116 years into its history, JS West is moving headquarters to this Modesto site
JS West & Companies is erecting a new headquarters at Modesto’s northwest edge, six miles from the downtown street where it began in 1909.
The company is a major producer of eggs and propane in Northern California. It will continue to employ about 325 people, fourth-generation President and CEO Mike West said Wednesday.
He spoke at the groundbreaking for the four-story project at the southwest corner of Dale Road and Kiernan Avenue. JS West hired Huff Construction of Modesto to build it from a design by Dahlin Architecture, Planning and Interiors of Pleasanton. It could be done in July 2027. The cost was not disclosed.
JS West will put its offices in the third and fourth floors. The accounting firm of Gensky Muller will occupy the second story. A restaurant and other offices are being sought for the ground level by CoSol Commercial Real Estate of Modesto.
JS West no longer will have offices on Ninth Street but will keep a propane hub there. It also delivers the fuel to six towns between Fresno and Placer counties. The laying hens live in large barns near Oakdale, Hilmar and Livingston.
“We’ve been proud to continuously heat, feed and serve our customers, but today represents something a little bit more,” said Kelly Monk, vice president for corporate development.
How did JS West get its start?
Modesto had about 4,000 residents when Nebraska native James Stewart West launched the business 116 years ago. He started with coal and grain sales at Ninth and G streets.
Other items came and went over the decades — ice, fuel oil, auto sales and service, furniture and appliances. JS West began selling propane in 1936 and now has outlets in Modesto, Selma, Oakhurst, Sonora, Angels Camp, Placerville and Colfax.
JS West got into eggs in the late 1940s. It later joined with industry partners to build the massive feed terminal near Hughson, supplied by rail from the Midwest. JS West markets its eggs through the NuCal Foods cooperative, based in Ripon.
The company had a retail feed store on Ninth from 1958 to 2022. Customers could get food and supplies for pets and for 4-H and FFA livestock projects.
Mike West said Wednesday that the family will continue to own the Ninth Street properties. Future uses have not been announced, including possible housing under the city’s downtown plan.
The former furniture store fronting H Street is leased to Redeemer Modesto church. The rusty old feed silos sit across Ninth from the gleaming new courthouse.
What’s coming at the new HQ?
JS West’s new facade along Kiernan will have a rough copy of the original sign hawking coal and grain. An actual feed silo from the past will be nearby.
The office building is part of a first phase that also includes parking under solar panels. The other phase will have some kind of retail in a pedestrian-friendly layout.
The site is just north of the Kaiser Permanente complex, completed along Dale nearly 20 years ago. It was followed in recent years by multiple-story apartments and hotels on the west side. They are fronted by several eateries.
Mike West said the company is looking to expand its propane service area, which would add jobs. On the egg side, it has endured some of the bird flu outbreaks affecting producers across the nation.
The groundbreaking audience included retired CEO Gary West, father of Mike and grandson of the founder. Dozens of other business and government leaders turned out. Among them was Modesto Councilmember Rosa Escutia-Bratton, whose district takes in the new JS West site.
“Their century-long history of success in our community,” she said, “shows that they are resilient, that they evolve and grow with every generation.”
