Belle Aire creations quadruples manufacturing footprint with Round Lake Park facility
A Mundelein-based fragrance company has expanded its manufacturing capability in a new facility in Round Lake Park.
Belle Aire Creations, a self-described "creative fragrance house," marked the opening Friday of a 33,000-square-foot facility in an industrial park at 30 Porter Drive.
The company, founded in 1982, makes fragrance, flavor, odor control and other "technology solutions" and is a core ingredient supplier to brands used in homes every day, according to Jason Dhaliwal, chief operations officer.
"We moved to Round Lake Park as a desire to find the right community for us, a location that is convenient for our workforce and an expansion of our overall business," he added.
This is the first in a series of planned expansions, according to Dhaliwal, that includes relocating its corporate headquarters to Libertyville in April. An international expansion is planned for next summer, he added.
The relocation and expansion of operations and manufacturing activities in Round Lake Park follows a five-month renovation of an existing building.
The facility quadruples the company's manufacturing footprint and includes space for more inventory, larger mixing tanks, additional fork truck fleets and new pumps to increase capacity.
Sustainability of the new facility was also cited as all new LED lighting will significantly reduce energy use. The company also has recycled nearly 105 tons of steel, cardboard, plastic and wood so far this year, according to Lake County Partners, the county's economic development organization.
An adjacent 7,000 square foot office space will house employees from finance, human resources, customer service, purchasing, quality control and logistics departments.
Fifteen new jobs have been created with more expected, according to company officials.
"We appreciate the many new jobs that will create rewarding career pathways for local residents," said Round Lake Park Mayor Linda Lucassen.
Kevin Considine, Lake County Partners' president and CEO, said these types of projects have a big economic impact.
"We are seeing incredible advancements in manufacturing and our strong talent pipeline is ready to meet current and future business needs," he said in a release announcing the expansion.
The company plans to move its global headquarters to 870 Technology Way in Libertyville business park.
The "Creative Center of Excellence" is described as the first development of its kind in the industry.
"Our relocation to this cutting-edge facility will stimulate research for impactful fragrances and thoughtful flavors," CEO Stacey David said in the release.
"We're excited to have them. It's a unique business in general and it will add a creative innovator to that corridor," said Heather Rowe, Libertyville's economic development manager.