The power of progress

Construction of the new Van Maanen Electric, Inc. headquarters is almost fully completed. All it needs is a few final touches.

Positioned along Iowa Speedway Drive next to the Newton Walmart, the electrical contractor building itself still needs to be outfitted with furnishings, software systems and a bit of landscaping before opening for business sometime in the spring. Still, progress has come along smoothly since the project first broke ground last year.

Nathan Van Maanen, president of Van Maanen Electric, Inc., is pleased with the new development in town. Staff, he said, couldn’t be happier. Although there isn’t a rush to get everyone to move out of the old facility at 627 N. 19th Ave. E. just yet.

“The way I look at it is you got one chance to make sure there’s a spot for everything before you move in,” Van Maanen said. “I just want to make sure it’s as good as it can be before the whole team moves in.”

The new headquarters is split into two sections: a 60,000-square-foot warehouse and a 13,000-square-foot office space. Both areas are much larger than the current space the company occupies in the north side of town near TPI Composites and other manufacturers.

Efficiencies are bound to increase with the move, especially considering the current office space of Van Maanen Electric, Inc. is in between five other warehouses. To work under one roof “is going to be a lot of fun to see it all come together” and eliminate any redundancies.

“Our main goal with this new facility is to get all of our processes automated, all the way from the way material comes in to the way the bills get sent out,” Van Maanen said. “We want to get that flow perfected and then we’re ready to take the next step again.”

Van Maanen Electric, Inc. also celebrates its 15-year anniversary this year. Originating in Sully, the business eventually moved to Newton sometime between 2007 and 2008, Van Maanen said. The Sully location remained open for more than one year after the move to Newton.

Van Maanen said the company has been very fortunate in its growth and its successful progression as it continues “to hire more local people and to just keep building” its presence in the community. He also expects the headquarters expansion will open up “a lot of future growth.”

Currently, about 186 people work for Van Maanen Electric, about 18 people work for Van Maanen Technology and there are about 42 temporary workers on hand. Transforming the work environment to be more efficient and more enjoyable for those workers is what Van Maanen is looking forward to most.

“To stay on the cutting edge you have to be the most efficient contractor out there,” he said. “To be the most efficient contractor you need to get people. So we need to make sure their workday flows as well as possible.”

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or
cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com