Energy company holds groundbreaking for new HQ in Berks

Energy provider E.G. Smith Inc. of Spring Township hosted a groundbreaking to mark the start of construction on a facility it will build on two acres at 1 Corporate Blvd. in South Heidelberg Township for its new headquarters.

The building will include 3,000 square feet of office space, 4,000 square feet of warehouse and garage space to house the company’s vehicle fleet.

E.G. Smith provides heating oil, propane, heating, ventilation and air conditioning service and other energy services to thousands of residential and commercial customers in Berks County.

Construction will begin this month, according to Michael DeBerdine III, CEO of the Lancaster County-based Rhoads Energy Family of Companies, the corporate parent of E.G. Smith.

“We are looking for better use of space for our office staff to collaborate more efficiently,” said Scott Burky, chief operating officer for E.G. Smith Inc.

The company will move its 30,000-gallon propane tank to the site, consolidating infrastructure and streamlining delivery to residential, commercial and agricultural customers. The new location is also close to E.G. Smith’s filling source for heating oil, enabling more efficient wintertime delivery.

Having the propane tank at the new site lets company drivers who deliver propane to fill up at the site, he said.

Burky declined to disclose the estimated construction cost for the building. The targeted opening date is mid-October.

He said he did not know what would happen with the Penn Avenue site in West Lawn once it vacates that location. The company leases that space on Penn Avenue and owns the property at 1 Corporate Blvd., Burky said.

Benchmark Construction Co. of Brownstone will manage construction of the new facility. Stackhouse Bensinger Inc. of Reading performed land planning services for the project, and Providence Engineering Corp. of Lancaster handled design.

Source: LVB