Room to Grow - Strathman Sales, Co - Spring 2013

It couldn’t just be any location. It needed to have easy access to I-70 for the large distribution trucks; it needed to have available utilities; it needed to meet the stringent refrigeration requirements for the facility; and it needed to offer additional room for expansion so the company would be able to remain in that location indefinitely. All of those requirements came together at its new 59,000-square-foot facility at 4235 SW Burlingame.

This isn’t the first time Strathman Sales has moved the business to a new location because it needed more elbow room. In fact, this is the fourth location since 1939. Matt Strathman, third generation owner of the distributorship, vividly remembers the last time the company moved in 1986. They thought then that they had found a permanent location.

“At our Lakewood site, we never dreamed that space would become too small,” Strathman said. “We used to think—how could we ever outgrow this?”

But grow it did. After adding on to its existing facility, Strathman found itself landlocked with no ability for additional expansion. So this time around, Strathman made sure its new facility would have ample room for growth.

“We purchased and leveled enough ground so that we could double the size of the building if necessary,” Strathman said.

As for the timing, even though the economy is a little sluggish, Strathman says it was a no-brainer to invest in a new facility.

“We needed the space,” Strathman said, “and right now money is cheap and construction is aggressively trying to get business, so we went for it.”

With 45 employees, the new facility doesn’t mean any new hires in the near future. What it does offer is more space to add additional products such as craft beers. It also provides more convenient storage and rack systems for loading and unloading, as well as added climate-controlled areas. Strathman built this new facility with an eye toward the future, preparing for the next generation.