GAF in Peru celebrates grand opening

The GAF facility in Peru celebrated its grand opening Tuesday, thanking the community, clientele and employees for their support.

About 200 guests were in attendance including community leaders, patrons, employees and local and state officials. The event began with GAF-Peru Plant Manager Gary Ashley welcoming everyone.

“We are excited not only to open this facility, but also continue to serve and support the city as proud members of this community,” he said. “And being from this community all my life – this is great to see for the community and I’m very proud to be a part of it.”

The plant, which employs 70 people, is located north of Interstate 80 and west of Plank Road on the OmniTRAX rail line. The 450,000-square-foot facility will manufacture GAF’s EnergyGuard line of polyisocyanurate (polyiso) insulation products, making it GAF’s fifth polyisocyanurate (polyiso) insulation manufacturing plant.

Polyiso is an insulation solution used in roofs and walls, according to a news release from GAF. It is considered to be sustainable and is used in green building projects.

The facility began production in May, after introducing itself to the community in March to discuss becoming an “integral part of the community and supporting the city and its residents.”

GAF Chief Executive Officer John Altmeyer said GAF chose the location because of its proximity to customers. They needed a production plant in the Midwest, as it is the largest ISO (polyiso) market in the country.

“The product is kind of a commodity,” he said. “But the service isn’t and the support isn’t. The excitement to continue to service our customers is not a commodity. It’s a differentiating factor for us.”

Peru Mayor Ken Kolowski said the city’s partnership with GAF has shown the continued effort into expanding the job base and thanked GAF for its continued involvement in the community.

“When GAF got here they told us they were going to be involved in the community,” he said. “They already sponsor some of our local sports teams. They put a roof on a mental health center, provided funds to nonprofits – all this before they even started production.”

Last year, GAF donated all of the roofing material needed for the installation of the new roofs for Wellness and Recovery with Maitri.

Kolowski said the impact of having GAF in the community is immeasurable and he was proud of the work the city and GAF put in to make it happen.

“This is something that will last generations to come,” he said.

Chief Operations Officer Randy Bargfrede closed, thanking the community for its continued support before tours of the facility began. While the tours commenced lunch was served by Stone Jug Barbeque.

GAF plans to be at full production by 2025.

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Peru Mayor Ken Kolowski and GAF CEO John Altmeyer cut the ribbon Tuesday, July 16, 2024, during a grand opening celebration at the GAF facility in Peru. (Scott Anderson)