Nardini to expand offices

SHOREVIEW, Minn.--Tom Nardini, president of Nardini Fire Equipment Co. here, expects to break ground on an additional building for his company this fall. A family business that’s been in operation since 1949, Nardini said his company is “very strong in design and installation and service of fire detection and fire suppression systems [clean-agent and hybrid water mist systems, but no traditional sprinkler systems}, and we do all of our own design in-house.” The new 7,000-square-foot building will be built on company property here. “We’ve run out of space in the existing facility … the new building will house our fire extinguisher shop and provide warehouse space. That will free up floor space for offices and our design department people.” Nardini employs nearly 100 and has three offices in addition to the one here: in Brainerd and Virginia, Minn., and one in Fargo, N.D. Nardini said he’s seeing “customers becoming smarter about fire protection in high-value areas [such as server rooms, storage rooms, data processing rooms where expensive equipment is found].” He said his clients are retrofitting with hybrid or clean-agent systems and leaving the traditional sprinkler systems in place. This provides “two-fold protection” he said, but said that, in the case of fire, it reduces the possibility of water damage from the traditional sprinkler system because the other suppression system is triggered by smoke rather than heat, so it will discharge before the water suppression system.