Letter to the Editor: CalStar Products Supports Walmart in Caledonia

CalStar Products wants to indicate its wholehearted support for the proposed development of a large Walmart Supercenter at the southeast corner of Four Mile and North Green Bay Roads.

CalStar has been operating its green brick and paver plant immediately to the east of Walmart's proposed site since January of 2010. Until recently, most area residents did not even realize that CalStar is their neighbor. Our coexistence with area residents illustrates how different land uses can successfully co-habitate. However, we also urge you and other Village officials to support amending the Village's land use plan to permit Walmart's store as an appropriate transitional use between CalStar's plant and residents further west.

The proposed Walmart store also presents a unique opportunity for CalStar's business. As you may know, CalStar develops and manufactures sustainable building products that dramatically reduce energy and CO2 footprints. Recognizing Walmart as a leader in sustainable building, CalStar was in contact with Walmart for some time to research the viability of Walmart's use of CalStar Products in Walmart's stores. Walmart's building of a new store adjacent to CalStar's plant has presented an incredible opportunity for CalStar to enter the supply chain of Walmart's extensive building program. We at CalStar have already added a second shift primarily to accommodate Walmart's use of CalStar's products at the proposed Caledonia site and elsewhere. We cannot overstate what a huge opportunity Walmart's proposed Caledonia store has presented to CalStar and its employees as well as the entire Racine-area economy.

We urge the Village to move the Walmart store project forward as soon as possible. 

Respectfully,
Craig Ratchford
Vice-President Sales and Marketing