Colorado appreciates that Coleman Co. is making Golden its “global headquarters”

June 11, 201210:39 a.m.

WICHITA — Last fall, when Have You Heard? broke the news that Coleman Co. was moving its leadership team back to Colorado,  president and CEO Robert Marcovitch didn’t characterize it as moving the company’s headquarters.

“Well, I think Coleman’s headquarters is in the United States of America if you ask me. I think on the global scale.”

That’s not how they’re taking it in Colorado.

Over the weekend, the Denver Post reported: “The Coleman Co., known for its array of camping products, will mark the opening of its global headquarters in Golden on Monday, about 15 years after it left the city for Wichita.”

Marcovitch initially wouldn’t say where in the Denver metropolitan area the company would locate, but speculation was it would be returning to its former headquarters in Golden.

The Post reports that’s the case.

“The company is moving back into the same $4.5 million custom-built, log-cabin-style headquarters it built in 1996.”

The paper says Coleman is announcing changes to its headquarters today.

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Siemens signs lease for 74,000-square-foot Wichita warehouse near 37th and Hydraulic

Nov. 2, 20114:53 p.m.

WICHITA — Siemens, a diversified international company with a focus on energy, is planning to announce Thursday that it has signed a lease for 74,000 square feet of warehouse space at 1090 E. 37th St. North.

“They have been a fabulous company to do business with,” says NAI John T. Arnold Associates president and supervising broker Marlin Penner, who handled the deal with NAI’s Tymber Lee.

“We’re just thrilled to death to see them have a presence in Wichita,” Penner says. “We hope this is a harbinger of more to come.”

Siemens is opening a wind power distribution center, which will provide storage, procurement, kitting, refurbishment and distribution of tooling that’s needed to install wind turbines nationally.

It also will store, repair and distribute new unit transport framing and hardware that’s used to move nacelles, towers and blades around the region.

“With more and more wind projects coming on line in the U.S., we see this new facility in Wichita as a testament to our continued commitment to providing the highest level of service to our customers and to the overall maturation of the U.S. wind industry,” Mark Albenze, CEO of Siemens Energy’s Wind Power Americas business, said in a statement.

“Much like Siemens’ recently announced new wind service facility in Woodward, Oklahoma, the geographic location of the new Wichita distribution center will allow us to address our customers’ installation and distribution needs in a cost-effective and timely manner.”

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Coleman Co. eliminates positions; how many is unclear

Oct. 19, 20115:07 a.m.

UPDATED — The Coleman Co. is doing more than moving 25 top executives to the Denver area.

When the company last week announced that it’s moving its headquarters — though that’s not how it puts it — it only mentioned that the top executives would be affected.

Employees report, though, that some workers are losing their jobs.

Spokesman Paul Baltzer confirms that.

“There have been a minimal number of positions that have been consolidated or become redundant, so we made the difficult but necessary decision to eliminate those positions,” Baltzer says.

He won’t discuss the number of people who have been or will be affected. Nor will he characterize what he considers a “minimal number.”

“What we are saying is the vast majority of the 800 positions will remain in Wichita.”

Mayor Carl Brewer spoke with Coleman CEO Robert Marcovitch last week. He says Marcovitch didn’t mention anything about employees losing jobs.

“Well, I’m surprised, and I’m going to just start doing some checking,” Brewer says.

He says he’d like to “see if we can get them to define to us . . . what those minimal numbers — or whatever terms they want to use — what type of jobs those are or how many it’s affecting.”

Brewer says city officials are remaining in contact with Coleman over the issue of jobs.

“We’re still working on this, and we have been ever since the announcement.”

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Coleman CEO: ‘Coleman’s headquarters is in the United States of America’

Oct. 13, 20113:39 p.m.

WICHITA — Robert Marcovitch, the new president and CEO of the Coleman Co., doesn’t characterize the relocation of 25 key executives from Wichita to the Denver area as moving the company’s headquarters.

“Well, I think Coleman’s headquarters is in the United States of America if you ask me. I think on the global scale.”

That’s not how Wichitans are taking the news, though.

At a 3 p.m. news conference, city leaders expressed surprise and dismay at the move.

“I’m not happy,” Mayor Carl Brewer said. “I’m not happy any time we lose jobs in Wichita.”

Coleman notified the city this morning around the same time it told employees of the news.

“I had a nice conversation with the mayor,” Marcovitch said. “Of course, I think it’s very appropriate that he be made aware of it.”

In the brief conversation, Marcovitch said, “I didn’t talk about headquarters, and I know some people have characterized it that way.”

He said, “We’re moving a number of offices and decentralizing some of our offices to Colorado.”

That includes sales, marketing and creative services such as graphic design work. It also includes financial support.

However, accounting, technology and human resources will remain in Wichita.

The majority of Coleman’s 800 Wichita workers won’t be affected.

Coleman has more than 1,000 workers in Kansas out of about 3,000 worldwide.

Coleman, which was founded in Wichita in 1901, has manufacturing, distribution, marketing and sales operations in 20 countries.

In an initial release to The Eagle today, Coleman said the company also is investing in its Wichita and New Braunfels, Texas, facilities with a multimillion dollar capital initiative.

That won’t be in the form of additions or expansions, though.

“Really, it’s along the lines of product development,” Marcovitch said.

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Coleman Co. to establish leadership center in Denver area and make multimillion dollar investment in Wichita and Texas facilities

Oct. 13, 201110:33 a.m.

WICHITA — In a meeting this morning, Coleman Co. officials informed employees that the company is establishing a leadership center in the Denver metropolitan area.

The new center will house some sales, marketing and product teams that, according to a release, “will have the opportunity to relocate from Wichita.”

It’s not clear if Coleman considers its new leadership center to be the company’s new headquarters.

The majority of Coleman’s 800 Wichita workers won’t be affected.

The company also is investing in its Wichita and New Braunfels, Texas, facilities with a multimillion dollar capital initiative.

“These investment initiatives, including the establishment of a Leadership Center in the Denver area, best position the company for the future and provide a desirable platform to serve our global customer base in the most efficient manner,” said Robert Marcovitch, Coleman’s new president and CEO, in the release.

“The Denver metropolitan area is an important hub for the outdoor industry and will provide us with several key advantages as a global business competing on the world stage,” he said.

“We are, however, absolutely committed to continuing our investment in our Kansas based enterprises.”

The moves will happen over the next 18 months or so.

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“American Chopper” to unveil RoadTrip Grill

Dec. 2, 20097:13 p.m.

WICHITA — Paul Teutul Jr.’s customized Coleman RoadTrip Grill will make its fourth and final appearance on Thursday’s episode of “American Chopper” on TLC at 8 p.m.

“The story to some extent has already played out in Wichita,” says Jeff Willard, Coleman’s senior vice president of global marketing and new product development.

He’s referring to Teutul’s July visit here where he unveiled the grill.

Now, Willard says, “They’re going to reveal the grill to the rest of the world.”

Then Teutul is going on a nationwide tour to promote it.

The entire experience with Teutul has boosted Coleman’s grill business, Willard says, and is something the company would like to do again.

“This is something that is fairly unique for us in recent times,” he says of partnering with a celebrity.

Many years back, Coleman partnered with the Little Rascals, among others.

And Willard says the partnerships have not been limited to human celebrities.

“I’m told we did something with Rin Tin Tin a long time ago.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , Filed under Manufacturing, Television | Comments

“American Chopper” to air another Coleman episode

Nov. 11, 20095:58 p.m.

WICHITA — If you’re a fan of “American Chopper” or the Coleman Co., you may want to check out Friday’s episode on TLC.

A Coleman representative says this is the first episode of the new season to feature star Paul Teutul Jr.’s customized Coleman RoadTrip Grill.

Teutul visited Coleman in July and showed off the grill.

He incorporated some motorcycle elements, such as what he called a “nifty speedometer thermometer” as well as the logo for his new Paul Jr. Designs company.

And there are some Coleman features, too, like the company’s famous lantern.

The show airs at 8 p.m.

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