Stens announces new home, will remain in Jasper
Terry Seitz, left, mayor of Jasper, Ind., and Peter Ariens, right, president of Stens Corporation Stens Corporation, a global supplier of replacement parts for the power equipment industry, announced Aug. 2 that it has reached an agreement to occupy a new facility in Jasper, Ind.
This announcement comes in the wake of a prior deal to purchase and renovate a facility on Jasper’s south side late in 2011 falling through. The new location is a 157,000-square-foot building at 1919 Hospitality Drive, on Jasper’s south side.
Stens, a division of Ariens Company, plans to invest a significant amount in renovations to position the building to become the company’s headquarters and global distribution center. Operations are expected to be running out of the new location by January 2013.
“We are committed to the community of Jasper,” said Peter Ariens, president of Stens Corporation. “It was just a matter of finding the facility that would allow us to maximize our investments, make our employees happy, and ultimately help us continue to grow.”
Stens has plans to re-engage in the tax abatement approval process from the city and state with its new proposal. “Our future still includes expansion into and renovation of a currently vacant facility and the creation of many new jobs,” said Ariens. “The key difference is that our actual physical location has changed.”
“We are delighted to have the Ariens family and Stens continue to call Jasper their home,” said Jasper Mayor Terry Seitz. “Repurposing an existing building for the growth of an existing business is representative of local economic development at its finest.”
“Stens is a business that was started locally by an entrepreneurial family in one room over 40 years ago and has grown into a global business,” added Jim Dinkle, president and CEO of Dubois County Strong. “The most rewarding economic development project is one in which a homegrown, existing business expands. Dubois Strong and our board of directors and investors are proud that Stens’ roots will only grow deeper in Dubois County as a result of this major expansion.”
Stens is an international supplier of replacement parts for the outdoor power equipment, landscape, rental, golf and construction industries. The company is currently exporting goods to more than 50 countries around the world. Stens sells to more than 75,000 customers worldwide and is part of the Outdoor Power Equipment Aftermarket Association, the American Rental Association, Golf Course Superintendents Association, National Association of Wholesalers, and many more local and regional associations. Through its businesses, Bynorm in Australia, Søvde in Scandinavia and Countax Distribution in the United Kingdom, Stens continues to build a global replacement parts brand.
