TOUR DAY!

Today was tour day once again at the office. Now that the building is nearing completion, it's easier for everyone to see where their workspace will be and how they'll function throughout the building. When Nick first started doing the tours, they only lasted about 30 minutes. Todays tour ran just over an hour. This goes to show there's a lot more to see and more questions to answer.

The metal accoustical ceiling in the main entrance is coming along nicely. The ceiling blends well with the tongue and groove wood ceiling throughout other areas in the building.

In the background, the workers are installing a corrugated steel siding on the walls. This looks like the same type of steel siding that was used on barns back in the 60's & 70's. In the foreground Jerry works on his camera. He's always trying to one up me with his photography skills.

Looking up at the second level, you can see the workers are installing the wood finish on the    exterior of the restrooms.

 

All of the exterior glass is installed with the exception of the radius pieces on the silo (which you can see straight ahead). The polished concrete floor will be one of many attractions in the building. Even though it's quite dusty in the photo, it still has a shine.

 

    Here's a better shot of the ceiling from a bird's eye view.

This is the women's upstairs rest room. There's more toilets in this restroom than we have in the entire current office.  I'm not sure why Nick's raising his hand, he's the one giving the tour.

 The wood siding on the outside of the restrooms is actually tongue and groove flooring.

 

The commerical kitchen is filled with stainless steel appliances and tables. The delivery and installation of these products is a good indication of how close the completion date really is.

 

Break Room or Lunch Room. Whatever you want to call it, it's much larger than the existing one, which has room for about 6 people.

 

 

We even got to step outside to enjoy the rainy weather (again!). This is the patio on the second floor roof. A green roof will extend from the patio. Dr. Jerry's contemplating what kind of test plots he'll plant out here. In the back ground you can see the finished rain screen (siding) that gives the building a barn look. 

As the move in date draws near, there is a mix of emotions at the office. Some people are excited, some are curious as to how the new office will change day to day activity, and understandably so, some may be a little sad as another chapter of the AgroLiquid legacy comes to a close. Personally, I think it's pretty darn cool because it's a perfect representation of what the company has become - a small town success story that has benefited many. The new building will serve as a great work place as well as a destination for visitors to learn about our company and the history of agriculture.

EXTENSION OF PREVIOUS POST

So I learned a few new blogging tricks from the authority on blogging, Dr. Jerry. I'm not the most computer savy, so I learn the tricks a little at a time and let it sink in. Too much at one time causes technological conjestion. It may not seem like much but posting the photos below required the trade secrets Jerry shared with me.

 

Thanks for the tutorial Jerry!!

 

CHECK THIS ONE OFF THE LIST

We received the certificate of occupancy so it's official, the newest Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizer facility is complete. It took a little longer than anticipated but we finally got there. The new facility combines some of the same construction practices from existing sites with some new ideas that will make the site more efficient as well as accomodate future expansion. Although expansion plans have already been developed, we'll let the guys get settled in to the new facility and get comfortable with daily operations before we implement phase 2.





 

And here's the final product. The construction style exemplifies the buildings at the other AgroLiquid sites. The fabric roof promotes natural lighting reducing the need for powered lighting. Another "green" practice of AgroLiquid as we strive to be an industry leader in environmentally friendly farming practices.

Inside the building, the truck load area is quite similar to the Ashley facility.  

 

A view of the truck load out from on top of the electrical room (which you can see below).  

Here's the electrical room. The concrete walls offer protection from the fertilizer environment as well as climate control.

 Final touches were put on the rail office and the site lighting is installed.

 

 

Nick came out for a site visit and got a piece of the action.   

The landscapers portion of the workload is also complete. Once whatever these plants are grow up, it should spruce up the front of the office a bit. A drip system will be installed before it starts to get too dry - something we don't need to worry about for awhile in the mid-west (dry ground that is).

A little more landscaping. As part of the site plan, we were required to plant 4 trees. Here's one of the "not so big" trees.

 And here's another one. This one looks like it could get lonely.

 

Things look a little different now. When we started, the site was abandoned and a bit of a mess. As you can see from the size, we have a lot of room for expansion.  

Not a bad view coming down Bozzano Road in the morning. Don't worry, I stopped the vehicle to take the picture. This should be a nice site to visit in the years to come...... especially in the winter months.