By DOUG GRAVES          
Ohio Correspondent

VENEDOCIA, Ohio — Thirty-five years ago, Elgin Service Center began as a small rural construction company in the city of Venedocia in northwestern Ohio.
With emphasis on improving farms with on-farm grain storage and handling equipment, pole buildings were the backbone of this small company. Those pole buildings were adequate in meeting the demand for the change and increase in equipment size.

But by 1970 many Elgin customers became concerned with the quality and longevity of these buildings, primarily because of the wood content of the structures. In the mid-1970s Elgin Service Center contracted an engineering firm to begin work on that concern. The challenge was to engineer a building with the strength and durability of the commercial all-steel building, but keep the cost in line with the pole building industry.

The result of engineering efforts was the advent of the K-Building, a system that uses steel main framing for strength and wood purlins and girts to keep the costs in line with the competition. So successful is this K-Building that there are now five sales locations throughout Ohio and 24 K-Building dealers in eight states.

Not bad for a company which got its start as a two-man operation that poured bin foundations.

“The advantages that a K-Building has over a pole barn is strength, headroom and concrete foundations,” said Doug Hemm, director of Marketing and Dealer Development at Elgin. “The strength of steel permits a very efficient K-Building design. Additional headroom is created for storage or design flexibility by the vaulted ceiling. Three concrete foundation options remove the concern for rotting posts at grade.”

The K-Building is the brainchild of Dan Klausing, owner and president of Elgin. (The owner of “K” Buildings’ last name begins with a “K,” and during the late 1970s and early 1980s, Dodge made a model called the K-Car – the combination of the two is where the name originated.)

Klausing poured bin foundations in his early years at Elgin, but assumed ownership in 1972, turning the company into a corporation by 1974. By the late 1970s the K-Building evolved and has become the pulse of Elgin the past 20 years.

“Although there were and are many brands of buildings on the market, nearly all were post-frame buildings with a limited longevity,” Hemm said. “The manufacturers of all-steel buildings weren’t manufacturing with the agricultural market in mind.

“We believed that we could provide a better building at a competitive cost. Ours is a hybrid or combination that combines the strength of steel with the economy of wood.”

The erection process starts with the mainframe placement of the first set of “legs” and rafters, followed by cross-bracing and the installation of a limited number or girts and purlins. The placement of the girts and purlins assure the mainframe is plumb and square. This step is repeated until the “red iron” installation is complete.

The remaining purlins and girts are then put in place and the insulation, walk doors and windows, as well as the sliding doors and steel coverings. are installed. K-Buildings offers clear span widths from 24 to 80 feet and sidewall heights from eight to 20 feet. The typical build time for a K-Building ranges from two to three weeks for the largest buildings.

“Housing other farm and non-farm equipment is one of the core areas that our K-Building is used for,” Hemm said. “People buy these buildings to enhance their primary structure. It’s a big market for us right now; 2010 was the second biggest year in the history of the K-Building in terms of total square footage of facilities.”

While Elgin will erect the K-Building, some prefer to buy the kit and assemble independently. The K-Building, Hemm said, can even be used as a residence, providing it meets local zoning authority requirements in that area.
“We provide an erection manual and have telephone support for assistance,” he said.

Elgin Service Center still works in installing grain bins, but the K-Building reigns supreme at this Ohio company.

Elgin is located at 18018 State Route 81 in Venedocia, OH 45894, or call 800-758-0307. Sales centers can be found in the Ohio cities of Kenton, Gilboa, Pioneer and Sabina, as well.

Elgin representatives will be at this year’s Power Show Ohio in Columbus on Jan 28-30 to answer questions.