A 100-year-old brick building in Kansas City's Columbus Park neighborhood that once bottled Hires Root Beer now houses FireBoard Labs. FireBoard Labs has completed a $620,000 renovation of its headquarters at 501 Charlotte Street, retaining 16 existing jobs and adding five new positions as part of the expansion.
The build-out expands FireBoard's Kansas City headquarters and brings more of its production under one roof. As KCTV5 reported, the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City supported the project through property tax abatements.
A Century of Industrial History on Charlotte Street
The building's past stretches back a century, having served over the decades as Hire's Root Beer. The brick structure's industrial history now houses FireBoard's Kansas City headquarters.
The tax incentive supporting the renovation came through Kansas City's Enhanced Enterprise Zone program, the report notes.
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Kansas City Councilmember Crispin Rea is identified as a current councilmember.
FireBoard Labs was founded in Kansas City in 2015 by CEO Ted Conrad, a former investment software engineer, and Steven Briggeman, a digital technology consultant, according to the company's own account on its website. The co-founders combined backgrounds in automated software systems and web consulting to develop smart IoT hardware. The company developed its initial cloud-connected smart thermometer, as Startland News reported at the time.
Keeping Manufacturing In-House Instead of Overseas
Unlike many hardware electronics firms that outsource production overseas, FireBoard Labs conducts product design, printed circuit board assembly, shipping, and customer support directly inside its Kansas City headquarters, according to the company. FireBoard recently brought its surface-mount PCB assembly in-house, saying the move improves quality control and reduces lead times.
FireBoard is the firm behind smart thermometers used by pitmasters and in commercial kitchens, KCTV5 reported. Beyond backyard barbecue enthusiasts and home cooks, the company has expanded its cloud-connected temperature monitoring technology into commercial spaces, restaurants, and warehouses, according to FireBoard's own research materials. Enterprise sensors can track long-term temperature trends across multiple regional locations, the company notes.
Columbus Park's Industrial Reinvention Continues
The historic Columbus Park neighborhood, traditionally known as Little Italy and situated near downtown Kansas City, has seen redevelopment and new housing, according to Multi-Housing News. The neighborhood is close to the River Market and downtown and has seen redevelopment in recent years.
FireBoard Labs plans to develop new projects as a result of the headquarters expansion, per KCTV5's reporting, though it remains unclear whether the company intends further hiring beyond the five positions already added. The expansion adds another chapter to a Columbus Park building that has spent a century adapting to whatever industry needed it next.
