This story is part of the QCBJ’s annual Newsmakers edition. This year-end wrap-up by the Quad Cities Regional Business Journal’s staff includes some of the biggest stories we brought you during 2024. Each story also includes an update on the subject. Excerpts from the original stories as well as the new updates appeared in print in our Monday, Dec. 23 edition.
The initial story was published in March of 2024.
At an April 12 ceremonial groundbreaking for his company’s ongoing and ambitious $22.5 million expansion, President and CEO Jim Nelson called it “an exciting day for Parr Instrument Company and for the City of Moline as well.”
City and development leaders also joined in celebrating the launch of an important project for this bedrock Moline manufacturer and the city’s east end neighborhood. Since then excitement has only grown thanks to the rapid rise of the new 53,500-square-foot building that will double Parr’s footprint.
Mr. Nelson told the QCBJ for this update that the company he leads is “happy with the progress of the expansion and most likely will be able to transition manufacturing to the new building in February, a couple of months earlier than anticipated.”
That’s important because the new addition is the first of several phases required to complete this update of the company’s current 211 53rd St. location. (The entire project is being built by Davenport-based Russell and designed by Legat Architects, Inc., Moline.)
“Once we can transition manufacturing to the new building, we can construct the two connectors across the old alley to join both buildings into one campus,” Mr. Nelson said. “Then the most disruptive part of the project begins when we remodel our existing space into new administrative and training facilities.”
That will not be an easy task. “We will have to cram into the north side of our building that will not be remodeled during construction. In the future, it will be used for our sheet metal operation that is currently housed in a building on 43rd Street,” Mr. Nelson said.
“So, you can see we have a game of Tetris to play in 2025,” he added. “If all goes well, we will wrap this whole project up in Q4 next year.”
