ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, December 6, 1995 TAG: 9512060053
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: GREG EDWARDS STAFF WRITER
Des Champs Laboratories Inc. of Natural Bridge Station has announced plans for a 70,000-square-foot expansion of the company's plant in the Rockbridge County Industrial Park.
The expansion next year should help Des Champs increase its employment from 165 to almost 250 by 1999, said Howard McGrath, vice president of operations.
Des Champs designs and manufactures equipment for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems. It specializes in heat exchangers that capture the heat from stale air being piped outside a building and use it to warm fresh air being pumped inside.
The 20-year-old company moved to Rockbridge County from New Jersey in 1990. It was founded and is owned by Nicholas Des Champs, a Richmond native who holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech.
Only three months ago, the company completed a 30,000-square-foot building across from its current 92,000-square-foot plant. The new building was intended as a research and test facility; but because of the company's rapid growth, it is being used for manufacturing, McGrath said.
The company's sales were about $10 million in 1994 and are expected to rise to $15 million this year. Sales of its industrial products and of a relatively new product, called the Wringer, account for much of the growth, McGrath said. The new device removes moisture from a building's air without decreasing its temperature.
The just-announced addition will be used for making the company's larger products. It will be taller than the existing plant and equipped with cranes, McGrath said. It has not been decided whether it will be attached to the current building or free-standing, he said.
Once the new building is complete, the company will be able to turn the research building to its intended use, he said.
Des Champs also has said it will contribute $2,500 toward a scholarship program of the Lexington-Rockbridge County Chamber of Commerce. ``We want local young people to know that they can obtain high-quality employment right here in the community, but they have got to do their part by getting an education,'' McGrath said.
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