By MIKE CORN

mcorn@dailynews.net

Sizewise, the company that owns Wheelchairs of Kansas, has purchased the buildings that once housed A-1 Plank and Scaffold.

It will expand its manufacturing operations into the Hays facilities early next year, ultimately adding as many as 40 jobs to the Hays economy, according to Sizewise spokeswoman Mary Nell Westbrook.

The purchase will include all three buildings at what had been the A-1 Plank campus, located at 500 Commerce Parkway on the west side of the Hays Regional Airport. Manufacturing is expected to start in the main building in early 2011.

A-1 Plank, as well as Allenbaugh Family Limited Partnership, which had owned the buildings and land where A-1 was located, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year. A phone call to A-1 president Dwight Allenbaugh was not returned.

"We just acquired that building, and we are excited about it," Westbrook said.

Based in Kansas City, Mo., Sizewise is a privately held company that manufactures what is known as durable medical equipment, such as wheelchairs.

Sizewise also is the parent company for Wheelchairs of Kansas, which got its start building wheelchairs for obese patients. It also owns Sunflower Medical, manufacturing homecare air support mattresses.

The Frickey family of Ellis founded and continues to own and manage the company, along with other owners in Kansas City, Michigan and California. Brad and Brian Frickey, the youngest of the Frickey children, manage manufacturing for Sizewise. Lee Frickey is CEO, son Trever is chief operating officer and daughter Tracy Hudson is in charge of human resources and operations in Ellis. Tim McCarty, based in Kansas City, is national and international sales manager as well as a part owner.

The purchase of the A-1 buildings will let Sizewise double its manufacturing capacity. With the purchase, it will have four manufacturing plants, including two in Ellis and one in southern California.

"Keeping our production at the highest quality possible is critical given the products we manufacture and the customers we serve," Brian Frickey said in a release. "We believe strongly that maintaining local control over quality and speed of production is in the best interest of the patients and caregivers we serve."

"Sizewise continues to hire and expand both nationally and internationally, and we expect our new facility to generate local jobs over time as the plant becomes fully operational in early 2011," Brad Frickey said in the release.

"We were thrilled to find something right there in Hays, frankly," Westbrook said of being able to purchase the three-building, 17-acre campus that will provide an addition 81,000 square feet of manufacturing space. Sizewise currently operates two manufacturing plants in Ellis and will continue to do so.

The two plants in Ellis provide almost 65,000 square feet, the Frickeys said Wednesday afternoon.

While it's not yet known how many people will be working at the new Sizewise plant, Westbrook said the current thinking is that as many as 40 new jobs will be created.

Initially, the expansion will involve the main building at what had been the A-1 plant, which has about 55,000 square feet.

Other buildings will be brought online after upgrades, such as fully heating the buildings, are completed. They also hope to upgrade equipment for the plant, as well as use some of the manufacturing equipment from Ellis.

Brad Frickey said they also will be using some of the equipment that was purchased along with the building.

With the new plant, about three-fourths of the company's workforce will be located in Hays and Ellis, Westbrook said. Currently, the company has about 600 employees nationwide.