Fastenal Groundbreaking

The vacant lot on Second Street and Washington Street in Winona, MN has an eye-catching view of the Mississippi River and the bluffs that border the Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge. On Wednesday, July 22, 2020, a small crowd of about two dozen people gathered to watch the intimate Fastenal Groundbreaking Ceremony.

In an abundance of precaution due to COVID-19, the ceremony was kept modest with a handful of city officials, local news stations, Fastenal representatives and the C.D. Smith project team in attendance. Onlookers kept a respectable 6+ feet apart while viewing the celebration.

Dana Johnson, Vice President of Real Estate & Development at Fastenal, opened the ceremony, expressing Fastenals' excitement and commitment to the Winona community. The new, four-story, state-of-the-art Fastenal office building will consolidate several Fastenal locations and bring over 400 employees to the Winona downtown.

The Winona community welcomes the public-private redevelopment initiative made possible by the Winona Chamber of Commerce. "The exciting part about something like this is when you bring all these people downtown, they want to live, work and play here. They'll spend time along the river and shopping downtown. When that kind of stuff happens, more businesses and more opportunity follow it," said Winona Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Christie Ransom.

The Kubala Washatko Architects created an environmentally conscious design that features timeless characteristics. The new office will pay homage to the downtown riverfront area, including locally sourced Winona Stone, mixed media building materials and river views from each level.

Hired as Construction Manager for the project, over the last several months, C.D. Smith has been working alongside Fastenal through the preconstruction and procurement processes. With the ground broke, veteran C.D. Smith Superintendent, Wayne Holum, will lead the construction crews through the project execution.