Advanced Fiber Products moving to business park

La Crosse Tribune, Apr 19, 2005 by Cahalan, Steve

Advanced Fiber Products at 200 Cameron Ave. in La Crosse plans to move this fall to the city's International Business Park, off Hwy. 16 north of Interstate 90.

A development agreement for the new location was approved last week by the LaCrosse Common Council.

"Our hope is to start about June 1" on construction of the new building, Chuck Linnell said Monday. He, Jon Nommensen and Stephen Welter own the business. They ought it in December 2003 from Paul and Rita Durhman, who still own the two-story building on Cameron Street.

The Durhmans plan to put a four-story office building on vacant land they own at the northeast corner of Second Street and Cameron Avenue. The Wipfli LLP accounting firm will lease the top three floors.

The Durhmans also plan a second-phase development for late 2005 or 2006 - an office or retail building that would be constructed south of the first one, at the current location of Advanced Fiber Products.

The current Advanced Fiber Products building has about 46,000 square feet of space on two floors, and the new building will have nearly 50,000 square feet of space, all on one floor, Linnell said. It will be much more efficient than the current building, he said.

The company has 35 employees and makes structural fiberglass for a wide variety of uses, such as broom handles and railroad crossing arms.