New Zealand firm brings wool insulation biz to area

A small New Zealand manufacturer of wool-based insulation materials is setting up shop in Reno-Sparks.

Havelock Wool LLC is preparing its new plant with operations to start in March with a handful of employees and plans to expand to 15 to 20 staffers within three years, President Stephen Fookes said Thursday as his company was announced to a luncheon hosted by the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada.

“As we develop products and increase technology, we’ll probably be looking at a wider field (of employees),” Fookes said.

He said Reno’s location is “outstanding” for Havelock Wool’s primary market of the western U.S., and the region’s dry climate is ideal for processing insulation for packaging as well as in homes and commercial buildings, all using wool from New Zealand as well as the U.S.

He said Havelock Wool — named for his hometown, a tiny community in the South Pacific nation — has been operating as a small “cottage” business in New Zealand for the past four years.

He said he didn’t initially pick the Reno area as a possible headquarters for the company, but said Havelock Wool’s other two shareholders, both from California, convinced him otherwise.

“That decision is the best we ever made,” Fookes told the business luncheon. “I must say, my last three months here, I have been astounded at the way the service industry finds solutions. It’s been a wonderful experience. I’ve become a real fan of this environment.”

He said he believes Reno fits their needs for growth, starting with the 58,000-square-foot operation they’re setting up on Stanford Way in Sparks.

“It’s small enough to be able to build relationships with our service providers,” Fookes said of the Reno-Sparks business community. “It has real advantages for us.”

And he’s letting the New Zealand business community know, too.

“We’ve started to excite other people from New Zealand. They’re looking at possible joint ventures with us here,” he said. “We look forward to having a very long association with Reno. We’re going to be here for a long time.”

In introducing Havelock Wool, EDAWN President/CEO Mike Kazmierski applauded its owners for choosing Reno-Sparks over at least seven other locations in the West.

“Their decision speaks to our many strategic advantages not only for manufacturing but for distribution in the West,” Kazmierski said.

He cited Havelock Wool as another in a growing list of businesses that have targeted the greater Reno-Sparks area over the past year, helping shrink the region’s jobless rate from double digits three years ago to 8.2 percent as of November.

“We’re nudging it in the right direction,” Kazmierski said of the jobless rate. “We’re chipping away at unemployment. But we’ve got to get down below 5 percent to get anywhere near normal from a jobs perspective.”

NEW COMPANY IN TOWN

Who:

Havelock Wool LLC

Where:

Stanford Way, Sparks

Product:

Wool-based insulation

Start:

March 2014

Operation:

58,000 square feet

Employees:

5-6 to start; 15-20 within 3 years

On the Web:

http://havelockwool.com/

ON RGJ.COM/VIDEO

Click on “Our Video Picks” to see Havelock Wool President Stephen Fookes talking about the number of jobs his company will bring to the Reno area.