COLUMBUS – A Columbus manufacturer is celebrating 35 years of being locally owned and operated.

Behlen held a day of celebration on Tuesday afternoon to commemorate the ownership group that purchased the company in 1984, and returned it to a period of stability. The group consisted of TR Raimondo, Dick Casey, Bob Thielen, and Steve McGill, and focused on improving the culture at Behlen to revitalize its workforce.

The celebration was attended by members of the Columbus community and Behlen employees, and various speakers discussed the importance that Behlen has had to both Columbus and the state of Nebraska. Mayor Jim Bulkley and Senator Mike Moser each spoke about how crucial Behlen’s longevity has been for the growth of Columbus.

“Just look around this room, it brings all of these people together, all of these people that are proud of what’s going on (at Behlen), it makes our community a better place to live in,” Bulkley said.

“Where would Columbus be today, where would this county be, or the rest of my district for that matter, without Behlen,” Moser said. “They have over 600 employees in this location, they have employees in other parts of the state, we’re so blessed to have Behlen here in Columbus.”

As the presentation continued, TR Raimondo announced that he would be moving to Chairman emeritus effective today, and appointed President & CEO Phil Raimondo as the new Chairman. Raimondo says that he is looking forward to Behlen’s bright future, and that the company will continue to build its relationships with its Partners-in-Progress.

“We have an excellent chance at Behlen to hit two hundred million in total shipments this year, we’re going to continue  figuring out ways to take care of customers better than ever,” Raimondo said. “We are a business that’s built on developing relationships with Partners-in-Progress and with customers, and are working hard to continue building on that.”