Booths and couches in the break room at Ralco’s new downtown offices were an inviting place for visitors to sit during an open house Thursday evening.

MARSHALL — It’s a project that’s been in the works for the past year and a half. This week Ralco announced it has officially moved into new headquarters on Main Street.

“This is an incredibly exciting moment for our company,” Ralco C.E.O. and owner Brian Knochenmus said. “Our new space is designed for innovation and solving customer problems in ways that weren’t possible before. In addition, I think this move will bring new life to Marshall with more than 50 people coming downtown every day. That’s a lot of energy and buzz for the community.”

On Thursday evening, Ralco welcomed Marshall community members to tour the new headquarters, as part of the Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce’s “Business After Hours” event. Around 80 to 100 people visited to see the office, socialize and enjoy refreshments.

Visitors seemed to be impressed by the new offices. More importantly, they were happy to see Ralco move in.

“People are excited to have it downtown,” said Marshall Chamber of Commerce President Brad Gruhot.

“It’s a great place to work, I would think,” said Lee Raske, after he and Norma Raske took a look around the new space.

Ralco’s new offices take up 17,000 square feet of space on the second story level of the New Atlantic Hotel and Landmark Mercantile buildings, located at Main Street and East College Drive. Knochenmus estimated about 55 people are working at the new offices currently. He said there is room for more.

Ralco’s headquarters include space for sales and marketing departments, as well as financial, human resources and administrative departments.

The office’s neighbors in the building include The Upper Room, a new event center on the top floor, and Atlantic Place restaurant, which is getting close to opening on the main level.

The new Ralco offices have nods to both Marshall and the company’s histories. One wall of the employee break room has exposed brick from the New Atlantic Hotel building. Other touches, like exposed beams painted barn red, are reminders of Ralco’s ties to agriculture, Knochenmus said Thursday.

“We’re really happy with the design,” he said. “We tried to incorporate the old with the new.”

Knochenmus said Ralco wanted the design of its new headquarters to help foster teamwork and collaboration. In addition to individual offices and cubicles, it features some creative meeting spaces.

In one conference room, the walls are giant whiteboards. Around the offices, there are also plenty of quiet nooks with seating, or restaurant-style booths where employees can work or take a break.

“It’s surprising how many meetings happen in these booths,” Knochenmus said.

An atrium and large windows also bring in lots of natural light to the whole office.

In Ralco’s announcement of the new offices, Knochenmus said the company was committed to the Marshall area. In recent years, Ralco has built a new Innovation Center and distribution center in Marshall.

“We’re here to stay in our hometown for many years to come,” Knochenmus said.

“This new space has tremendous potential for growth allowing us to further our mission of helping producers overcome tomorrow’s challenges and create a safer food supply for the world.”