Candle company opens second New Hampshire facility

JUST in time for the holiday production rush, Alene Candles of Milford has expanded its operations and opened a new location in Amherst.

“This gives us an opportunity to consolidate closer to home and also support some expansion,” Rod Harl, president and CEO of Alene Candles.

The company worked with a developer from Boston to secure the new facility at 1 Bon Terrain Drive, which provides 200,000 square feet of manufacturing, warehousing and office space for the candle company.

“It has been empty for a few years,” Harl said of the property formerly occupied by the F.W. Webb Company; Alene is occupying about half of the large structure.

Improvements have been underway at the new site since May, and employees began occupying the building earlier this month, according to Harl.

The company’s main campus is still housed in Milford and offers about 170,000 square feet of space among three buildings.

Some of Alene Candle’s off-site storage is now able to be consolidated, and the new space in Amherst provides new capabilities and new opportunities for glass decorating, he said.

The expansion, coupled with the upcoming holiday season, means Alene is seeking additional employees.

“We have hundreds of positions available as we are ramping up for the season,” said Harl, adding dozens of those positions are full-time employment opportunities and not just seasonal posts.

Company-wide, Alene Candles is producing between 500,000 and 1 million candles a day, he said. It has about 350 employees helping to fill production orders.

Alene Candles designs and produces candles for dozens of clients, including well-known retailers such as White Barn and Bath and Body Works, as well as high-end retailers in the New York cosmetics industry. Aside from its headquarters in Milford and its new facility in Amherst, the company also has two sites in Ohio and offices in New York.

Alene Candles was previously named one of New Hampshire’s “Best Companies to Work For” by Business New Hampshire Magazine. It has also been recognized as one of 17 honorees across the country from the TD Bank Thanks You campaign after producing and donating more than 60,000 face shields to more than 200 organizations last summer. Business is robust, despite the pandemic, according to Harl, who said the company’s biggest challenge is filling its workforce.

“We are always looking to hire,” he said.

In addition to Gov. Chris Sununu’s Summer Stipend Program, Alene Candles is offering sign-on bonuses up to $1,200 for some critical, permanent positions, according to a release.

Sununu announced his summer stipend initiative in May, which was created to coincide with the state’s decision to end federal pandemic unemployment benefits.