Cavist relocation allows for expanded opportunities

Reimer Hansen, president of Cavist Machines and Cavist Manufacturing, says the company’s move into a 30,000-square-foot manufacturing facility does much more for Cavist than merely house the two sister companies under one roof.

Cavist, which purchased the building at 9290 Prototype Drive in late December, previously had operations spread among seven 2,200-square foot units in the Longley Business Park. The move allows Cavist to nearly triple the size of its business, and there’s a vacant lot adjacent to the property that could eventually be tapped for future growth as well, Hansen says.

Not having to drive a forklift through the snow between the company’s business units is one benefit from the move, Hansen says, but the main benefit is how the company now is perceived amongst its clients.

“The softer value, which ultimately appears to be the biggest value, is how we look. We don’t look like a mom-and-pop shop anymore,” says Hansen, who founded Cavist 15 years ago with fellow Denmark native Kurt Carlson. “People perceive us differently, and that gives them move confidence in our staying power as a company and our general abilities. We will get more business just as a result of looking better.”

Cavist has two main business lines:

• Cavist Machines manufactures the company’s proprietary low-pressure injection molding machines, sold as “Mold Man” units.

• Cavist Manufacturing uses the company’s machines to protect and waterproof electronic devices that are used in automotive, medical, consumer electronics and military applications. Two examples include the soft rubber grip around that USB flash drive sitting in your top desk drawer, or the waterproof rubber housings covering electrical connectors used in the marine industry.

The company, which employs 25 full-time workers and a few temp workers, has a global customer base, Hansen says.

Shaheen Beauchamp Builders of Carson City helped transform the new space into an ISO-certified manufacturing facility. Cavist Manufacturing requires a clean, static-free and air-conditioned space for working with sensitive electronic equipment, while Cavist Machines required a more conventional factory setup.

The company moved its operations the few miles to Prototype Drive in three seamless stages, Hansen says. The offices were moved first, followed by Cavist Machines and lastly Cavist Manufacturing.

“We staggered them a few days apart, and within 10 days we were completely into the new place,” Hansen says.

Building ownership had long been a dream of Carlson and Hansen. The combination of a soft real estate market and increased revenues from both business units made the timing right. Business continues to improve for the company, which is hiring engineers and shop technicians.

“Right now things are looking really good,” Hansen says.

Ron Boles of Dickson Realty’s Reno commercial team helped Cavist find its location, while Nevada State Development Corporation assisted Cavist with funding through U.S. Bank.