Box Elder's VRC Metal Systems continues to add jobs in former school

Story by Tanya Manus, Rapid City Journal // Photos by Andy Greenman

VRC Metal Systems more than tripled the size deal. The property is about 10 acres total so we of its facility and added 20 jobs since relocating have room to expand beyond our current building, to Box Elder a year ago. so we have plans for additional facilities in the

VRC is an Ascent Innovation success story, future.” spending five years in the business incubator As VRC’s facility expanded, so did its work force. center — plus renting additional space in Rapid In the past year, VRC has grown from about 45 to City — before moving to the former Vandenberg 65 employees and has plans to add more. Elementary School near Ellsworth Air Force Base. “We’re still hiring. We have about four positions

VRC previously occupied 16,000 square feet of open right now,” Hrabe said. “We are continuing to space at its two sites. Buying and expand. We expect about a year putting $6 million in renovations into the former school allowed "We expect about a from now we will be at over 100 employees.” VRC to expand to 55,000 square feet. Purchasing an existing building instead of constructing year from now we will be at over VRC provides equipment and services for cold spray technology – essentially cold a new one was a money-saving option that meant VRC could 100 employees.” welding – and other coatings that, among other uses, are grow without using as much Rob Hrabe, CEO of VRC Metal effective for airplane parts. Its capital, CEO Rob Hrabe said. new location near Ellsworth Air

“The building is suitable for everything we’re doing right now and we have room to expand,” Hrabe said. “We build equipment, we design equipment and we do process development for customers. … Having the additional space is a big deal. The property is about 10 acres total so we have room to expand beyond our current building, so we have plans for additional facilities in the future.”

As VRC’s facility expanded, so did its work force. In the past year, VRC has grown from about 45 to 65 employees and has plans to add more.

“We’re still hiring. We have about four positions open right now,” Hrabe said. “We are continuing to expand. We expect about a yearfrom now we will be at over 100 employees.”

VRC provides equipment and services for cold spray technology – essentially cold welding – and other coatings that, among other uses, are effective for airplane parts. Its new location near Ellsworth Air Force Base will be a boon for the company. In May, Sen. Mike Rounds announced Ellsworth Air Force Base will be the preferred site for the new B-21 bomber. At least 100 of the B-21 planes, designed by Northrop Grumman, are being built.

VRC’s proximity “will be an opportunity to get cold spray technology incorporated into the regular maintenance process for B-21s. It’s going to be about five years before actual aircraft arrives, but there will be a lot of facility construction, a need for facility space and space for contractors. A lot of them will be potential customers for us,” Hrabe said.

Hrabe said partnerships with Ascent Innovation and others have been vital to VRC’s growth.

“It was a huge benefit to us — the partnerships we have with local economic development folks, the Small Business Administration, the state economic development folks and the congressional delegation,” Hrabe said. “John Thune has been to our place. Mike Rounds has been helping us with a lot of Department of Defense contract work, as well as Dusty Johnson. It’s been a team effort. I don’t think we would be able to grow at the rate we’re doing without all those folks helping us out.”

The COVID-19 have had some impact on VRC services, Hrabe said.

“One of the things we do is deliver and install equipment at other people’s facilities across the country and we were not able to install any of those systems during the shutdown,” he said. “It didn’t stop us from continuing to expand. It just delayed a lot of our deliveries.”

For more information, go to vrcmetalsystems.com.