Illinois-based BRANDT Inc., a professional agronomic retailer and manufacturer of specialty ag products, announced on Aug. 23 that is has broken ground on the Evelyn Brandt Thomas Ag Innovation Center at the BRANDT Research Farm in Pleasant Plains, Ill. The center is expected to be completed and open for business by the fall of 2024.
The 17,500 square foot facility, dedicated to BRANDT co-founder Evelyn Brandt Thomas, will serve as BRANDT’s hub for research, development, and collaboration, while advancing the company’s mission to provide solutions for farmers worldwide. It will include meeting spaces, presentation rooms, equipment storage, and a history museum.
“BRANDT has always had an entrepreneurial mindset with a focus on innovation. And it brings me great joy that this facility will help share our story and educate our customers locally and globally,” said Brandt Thomas, who celebrates her 100th birthday on Aug. 25. “It’s also very important to me that the Center is in our hometown of Pleasant Plains, where my brother Glen and I started the business 70 years ago. What a great birthday present.”
“This new center will enable us to better serve our customers in central Illinois and around the world,” said Rick Brandt, the company’s President and CEO. “It’s much more than just another building. This facility will be instrumental in our pursuit of discoveries that meet the evolving needs of today’s farmers.”