Bazooka Farmstar shows off building addition

WASHINGTON — Bazooka Farmstar opened a recently completed wing of its facility to the public last week with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The event also included tours of the building that employs a sizable number of Washington community members.

Managing Partner Eric Hahn said construction started last summer and ended this spring, coming in at a total of 37,500 square feet.

“We were able to put in a brand-new paint system and a good hoist system to help with efficiency and safety,” he said. “That was the main point of this.”

Products are assembled in the new area — from various components also manufactured by the company — before they’re shipped off to buyers and distributors. While the business had a place for that process before the addition, Hahn said it was hardly convenient.

“When things got painted, we’d have to take them outside,” he said. “We couldn’t work on things as fast, so our lead times were a lot longer. The goal here was to do multiple things at once and try to speed up our turnaround time.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com