The company celebrated its anniversary with a grand opening and expo at its brand-new facility.

Robertson Heating Supply's 70th anniversary celebration included a dealer expo, where the company unveiled its state-of-the-art 30,000-sq.-ft. facility. The 300-plus reps present participated in a one-day expo for 800 registered contractors from the company's customer area. It was held at the main branch in Alliance, Ohio on May 28.

During the celebration, the company emphasized its commitment to the community and suppliers while hinting at room for growth. The event started with a grand tour of the facility, which features the latest technology and promises future expansion. “We're here for the long haul,” says Gary Bush, sales manager.

The new warehouse has many characteristics to enhance its efficiency including: bar code scanning technology developed in-house; an overhead three-ton crane to move supplies across the warehouse; and 30 shipping docks, 17 more than in the old facility.

The company kept future development in mind when building the new facility, because both the warehouse and the connected corporate office boast extra capacity than they currently need.

Each department is allocated its own space within the corporate headquarters facility with room to grow. For example, Scott Robertson, president, says the commercial side of the company's plumbing business is currently on the rise. “We can basically double the size of our plumbing department and still keep them all together,” he says.

The corporate office also features more efficient workspaces with an expanded executive wing and a pneumatic tube that can send documents to other parts of the office through the walls. The new showroom has functioning whirlpools and showers, a kids' entertainment center, a working kitchen and more than 1,000 fixtures.

Robertson says they also tried to predict some of the employees' potential needs to stay competitive in the job market. A fitness center, outdoor patio eating area, training facilities and removable basketball court in the warehouse are all for the enhanced satisfaction of the employees.

“As our company continues to grow, it will be something we'll need,” says Robertson.