A look inside the Click Bond facility at 2205 Arrowhead Drive in Carson City. The company is this year's Hall of Fame inductee for the 2019 NCET Tech Awards.
For an aerospace industry such as Click Bond, engineering and design teams deserve a substantial amount of room to manufacture hardware products used in commercial jets, ships and on the Mars Rover.
What’s even better is it’s assembled in Carson City. As a way to celebrate 30 years, Click Bond opened its newly renovated space Wednesday at 2151 Lockheed Way, thanks to Carson-based Shaheen Beauchamp Builders LLC.
The space housed the original Click Bond operation and its five employees back in 1987 said Karl Hutter, president and chief executive officer.
“It represents an incredible history that has revolutionized how aircraft, ships, and other transportation vehicles are assembled around the world,” he said. “I am grateful for this outstanding partnership that has produced a cutting-edge design and elegant workmanship fitting for the next chapter of our company’s story.”
Prior to renovations, the building once served as a machine shop. Dave Nair, superintendent of Shaheen Beauchamp, said the renovated space is a prototype lab for new products as it features ground source heating and cooling systems.
Nair said there are 75 wells spread throughout the campus, all 300 feet underground.
“It’s the first building in Carson City to have a non-geothermal, ground source system,” Nair said. “We’re using green technology and it’s a safe building since gas isn’t used.”
In addition, high ceiling windows illuminate office space and conference rooms, as the building is designed to replicate an air traffic control tower. Aircraft also can land on the tarmac outside of the property.
Under budget and ahead of schedule, the renovations took a year to complete said Jeremy Kunter, project manager of Shaheen Beauchamp. The company established a connection with Click Bond over the last four years.
“One of our biggest challenges was building around their 24-hour operations,” he said. “They couldn’t shut down. But it’s neat to work with a company like this and learn about how they manufacture their products.”
Click Bond also has headquarters in Watertown, Conn., with 330 employees total in both locations, working two shifts. With that, the company is in the process of introducing another shop on Fairview Drive.
To expand in Carson City is crucial to the company’s future, Hutter said.
“As much as we want to invest in a football stadium, we need schools and students to get involved with this industry first,” Hutter said.
Hutter said Click Bond also is a place of opportunity for a younger generation, as they can help cargos transport ecologically, support the military, and produce missions to expand human knowledge.
“We need to get others more excited about airports and space,” he said. “It’s not just about the renovation and infrastructure; it’s about master planning and planning for the future.”
Click Bond’s Director of Engineering Ralph Strahan said the company will not only support education, but benefit Carson City as a whole.
“We’re pushing the tech industry even further,” he said. “Although we mostly focus on aerospace, we contribute to environmental concerns, and solar and wind energy. We involve all industries – both in this world and out of this world.”
