Photo by Deb Gau Border States branch manager Matt Ellefson talks about the new office and warehouse facility after the grand opening on Tuesday.

MARSHALL — They’re a business with a long history of ties to Marshall. This summer, Border States Electric started a new chapter in that relationship, opening a new 13,200 square-foot facility on London Road.

On Tuesday, community members, local officials and even some past employees got a look at the new Border States location during its grand opening.

“There’s been a lot of excitement,” said Matt Ellefson, Border States branch manager. The new location gives employees and delivery trucks more room to work, and provides a better experience for customers, he said.

In recent years, the electrical supply business had outgrown its old location on South Fourth Street. Border States looked at moving into existing buildings in Marshall before opting to build new, said Shawn Peterson, Midwest area director for Border States.

Border States worked with the city of Marshall and Lyon County on purchasing the land for a new office and warehouse.

“They’ve worked very well with us,” Peterson said.

Border States broke ground for the London Road facility in 2021, and they moved in this summer.

“It was important for us to stay in the Marshall city limits,” Ellefson said.

Border States wanted to support its customer base, and keep its existing relationship with the area community.

Border States has been operating in Marshall since 2007, when the company acquired Minnesota Electric Supply. Before that, Minnesota Electric Supply had an even longer history in the Marshall area.

Don Masters, Border States executive vice president/east region, said keeping the area connection with Marshall also also fit in with Border States’ company goals.

“One of our strategic objectives is to do good,” he said. “We want to make sure we provide good support to the communities in which we operate.”

Ellefson said the old Fourth Street location had a total of about 10,000 square feet of space. The new facilities on London Road include 10,200 square feet of warehouse space, 3,000 square feet of office space and a 10,000 square-foot secure storage yard.

One important part of the new facility is that it has a loading dock, so materials can be unloaded in a space that’s off the street, Ellefson said. There’s also 280,000 cubic feet of warehouse storage space, that is also accessible for forklifts.

“We’re able to be a lot more efficient,” Ellefson said.

In addition, the new facilities will offer a more safe environment for employees, and a better customer experience.

Being able to move from a residential area of Marshall into a more industrial area has also been positive, he said.

Border States’ Marshall location employs 14 people and covers a service area reaching roughly from Granite Falls to Worthington, and from Redwood Falls to Brookings, S.D., Ellefson said. The company provides electrical materials and products to customers in construction, utilities and industry.

Ellefson said the response to the new facilities has been positive.

“It’s overwhelming,” said retired employee Randy Demuth, as he visited the new location on Tuesday. “They did really well.”