From Batteries to FireBoard

What Do Batteries, Root Beer, Heating and Cooling, T-Shirts and FireBoard All Have in Common?

The same location.

The current FireBoard headquarters at 501 Charlotte Street in Kansas City, Missouri, was originally built in 1925 to house the Missouri Battery Works Company. About 20 years later, the property was sold and became a beverage-bottling facility, most notably bottling Hires Root Beer. Some people in the neighborhood still talk about stopping by the plant to get a bottle of root beer.

That chapter also lasted approximately 20 years before the building became home to Trieb Sheet Metal, a supplier of sheet metal products for the HVAC industry. Early in the 21st century, the building was sold again and became the home of KC Screenprint, a Kansas City-based T-shirt screen-printing business.

When the owner was ready to retire, he sold the company to another local screen printer, which transferred the operation to a different building. At that point, the building, now in dire need of a makeover, was purchased in 2021 by FireBoard CEO and founder Ted Conrad to be reborn as the new headquarters of FireBoard Labs. The next year and a half were spent transforming the space into something the area could be proud of.

The FireBoard headquarters is located in the heart of Columbus Park, a former hotbed for Italian immigrants, many of whom came from Sicily. The neighborhood’s Italian heritage is still present, but the area is now also home to many Asian American and Pacific Islander residents. Located a few blocks south of downtown Kansas City and just east of the River Market, Columbus Park is somewhat of a quiet island. It contains a mixture of single-family residences, multi-unit apartments and condominiums, shops, restaurants, and light industrial and manufacturing businesses.

Over the course of 18 months, the building was transformed from a neighborhood eyesore into something that reflects the historic character of its surroundings while providing the space and infrastructure needed by a modern technology and manufacturing company. Boarded-up window openings are now filled with glass, allowing natural sunlight to pour into the workspace. The once dirty production area now houses clean, functional workstations and equipment. Inefficient warehouse space is now open, organized and ready to support FireBoard’s operations.

Ted partnered with the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City (EDCKC) as part of the investment in the building and FireBoard’s continued presence in Kansas City. EDCKC administers and carries out Kansas City’s economic development strategy. Through its business development, land development and entrepreneurship programs, the organization helps attract and retain businesses, create jobs, revitalize communities and provide resources for local entrepreneurs.

The investment brought new life to a neglected structure. It also gave FireBoard the much-needed space that was missing from its previous facilities while creating room for future growth.

The support from the city has been a win-win. FireBoard maintains its presence in Kansas City while retaining and adding to its workforce. The city benefits from that investment and employment, along with the revitalization of a property in the shadow of downtown.

For more than a century, people have come to 501 Charlotte Street for their employment. With this investment, people will continue to call 501 Charlotte their workplace, hopefully for another century or more.