Tailwind Nutrition, a local company that makes an energy drink mix aimed at ultra endurance athletes, is planning to move to Bayfield.
Last week the town planning commission approved the company's use by review to lease 3,630 square feet in part of the old Steamworks building, which totals more than 10,000 square feet. This is the front part previously used as a restaurant and bar. The back part of the building is used on Saturdays by a church.
The property is zoned business, which allows light industrial as a use by review.
Tailwind Nutrition was founded by county resident Jeff Vierling and his wife, Jenny. He told planning commissioners that they started the company in 2012, making the dry mix in their kitchen.
He said he got the idea after he started riding in the Leadville 100 bike race and was frustrated with the nutrition offerings.
On the company web site, www.tailwindnutrition.com, he says other products made his gut seize up several hours into an endurance race. He calls Tailwind "a nano-sized family business, coming at nutrition from a endurance athlete's perspective."
Vierling told planning commissioners, "I started making my own in the kitchen. I gave it to friends, and they wanted more." He joked, "I was handing out packets of white powder in parking lots."
They sell the drink mix over the internet and in sports shops, with positive response from users, Vierling said.
"We continued to grow through 2013, mainly on the internet," he said. "We partnered with a small company in Dolores to use some of their space. By November (2013), we took over the whole space, 1,500 square feet."
He continued, "We're now exporting to Australia and New Zealand (also Sweden and South Africa according to his project narrative). We've outgrown that space. We need a facility suitable for food manufacturing. In our research, we came on the Steamworks building."
He said they are investing in equipment to automate what has been a more manual process, so they can increase production.
They expect to hire three people, Vierling said. The full-time positions will be production manager, product specialist, and shipping manager. In his narrative, Vierling said another one or two positions might be added in 2015.
"A lot of companies do contract manufacturing," he said. "We decided we didn't want to do that because we want more control," and they want to create some local jobs.
They plan to have manufacturing, order processing, and shipping in the same facility. "It will be daytime business hours, one shift. We get ingredient shipments once or twice a month," he said. There won't be any retail sales.
In his narrative, Vierling says they will operate Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and some Saturdays as needed, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. for product shipping, with no production work.
He predicted very minimal impact on the town water and sewer systems, since the product is a dry powder. They will operate an electric-powered forklift inside the building. In terms of dust, Vierling said, "The whole production process is sealed for cleanliness and worker safety."
"We'll start construction next week if we can get the building permit," he said. As of Nov. 17, that hadn't happened.
"We have to remove the concrete bar. There's quite a bit of work to be done," Vierling said. That will include removing non-structural interior walls for a more open production and shipping space, and installing the automated production equipment.
Ron Dunavant, president of the Durango First National Bank Bayfield branch across the street, told planning commissioners, "I think he'll make a great neighbor. There's very little impact that's different from what's already happening, such as deliveries. We're very much in favor of him occupying that building."
Planning commissioners approved the use unanimously. As a use by review, it does not need town board review or approval.
