The following article has been reposted from The News Review. Original located at: http://www.nrtoday.com/article/20100602/NEWS/100609911&parentprofile=search

    A Roseburg-based company has announced plans to expand and to build a new manufacturing plant and local headquarters for APEX Block, which is expected to generate 100 jobs.

Lacuna Inc. officials say the facility will produce construction building blocks made from a mix of recycled expanded polystyrene (commonly called Styrofoam) and cement.

Lacuna, a group of mostly West Coast investors, recently purchased the assets of APEX Block and restarted its production plant in Phoenix. That plant ceased production early in 2009 because of the slowdown in the construction industry.

But with signs of improvement in construction, a group of private investors decided the timing was good for a purchase and a startup. The group also decided Roseburg was the best location for its headquarters because of its available skilled work force and its location. The city's spot on the Interstate 5 corridor is central for receiving recycled materials from Seattle to San Francisco.

“Roseburg will be the heartbeat for the company,” said Dale Siens, Lacuna president and chief executive officer. “There'll be the plant here, but also the international corporate headquarters with the sales and corporate staff here. We've generated a lot of excitement right now. We've met with economic people in Roseburg and they've been very open and amicable to work with.”

“It's great to have more jobs here locally, especially with so many companies having laid people off,” said Mary Gilbert, Lacuna's executive vice president. “Anytime something new comes in to Roseburg, hopefully it helps put Roseburg on the map and encourages other companies to come here.

“We'll have shipping, receiving, office, accounting, manual labor jobs and probably more than one shift here,” she added of the new jobs.

Siens said pay will be an above-average wage and there'll also be an incentive program based on production and efficiency.

“If we hit some large numbers, there'll be some nice bonuses,” he said.

Siens and Gilbert both have deep roots in Oregon and are eager to see the local economy improve. Siens grew up in Klamath Falls and is an Oregon Institute of Technology graduate. He has almost 15 years' experience in investment banking. He moved to Roseburg in January.

Gilbert grew up in Roseburg, is a University of Oregon graduate and has a background in sales and marketing. She's been in the real estate business for almost 15 years, working for Prudential Real Estate Services in Roseburg.

Siens said Lacuna's goal is to begin building the production plant this summer and have it in operation no later than Oct. 1. Siens and Gilbert said discussions are ongoing for a site in the Roseburg area. When a deal is closed, construction of a 48,000-square-foot building will begin immediately, they said.

“We want to start showing the world that a lumber capital such as Roseburg can produce the greenest wall system in the world,” said Siens. “The drive and focus of this company is to do our part to turn around this economy. Small-town Americana has been hammered by this recession. We want to build America up again. America needs to start manufacturing again.”

When the plant is fully operational, it will produce more than 4,000 blocks per day with a goal of 8,000 blocks a day within 12 months. Each block is made with 100-percent post-industrial and pre-consumer recycled expanded polystyrene. Siens said the blocks have strong thermal, seismic and hurricane/wind ratings, will not mold or mildew and are resistant to pests, termites and fire.

“We believe this technology provides the sustainable attributes necessary to replace wood and concrete block as a major building material in the United States, China, Mexico, Africa and the Middle East while increasing the quality of construction throughout the rest of the world,” said Siens in a Lacuna press release.

David Littlejohn, a financial advisor with the Hooper Wealth Management Group in Roseburg, said this morning that he had visited the Phoenix plant and was impressed by its operation and product.

“It's a very, very interesting building material with a lot of promise and application for Oregon,” he said. “It's fantastic news to have a new company coming here and it seems quite complimentary to other industries here.”

With Roseburg as its first, Lacuna plans to expand to 11 production plants in the U.S. by Dec. 1, 2011. There's also discussion of building international plants.

“The block sells itself,” said Siens. “It's re-employing people. Customers that buy our product refer it to friends. Everybody who's invested in it wishes they had invested more.

“This company takes care of its customers, takes care of the people who work for us and takes care of the people who have invested in us,” he added.

• You can reach reporter Craig Reed at 541-957-4210 or by e-mail at creed@nrtoday.com.