Behlen Mfg. Co. is pleased to announce the purchase of the former Nashua Corp. building located along I-80 at 3838 South 108th Street in Omaha, Nebraska. The building will be the new home for the operations of Distefano Tool & Mfg. Co., a Behlen Group company, which currently operates in two separate facilities in North Omaha. Distefano will be able to consolidate manufacturing into one facility which will improve efficiency, customer service, and provide opportunity for growth.
Distefano fabricates more than 1,000 different metal components and tooling for various industries including commercial turf care, agricultural, construction, transportation, medical, and telecommunications.
The purchase of this building marks a renewed investment in Omaha by Distefano, where it began in business in 1972. Although Behlen has additional manufacturing plants in Tennessee and Oregon, we have selected Nebraska as the place to grow. Factors such as the Nebraska Advantage economic incentive package, a strong workforce, a partnering community, and an already strong Nebraska heritage led to the selection of this site. Behlen, locally owned and established in 1936, is headquartered in Columbus, Nebraska. The plan is for all current Distefano Partners in Progress (employees) torelocate to the new plant.
Future plans for the 160,000 square foot building include the possible leasing of the excess space to other businesses and opening the door to recruiting a new business to the Omaha area. The building is also ideal for Behlen and Distefano to create additional jobs. Calamar Construction of Omaha, a Behlen Building Systems builder, has been selected to make the necessary modifications to the new facility. Relocation activities will start in April and the targeted completion of the move from the two Distefano locations to the new building is July 2011. An open house will be held once the move is completed.
The Behlen Leadership Team and all Partners in Progress (employees) look forward to the opportunities this new facility brings for serving customers and creating jobs in Omaha. We remain committed to partnering with North Omaha leaders by developing skill training with Metropolitan Community College to enhance our competitiveness and create jobs.
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Behlen Mfg. Co. is a locally owned company established in 1936 and consists of three diverse business units. Behlen Country is the nation’s leading manufacturer of farm & ranch equipment. Behlen Building Systems delivers pre-engineered metal buildings through a nationwide network of builders. International and Diversified Products (IDP) manufactures Grain Systems, Strip Joining Presses, and Custom Fabrication products and has exported to more than 70 countries. The 850,000 sq. ft. world headquarters and manufacturing facility of Behlen is located in Columbus, Nebraska. Additional U.S. locations include: Baker City, Oregon; Huntingdon, Tennessee; and Omaha, Nebraska.
In 2008, Behlen purchased Distefano Tool & Mfg. in Omaha, Nebraska adding even more capacity and more capability for the Behlen Group.
Behlen employs more than 900 Partners in Progress (employees) and this year we are celebrating our 75th year in business.
To learn more about Behlen, visit: www.behlenmfg.com
To learn more about Distefano visit: www.dtamfg.com