April 25, 2024

A new 95,000-square-foot facility to support the building industry officially has opened in Brandon.

Engineered Truss Systems Inc. held a ribbon-cutting this week in the Rovang Industrial Park.

The business specializes in manufacturing roof and floor trusses and also offers laminated veneer lumber beams and headers. The new facility, built by Lloyd Construction, will increase Engineered Truss’ production by an estimated 66 percent.

Engineered Truss Systems was founded in 1985 and acquired two years later by Daryl Paclik. He sold it to his son, Chris, in 2020. Lloyd acquired the company in 2022 with plans to expand it.

“The plan was always to scale it up, so this was intentional,” Lloyd chief operations officer Jake Quasney said. “The new building is fantastic. We have the opportunity and the ability to expand as we go.”

The ability to produce building components off-site will increase efficiency while providing a more optimal work environment, he said. The majority of the business is for residential building, though it’s also a fit for some commercial projects. While some of the products made there will support Lloyd Construction projects, the business serves the broader building industry.

“It’s going to be great for town homes, twin homes, two- and three-story structures, but even ag or metal buildings and pole barns will be something we can expand,” Quasney said.

“A lot of our go-to clients have been with the business a long time and continue to do business as we enhance the product we offer. As interest rates start to stabilize, we’re seeing more home starts and anticipate our overall volume will be expanding.”

There are more than two dozen employees and more being hired, he said.

“We want to be around 32 in the near term, and that will continue to expand,” Quasney said. “Our wall line will open in June, and that will allow more people, but we’ve also really increased the efficiency with which we can operate out here.”

The new building’s location on a rail line was a key deciding factor, he said.

“As we looked at opportunities, it gave us the size property we wanted, and the rail was important to us,” he said. “That’s an opportunity to increase the efficiency with which we’re getting products to our sites, so that was probably the biggest draw. There’s also easy access to the interstate, and from a manufacturing perspective, the park there is set up really well.”

The business moved from 1400 E. Benson Road in Sioux Falls.

“Engineered Truss Systems coming to Brandon is a huge win for the city,” said Patrick Andrews, development director for the city.

“Throughout its many projects, Lloyd Cos. has demonstrated time and time again that they are willing to invest in local communities and the metro region above and beyond simply building a building and providing jobs. More often than not, their presence in a community becomes a golden ticket that unlocks additional growth, development and opportunity for other local businesses.”

There’s enough space under the roof that Engineered Truss can expand some as needed, Quasney said.

“We can add further panelization and modular components, assuming we’re successful initially,” he said. “We intend to be able to deliver a system that can really acerbate the schedule of construction. I think the team did a fantastic job laying that out.”

The city is confident the new state-of-the-art facility “will continue to show international, national, regional and local companies that the city of Brandon is second to none in terms of value, resources, opportunity and community support,” Andrews added. “We look forward to finding ways we can partner with them to help continue to make us the best community in the metro to live, work and raise a family.”