Headquarters for Wirsol Solar
Headquarters for Wirsol Solar to be built in Fort Collins
BY DAVID YOUNG • DavidYoung@coloradoan.com • April 8, 2010news article
A year after entering the U.S. market, Wirsol Solar Colorado Inc. announced Wednesday it will expand its American operations by building its own headquarters in Fort Collins.
Mark Forsyth, executive director of Rocky Mountain Innovation Initiative, or RMI2, first made the announcement Wednesday at the groundbreaking for the new RMI2 building at 320 E. Vine Drive.
Pointing toward a large pile of dirt west of RMI2's future site, Forsyth said they had reached a deal this week with Wirsol on a 22,000-square-foot plot of land, which will eventually house up to 100 Wirsol employees.
Following the official RMI2 groundbreaking ceremony, G.J. Pierman, president of Wirsol Solar Colorado, spoke at RMI2's Innovation After Hours event at the Armory Event Hall, 314 E. Mountain Ave., about the planned building.
Wirsol, 200 W. Mountain Ave., helps install residential and utility grade solar panels. It first started looking at existing office space available in the city before deciding to build on the property adjacent to RMI2's new building, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Pierman said the company plans to begin construction in 12 to 18 months and expects to have the building completed 11 to 12 months after starting building. While their building is under way, Wirsol will move into the new RMI2 facility.
Wirsol's parent company, Wirsol Solar AG, based in Germany, is currently in the process of building a new headquarters, and Pierman said the idea is to make the Fort Collins office a smaller replica of the Germany facility.
With a new employee coming on board Friday, Wirsol has grown to seven employees and could house up to 100 employees in the new building. Pierman said they might lease out a portion of the building once it's completed until Wirsol can fill the entire facility.
It is no accident that Wirsol decided to build adjacent to RMI2; Pierman said they have been supportive of Wirsol's growth.
"The company is developing as anticipated. There is, however, still work to be done with regard to implementation of broad-based legislative support for renewables to help push the renewable energy industry forward at a faster pace," Pierman said. "Renewable energy can play an important role with regards to creation of jobs."
Forsyth said it was a synergistic opportunity. The two facilities will share an outdoor plaza and parking lot.
RMI2, which has grown to 24 companies, is designed for just this purpose, he said.
"It is a perfect fit for RMI2 and Wirsol. To have our own client company break out and have space available," Forsyth said, who described RMI2 as a launching pad for such companies.
Pierman said last year, he looked at several different locations in which to launch Wirsol into the U.S. market, including California and Texas, but decided that Fort Collins had the most to offer his company.
"It was a package decision. We looked overall at the opportunity here, and the presence of RMI2 was one of the deciding considerations," he said at the time.