(FSB Magazine) Lee's Summit, MO. -- Bennett Packaging of Kansas City, my 120-employee firm (bpkc.com), is in an underground industrial park. Many of them can be found in and near Kansas City. They were built into caves created during the 1950s when miners removed limestone to use in the construction of Interstate 70. They intentionally extracted the rock in a way that left huge rooms with thick, roof-supporting limestone pillars. Developers poured concrete floors and began renting out the space at attractive rates.
My company makes corrugated boxes and displays, some of which are used in stores such as Costco, Wal-Mart, and Home Depot to hold everything from shoe polish to vitamins. I can make a carton for a pen or a Volkswagen. Last year we had revenues of around $30 million.
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| Underground CEO: Bennett, in front of a limestone pillar, tools around her premises in a golf cart. |
Our 435,000-square-foot space is about 65 feet below ground and gives us room to do a range of tasks for our clients. Their 18-wheelers drive into what looks like a tunnel into the side of a mountain and follow the road to our loading docks. Recently Pinnacle Foods sent us 59 truckloads of pickles, and we built displays, packaged the pickles, and shipped them to stores. Our administrative offices resemble any other corporate suite, but instead of windows, we have pictures on the walls.
It's always about 70 degrees down here, so we save on air conditioning and heat. Because we work with paper, which draws moisture from the air, the low humidity here is ideal for us. It also helps clients, such as Solar Safe (solarsafe.com/US), which sells wristbands that change color when it's time to reapply sunscreen. The bands can't be exposed to heat or sunlight before wearing, so this is a great place to store and package them. Below ground, explosion risks and the need to prevent fume buildup make it dangerous to use gasoline- or propane-powered fork trucks. Instead, we work with Nissan and Toyota electric models that cost about $20,000 each.
People expect it to be dark and dingy here, but it's not. Our employees really like working underground - it's actually cheerful and bright. And we never have to worry about tornadoes.
- As told to Eilene Zimmerman 
