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Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at MasterBrand Cabinets
MasterBrand Partners with Batzer
 When Batzer Inc. completes the $8 million, 151,000-square-foot expansion project at the MasterBrand Cabinets facility in Grants Pass, the manufacturing company will have doubled its workforce to 700 and doubled its production capacity. Results of Batzer's 14 months of work will include new production facilities, assembly lines, warehousing, paint room and corporate offices. In addition, MasterBrand will install $7 million in new and updated equipment.
According to Steve Loftesnes, MasterBrand's general manager, the project is one of the biggest in the history of the company and has been extremely well managed as well as on time and within budget. "The process has been wonderful, with much more pleasure than pain," he says. "Working with Batzer has been a positive experience overall. I'm glad we chose to partner with them."
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Batzer Inc. would like to thank the subcontractors and vendors for the excellent work and contributions made to the MasterBrand Cabinets expansion project:
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Since breaking ground in January of 2002, David Dessert, Batzer Vice President and Project Manager for this project, has counted on a professional team of people to successfully complete the first two phases of the project.
Recently, the expansion team has undertaken Phase III, IV and V. The team includes 30-plus full-time Batzer employees, MasterBrand's general manager and two engineers, along with a team of subcontractors. "Everyone has been extremely cooperative," Dessert asserts. "We have respect for one another. As a group we have established good lines of communication that are proving to be vital in a project this size."
Loftesnes says his company interviewed several contractors prior to making its decision on who would expand the MasterBrand facility. The company chose to work with Batzer because of its solid reputation and its design/build philosophy, which they discovered was more cost and time efficient than that of traditional contractors. As a result, Batzer's designer, Gary Caperna, drew plans and began work. "With design/build, we are able to get things going quickly and make changes as we go," explains Dessert. "There are no delays because it is a total team focus and not a "us and them" issue. There are no third parties to wait on."
The expansion project is not only large, it is complex. One major concern for Loftesnes and Dessert was ensuring that new construction did not interfere with MasterBrand's production line. To date, production was stalled for only one hour before a solution to a small problem was implemented.
However, an unforeseen environmental issue arose when site workers moved dirt and discovered hazardous materials left from an old mill. Dessert quickly called in Western States Environmental, who removed the materials and made the land suitable for building. "It wasn't something we planned on, but we took care of it quickly and managed to stay on schedule."
For Dessert, the MasterBrand expansion has involved a lot of planning and coordination. In addition, the lengthy project has tested his and other Batzer employees' commitment to several of its company values, including being pro-active, solution-oriented and consistent in what people say and do. "The team has done well and worked through problems. When all is said and done, we will have helped MasterBrand build its future and reach its vision for growth."
While Loftesnes says he is impressed with every member of the Batzer team, he has especially enjoyed working with on-site Assistant Project Manager Kristin Batzer and Project Supervisor Vane Jones. He calls Kristin "refreshing" and says she shows total dedication to the project and takes ownership of her work. Of Vane, Loftesnes claims he has been invaluable to the project. "He is a dream to work with because he is totally on top of it. When I work with Vane, I feel like I'm working with a business partner."
Loftesnes has spent 20 years in the manufacturing industry, with the past two and a half years as general manager for MasterBrand Cabinets, makers of high quality kitchen and bath cabinetry. The Indiana headquarters of MasterBrand chose to expand the Grants Pass facility because it is its top-performing plant and the company wanted to increase sales and production on the West Coast. According to Loftesnes the project is a success. "I look at this building and see great work and a substantial upgrade to our property. There's no doubt we're getting what we paid for."
MasterBrand Celebrates the Completion of Their New Facility
 Russ Batzer President of Batzer Inc., Steve Loftesnes General Manager of MasterBrand, David Dessert, Vice President of Batzer Inc. and Rich Forbes from MasterBrand Cabinets corporate offices celebrate the completion of 151,000 square foot expansion of the MasterBrand Cabinets in Grants Pass, Oregon.
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