by Jon M. Casey
For the folks at Robert H. Finke & Sons, Inc. of Selkirk, NY, the groundbreaking and construction of a new 67,000-square-foot facility at their current location, is like that of children awaiting the arrival of Santa Claus once Thanksgiving has passed. Excitement fills the air as the staff eagerly looks forward to the move to the new facility. Expected completion date for the project is sometime toward the end of November this year and the entire team is eager to experience the amenities that the new building will provide.
“We broke ground and began the site prep work last fall,” said Don Fiacco, who manages the daily operations. As we toured the new ‘headquarters’ construction project s currently under way behind the existing facility on Route 9W south of Selkirk, he noted that the new facility being located toward the rear of the property,  will give them plenty of room for outdoor equipment displays and equipment storage as well. It will also offer more customer parking, out front. “That will be a tremendous benefit.”
Fiacco described the new facility telling how it will bring an exciting new look to the company. He said the new amenities would add value to the Finke and Sons brand. “There will be a tech room, a ‘smart’ room with a 50 seat training capability,” he said. “We will be able to bring in our customers and a new piece of equipment and thoroughly train them in the training facility. We plan to open it up to manufacturers as well. They will be able to bring in clients for regional training.”
“The entire project is due to the forward thinking of John Finke, our company president and Bob Finke’s son,” he said. “When John, began planning for this new building, he took into consideration all of the things that we would need to do all that we currently do, do well. He also was looking to the future and how we might better serve our customers.”
For example, Fiacco said that the new building would have eight drive thru bays for service and repair. It will have custom manufacturing capabilities as well. There will be a 30-foot x 100-foot fabrication shop, a 30-foot x 100-foot wash bay and an additional 20-foot x 60-foot paint booth. The new building will be equipped to do what they currently do in the four buildings that make up the existing operation. They will feature sales and rentals, service, parts and fabrication as part of the overall business.
The building will have radiant heat, two overhead cranes and it will have a weld shop that will have its own overhead crane as well. With all the added features, worker safety has been a primary consideration in the planning. Fiacco said that the building features a clean burn boiler that uses old engine oil as fuel.
“The roof structure will be built to not only handle the snow that we might experience in the years to come, but it will also be able to support a solar panel array for future solar supplied electrical power,” he said.
It is interesting to note the progress of the company, especially in light of its new milestone, that of an expansion from the existing building that has housed the business since its move from the original location across Rt. 9W. A portion of a Hard Hat News article (June 17, 1992), that hangs prominently on their sales room wall, tells of the company’s growth and expansion into the “then-new,” 11,000-square-foot building on the west side of the road.
The company, started by Robert H. Finke in 1977, has grown over the years, to become one of the largest equipment dealers in all of New York State. With more than 500 pieces of equipment in their fleet, Robert H. Finke & Sons, Inc. is ready to serve New York and New England. Be sure to watch for an announcement of their grand opening, later this year. For more information, visit their website at www.finkeequipment.com or give them a call at 518-767-9331.