ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla., Aug. 6, 2018—Construction has begun on a new building at the Solar Stik®, Inc. headquarters. The new 1300-square-foot facility will be used for product research and development for the company’s Engineering Team. The building is one of three structures sited at 226 W. King St., St. Augustine, Fla.
The new R&D facility will replace the humble, single-room structure where Solar Stik began doing business—designing, building, and selling portable solar generator products—in 2005. The new building will include a large bay door, 3D printers, multiple computer stations, and specialized testing machines for the Engineering Team.
“In the beginning, we were working elbow-to-elbow in our one-room building filling orders for our military customers and loading trucks in the street” explained Stephanie Hollis, COO, and co-founder of Solar Stik.
As Solar Stik’s reputation grew as the premiere provider of portable hybrid power systems for military applications, demand for Solar Stik products drove the expansion of the privately held company. Additional Team Members were hired and Hollis and Brian Bosley, CEO and co-founder, leased the metal building adjacent to the original single-room facility. Late in 2011, Solar Stik leased the former Morrison’s Hardware building located at the corner of West King Street and U.S. 1 to house its production operations.
“We have grown our facilities and operations inline with the demand for our products, without grants and massive overhead, which allows us to continue our commitment to providing high quality American-made products and personal service to our customers,” Hollis said.
In 2013, Solar Stik purchased the 1910 Victorian two-story building at 226 W. King St. that fronts directly on West King Street. At the time, it had suffered severe fire and smoke damage, years of neglect and was vacant. Hollis—who also owns Design M.D., an interior design company—performed a total renovation of the historic building, which is the oldest building in the 200 block of West King Street. It now serves as Solar Stik’s corporate offices.
St. Augustine’s A.D. Davis Construction Corp. is handling the build-out of Solar Stik’s new R&D facility. The building was designed by architect Les Thomas, and while its orange accent features will closely match those of the renovated corporate building, the R&D facility will have a more modern, industrial design. An early spring completion date for the new build is anticipated.
For more information about Solar Stik’s history, visit https://solarstik.com/about/our-story/ or email Ceal Potts, cpotts@solarstik.com.
