A Madison-based architectural stone cutter and supplier is planning a move to its soon-to-be-built production and corporate headquarters in Sun Prairie — a project worth $17.9 million that is expected create more than 34 jobs in the region over the next three years, the company said Wednesday.
Founded in 1998, Quarra Stone Company provides custom-cut stone for architects, artists and masons for use in building projects all over the nation. The business is the only North American distributor of a grey quartzite found in Switzerland, as well as a type of limestone found in Spain.
Some recent local project involvements of the company’s include the finished UW-Madison chemistry building, as well as restorations to the Wisconsin State Capitol in Downtown, said Quarra founder James Durham. In other parts of the U.S., Quarra plans to help with the construction of the Barack Obama Presidential Center, which is a library that broke ground last September and is to be located on the south side of Chicago in Jackson Park.
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The growing demand for Quarra’s products and services is the main motivation behind the new headquarters, Durham said, adding that the intention is to fully move from Madison to the Sun Prairie Business Park, located on the northern section of Highway 151. Once completed, the 65,500-square-foot, one-story facility would allow Quarra’s production and management staff to operate under one roof, and have improved production capabilities.
“Our new facility is designed by Snohetta architects, a Norwegian firm with offices in the U.S.,” he said, adding that Sun Prairie is an accommodating area for development. “To have them as our architect is unheard of and it’s probably the most highly designed building in the state of Wisconsin. It will enable us to make much bigger, heavier stones, which is what our market is now asking for.”
The new Quarra headquarters, according to design plans, is expected to feature an external stone façade with varying gray tones. Internally, the facility would have space for both the robotic and hand carving of stones, as well as offices.
The build is part of a 25-acre campus, Durham said, adding that as many as five building additions are planned for the next few years. Crews are to break ground on the headquarters project in the next two months, Durham said, adding that construction will take around 14 months to complete.
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. is supporting Quarra’s project by authorizing up to $350,000 in state income tax credits over the next three years, the organization said. But the actual tax credit amount Quarra receives is contingent upon the number of jobs created and the amount of capital investment during that period, WEDC said.
An economic modeling study showed that the project could indirectly create 25 additional jobs in the Dane County region, WEDC said. The 59 jobs are expected to generate $128,104 in state income tax revenue over a five-year period.
The added jobs are set to include a mix of robotic programming, computer operating, sculpting positions, as well as some administrative roles, Durham said.
Also funding the project is $975,000 in tax subsidies from the city of Sun Prairie, said community development director Scott Kugler.
The tax subsidies — known as tax increment financing, or TIF — are a tool many municipal governments use to attract business development. Through the use of TIF, governments can divert future property tax revenue from a defined area toward a project like Quarra’s, Kugler explained.
The rest of the money will come from bank loans and equity generated by Quarra Stone Company, Durham said.
Of the impact Quarra’s eventual move to Sun Prairie will have on the city, Kugler said the company not only brings economic development opportunities, but also some uniqueness in terms of its line of work, which has in the past impressed local government officials.