CASE STUDY

Partnership with Champion Window yields national retail expansion

"When we first met with Neyer, we trusted them. We immediately felt this was going to be a good partnership. The result is a building that will keep the company productive for many years to come."
Bernard Barbash, owner, Champion Window Manufacturing Co.

If your business is home improvement products, your own house had better be in order. Champion Window Manufacturing Inc. knew by the mid-1990s that to sustain the company's national sales growth, it would need to build substantially more manufacturing capacity.

By then, the company had established itself as a leading manufacturer of custom vinyl replacement windows. The company in fact, was the industry pioneer, creating vinyl window frames decades before, when 90% of the market was still in wood. When Champion's business took off, the company's 80,000-square-foot facility couldn't handle the extra demand.

At the same time, Champion wanted to ramp up expansion in key markets across the United States by building new retail showrooms. Great design and location are critical to their acceptance in a new market. The facilities would also have to function well as distribution centers.

Champion hired Al. Neyer Inc. as its building and development partner, working with corporate real estate advisor CRESA Partners/Cincinnati. Champion's needs were specific: a corporate headquarters that would house significant manufacturing and warehousing space, shipping docks and a showroom.

One of the most important aspects of the new facility would be its location. The company makes the most use of its strong brand and recognizable building signage as a chief means of advertising. It had to be clearly visible from a major highway. Neyer's development team secured the perfect location, then employed creative engineering solutions to overcome the site's numerous development obstacles.

In 1999, Neyer completed the 540,000-square-foot headquarters and manufacturing facility for Champion. "The employees love it," said Bernard Barbash, a Champion owner with partner Edward Levine.

Through our National Market Expansion Program, Al. Neyer also provided turnkey development and design-build services for fifteen factory showrooms to date, in markets such as Greensboro, N.C.; Nashville, Tenn.; Columbus, Ohio; Omaha, Neb.; Indianapolis and South Bend, Ind. These facilities average upwards of 30,000 square feet. Neyer's design team works directly with Champion's owners to make sure each building realizes the best use of its site and its design communicates its quality image.

"The sites are usually very expensive because of their great locations, so we closely evaluate the site's cost versus its potential efficiency and visibility," according to Neyer senior architect Michael Wentz. "Our ultimate goal is to help build the Champion brand with use of color, signage and site location."