The Industry
Musical instrument manufacturing
The Company
The Breedlove Guitar Company is a privately-held, high-end manufacturer of guitars, mandolins and other stringed instruments. The bulk of the company's domestic business comes from outside Oregon and a sizable portion of revenues are international. Breedlove has a close relationship to the musicians who purchase their custom instruments and has become known for "The Breedlove Experience," where musicians visit and experience the best of Central Oregon's scenery, dining, and recreation, all while checking out their new instrument.
The Situation
Breedlove (then located in Tumalo, an unincorporated area between Bend and Sisters), was experiencing rapid growth but was unable to expand in their current location. As a stopgap measure, they had added square footage with shipping containers in the company's parking lot. Clearly, Breedlove needed both a new headquarters building and a new efficient production facility.
The Requirements
Breedlove wanted to stay in Central Oregon at a location that would be optimal for existing employees and not require a long commute. They had a limited budget and yet needed to present the company in the best light possible for their customers. On its
CEO Peter Newport at Breedlove Guitar New Headquarters in Bend Oregon
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own, the company had exhausted its options to find an existing facility to meets its needs or a light industrial lot that met its particular site location criteria. As a regular part of its operations, EDCO checks in with nearly every one of Central Oregon's 350 manufacturing companies and quickly discerned that Breedlove needed a comprehensive solution to their space issue.
The Solution
Through EDCO's extensive network of connections, Breedlove found an unadvertised lot that could be configured to meet its needs and in a location that would create the least amount of disruption for the lifeblood of its business - the company's skilled craftsmen and artisans. A limited budget for the expansion was stretched through use of an Oregon Industrial Development Revenue Bond that provided financing of the new $3.9 million facility at below market rates. The development and building process was accelerated through the use of a fast track permitting process with the City of Bend. EDCO also assisted with a grant from the State of Oregon to help with construction and relocation costs which, in turn, helped Breedlove make a smoother transition.