KennyBrown
   After putting down temporary roots in Bellingham last year, R&D Masonry Inc. is now building a more permanent solution: a new warehouse and office space in Bellingham’s Irongate area.
   The Everett-based business has decided the Whatcom County and Skagit County markets, which are seeing steady growth, are areas the company wants to commit to long term, said Jim Dickie, regional manager for the company. Having a satellite office in Bellingham was a logical step, he said.
   The new masonry building, designed by Bellingham architect Curt Carpenter, will feature limestone and brick interspersed with glass block. The project is an example of the versatility of masonry, and will stand out amongst the iron buildings in the area, said Dickie. He said the display of masonry is meant to show customers the options that are available to them.
   Dickie declined to comment on the cost of the project.
   The company, which specializes in commercial and industrial construction, is serving as their own general contractor on the building, which will have 13,000 square feet of warehouse space and 2,800 of office space. According to Dickie, the company will look to lease out half of both the warehouse and office spaces upon completion of the project.
   The building is located on a newly created street at 2025 Masonry Way.
   The office site, which will house Dickie plus another administrative employee and support about 30 masonry workers in the area, is a logical location for the company, near its suppliers, equipment rentals and general contractors, said Dickie.
   According to Dickie, the project should be finished and ready for the company to move in by the middle of January.
   Although the company hasn’t had an office in Whatcom County very long, they have been able to find more than enough work. Past projects for the company include Harris Square, Morse Square and Western Washington University’s Haggard Hall. The company also worked on Skagit Community College’s McIntyre Hall Performing Arts and Conference Center, which Dickie said features the tallest masonry wall in Washington, if not the entire western United States.
   Looking forward, R&D Masonry Inc. has just begun work at Bellingham Technical College on the Morse Center, an auto-body welding facility.

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