wichita.
It will be a $2.6 million investment- with plans to add new equipment, renovate, and hire up to a dozen new positions within the next year and a half.
Keystone Solid Surfaces doubled in workforce last year, ending 2020 with about 30 employees. But the hiring will only continue as there’s 6-8 hires they need right now but don’t have the space for.
Cyle Barnwell, a co-owner, mentioned that the company has grown 100% this year from 2019. One of their competitors went out of business at the end of 2019, which they were able to get new clients from. Besides that, they were able to grow Keystone by 30% organically.
The site at 1655 N Wabash will support their growth, allowing offices, fabrication shops, and an open-to-the-public slab showroom.
Keystone plans to remodel one of the 2,500 square-foot buildings, which will serve as a slab showroom. Barnwell said this showroom will rival anything he’s ever been in and will be nice enough to host events.
At its Benton warehouse, Keystone can currently cut 300-400 square feet of slab a day, but new equipment planned at the Wichita shop will have the capacity to cut up to 1,000 square feet a day. “We can basically double production to match the growth” Barnwell said.
The site is close to 13th and I-135, and has a total of 28,200 sq. ft. between the 4 buildings.
Evan LaRue of John T. Arnold Associates and Ted Branson of Landmark Commercial Real Estate handled the sale.
Full article from The Wichita Business Journal by Shelby Kellerman
