Posted: 12/14/04
Fastenal bringing call center to town
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
Thirty new jobs could be coming to Caledonia in the next six months.
Fastenal, a company based in Winona, has signed a long-term lease with owners of the old Caledonia elementary school building. The company plans to set up a computer call and collection center there.
The new division will serve all 1,500 of the companyís stores nationwide, said Mike Nanof, who owns the building with his wife, Dawn Twaiten.
Fastenal will be using two classrooms that used to house kindergarten students. The rooms are on the upper floor of the southwest corner of the building. One room overlooks the new elementary school and its playground. That view was one of the selling points, Nanof said.
Fastenal looked at five different cities for their expansion. State senator Bob Kierlin, who is chairman of the companyís board of directors, asked his chief financial officer, Dan Florness, to contact Joyce Iverson, the Caledonia Community Development director.
Iverson told The Argus that she received a call from Fastenal looking for 2,000-3,000 square feet of office space. They looked at a couple sites in Caledonia, she said, including the old elementary school. Mike Nanof took it from there, Iverson said.
She has happily spread the good news at the Caledonia Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club. ìI think thereís a lot of excitement about this company coming to town,î she said. ìAnd certainly a good use for the school.î
Nanof said that Fastenal officials toured the school, then both parties spent two weeks negotiating a long-term lease with an option to renew.
Employees will use the west side of the building for parking and to enter the building. They hope to open on February 1.
A lot of remodeling needs to be done before then. The suspended ceiling will be removed, as it already has been in the areas already remodeled. This exposes the duct work and steel trusses. When this is painted, it gives a space a sleek and open feel.
That was the vision that Mike and Dawn had for the space and the building. ìIt was nice to see someone like Fastenal thought the same thing,î Dawn said. ìWe saw the vision.î
Mike and Dawn live in Winona, which didnít hurt things either, Mike said. since that is Fastenalís corporate headquarters.
ìWe know theyíre good for the community,î Dawn added.
The fact that Fastenal is bringing jobs to Caledonia was very nice to hear, Twaiten said.
Fastenal chief financial officer Dan Florness was not available for comment when this newspaper went to press on Monday.
Nanof and Twaiten said they are negotiating with another business to lease space on the lower level below the Fastenal space.
Businesses opening in Mall
Several businesses are in the process of opening in the northeastern portion of the old elementary school, which is called Caledonia School House Mall. They are located in old classrooms that have been remodeled and fitted with mesh gates that can be pulled down when the business is closed.
All the suspended ceilings have been removed, and the high ceilings and trusses have been painted. The corridor has ceramic tile on the floor.
There are touches of the old school here and there too. A librarianís desk serves as a counter in one business, and old slate blackboards make an attractive flooring in one space.
Businesses in the mall so far include:
ï Co-op Gift Shop Boutique, which will be run as a cooperative and will sell things like crafts, beading, and scrapbooking supplies. New members are welcome.
ï K-9 X-Pres Pet Shop and Gifts, a store that caters to pets. It is open on weekends now, and should be fully open by January 15.
ï Shapes, a fitness center for women, will be relocating to the mall from its present location at 214 East Main Street in January.
ï E-Seller, a business that takes items on consignment to sell either on E-Bay or to shoppers at the mall. Mall owners Nanof and Twaiten will operate this store.
ï A coffee shop has been set up in a classroom. No one has signed a lease to operate it yet.
ï Two more store spaces will be finished in December.
Twaiten and Nanof are excited with the progress, and welcome inquiries. They can be reached at 608-782-7400, or people can stop at the mall when it is open.
A gymnastic business is also located in the gymnasium of the building.
Nanof and Twaiten bought the school in January of this year from Keith Comstock and Joe Welch, who bought it from ISD 299.
Caledonia Elementary School is now located in the former high school building, which was remodeled after a new high school opened in 2002.
Caledonia Argus
314 West Lincoln St.
P.O. Box 227
Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com