A local business celebrated its 10-year anniversary with the grand opening of its new corporate headquarters on June 21.

The JDI Group, a Toledo-based architectural and engineering firm, opened its new facility in Maumee with a ceremonial open house dedicated to the company’s employees, clients and families.

The new, 27,000-square-foot facility is home to more than 70 personnel, ranging from professional architects and engineers to full- and part-time contractors specializing in planning, design, integration, construction and startup for processes and facilities across the country.

Tim Fry, Fred Tito and Bob Buchwald, JDI Group Owners, with Maumee Mayor Tim Wagener. Photo by Brian Bohnert

The building, located at 360 W. Dussel Dr., is nearly three times as big as the company’s last headquarters, originally located in the Wolf Creek Business Park, said Tim Fry, professional architect and one of the firm’s principals.

“It gives us room to grow and gives us room to expand our business,” Fry said. “We just outgrew the old building. Everybody was stacked on top of each other. Now, everybody’s got their own identity. … It’s a great location.”

Formerly owned and operated by both 360 Communications and Verizon Wireless, the building’s renovation process took approximately five months, with all work being completed by The JDI Group’s engineers and architects.

Each sector of the company was strategically placed near one another in order to enhance communication and to create a better working environment, said Fred Tito, professional engineer and another one of the firm’s principals.

Civil engineering, facilities mechanical, structural engineering, architectural, process mechanical, electrical and chemical engineering each have their own designated office areas with project managers scattered throughout.

“It’s one single floor so we could put all of the people together to work next to each other,” Tito said. “We wanted to increase communication in the different disciplines in the same building.”

The new facility is complete with three conference rooms, open workspaces, a renovated kitchen, multiple offices, a presentation room and two unused offices that will be converted into larger conference areas, Tito said.

“But the best part is that we have a canopy in the back for parties,” he said. “When we first got moved in, we had a party for all of the employees and their families.”

At the grand opening ceremony, musician Johnny Rodriguez entertained while Grill Daddy’s served as the catering company.

The JDI Group was established in 2002 by Fry, Tito and fellow engineer Bob Buchwald. Over the company’s 10-year existence, it has served many top Fortune 500 companies including Ford, General Motors, General Mills, Omni Source and the Dana Corp.

The firm offers services in 3-D modeling, architecture, controls and industrial ventilation, as well as civil, structural, chemical, mechanical and electrical engineering.

Fry, Tito and Buchwald attribute the rapid growth of their company to dedicated service to the client, quality work and extensive diversification in an industry that has seen its share of struggles.

“We’re pretty well-diversified,” Tito said. “We’re not just automotive or refining; we have many different sectors to help keep business up. When one sector is down, another is up. When the automotive industry was down a few years ago, for example, our food sector was up.”

The company’s success played a major role in the JDI Group’s move to Maumee. Tim Wagener, mayor of Maumee, welcomed the firm to the city by ceremoniously cutting the ribbon. At a time when the industrial business has been in an uphill battle, he said it was an “honor” to bring a company like the JDI Group into the community.

“In this financial climate, we’ve been blessed in Maumee to have come out of it two years ago,” Wagener said. “We’re a very business-friendly community but we have high standards. … It’s our standard of quality that keeps people wanting to come here. And, having a business of this size and professionalism that I’ve witnessed today is an asset to this community now and I hope it is for many years to come.”

Tags: Bob Buchwald, Brian Bohnert, Fred Tito, JDI Group, Tim Fry

This entry was posted on Saturday, June 23rd, 2012 at 12:12 pm and is filed under Community, Design, Entrepreneurs, Toledo Business Link.
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