With business showing steady growth, company says first of two projects will bring 10 jobs to village
Development plans have been a rarity in recent months in the Village of Saukville, which would explain the broad smiles on the faces of members of the Community Development Authority last week when meeting with a representative of Jeneil Biotech.
Steve Spangenberg, manager of engineering services at the company, detailed how Jeneil is poised for two expansion projects at its plant at 400 N. Dekora Woods Blvd. in the next 24 months.
The company has a 163,000-square-foot facility that produces food and dairy product flavorings.
“While this building has served us well throughout the years, we are now bursting at the seams as our business has steadily grown. We need to expand,” Spangenberg said.
“We would ideally like to do both projects at the same time, but banks today are reluctant to lend that kind of money at once.”
The initial expansion will make room for a 20,000-square-foot cooler and 2,500 square feet of additional processing space. The addition will be to the east side of the existing building.
Spangenberg said the expansion, which is expected to cost about $2.5 million, would use architectural steel walls.
Although the steel-panel construction has not been used frequently in the village’s industrial park, he said the material is durable and has a high insulation value, eliminating many of the problems the company has had maintaining a proper vapor barrier in its cold storage area.
Spangenberg said steel panels were used on the north tower of the company’s existing plant, which was constructed in 1996.
Similar steel systems are used at Sysco Foods in Jackson, Sargento Cheese in Plymouth and Wis Pack, and are considered the current industry standard.
“We are trying to make this expansion as cohesive as possible to the existing building,” Spangenberg said. “The panels would have a factory sandstone finish which is very close to the existing building’s color.”
Additional landscaping is also planned at the site, including the relocation of several larger trees that will be displaced by the expansion.
Spangenberg said the additional space will allow the company to hire 10 additional full-time employees.
Within the next two years, he said Jeneil also hopes to add another 20,000 square feet of processing and warehouse space, which should lead to even more new jobs.
“The project is on a fast track as the need for space is immediate,” Spangenberg told the CDA.
Committee members had no problem with the steel-panel construction, and embraced the project.
“It is fantastic that you are doing so well you need to expand,” said Village President Barb Dickmann, chairman of the CDA.
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