This past Sunday marked the two year anniversary of a storm that caused significant damage to Vermeer Corporation, and now, leadership at the company continues to recognize the transformation of the Vermeer mile and growth of the company since then. Vermeer CEO Jason Andringa says construction is nearing completion on a new 500,000 square foot facility replacing the area where Plants 5 and 6 previously stood — which were officially retired last year, and the new Plant 7 will open in full operation by early 2021. Andringa says the company remains rooted in Pella, and is happy with the progress made over the past two years.

“Pella is definitely our headquarters–there’s no doubt about it,” he says. “The vast majority of our team members are based here in Pella. The response from the community was overwhelming, with the response of our other local companies–Pella Corp, Pella Regional, first responders, and really everyone in the local community and surrounding communities…it was absolutely, overwhelmingly humbling and appreciated.”

“I said it the first night (after the storm), once I knew our people were safe, I knew we would rebuild better and stronger than ever before, right here in Pella. I was 100 percent sure of that–not 99 percent sure. Our headquarters has been here for over 70 years and the generations of incredible team members that have worked at this company from this location is incredible, and we wouldn’t want to be located anywhere other than right where we are at. ”

Last year, a special statue was placed in front of the new Plant 7 along Vermeer Road. The design signifies the “retirement” of Plants 5 and 6, as well as damage done to other parts of campus. A beam representing Vermeer Strong is in the center, representing what the future holds, and a quote on the memorial reads “We are certainly going to rebuild. We are going to come back stronger than ever,” which was said by Andringa at a press conference in response to a question asked by KNIA/KRLS Radio just hours after the storm hit the Vermeer Mile.