Van Meter opening Iowa City distribution center Monday

IOWA CITY -- Van Meter Inc. will show advanced energy efficiency and customer convenience features when it opens a  new Iowa City facility on Monday near the Iowa City Airport.

The distributor of electrical and mechanical supplies outgrew its former location on Highland Court, and broke ground on the 22,840-square-foot warehouse-office facility in July 2011.

The facility at 470 Ruppert Road incorporates an indoor drive-through that customers can use to pick up call-ahead orders without leaving their vehicle, a high-technology training center and a large customer service and sales counter. Inventory levels will be over 30 percent higher than at the former location.

The building features the latest LED (light-emitting diode) lighting and controls, a 14-kilowatt solar power system and a geothermal heating and cooling system. It consumes 57 percent less energy than a building of similar size build to current building codes, yielding annual energy savings of about 17,504.

Van Meter is an employee-owned company headquartered in Cedar Rapids with 12 locations throughout the state.