Making Baskets The Longaberger Company designed the seven-story, 180,000-square-foot structure, which was built by NBBJ and Korda Nemeth Engineering. The structure first opened its doors in 1997. The basket handles weigh about 150 tons and may be heated to minimize ice damage in cold weather. The building's roof is made of photovoltaic cells that provide power for light bulbs inside the building. Longaberger began as a small family business in Columbus, Ohio, in 1975. That same year, 17-year-old Kent Longaberger took over the management of his father's company. He hired an employee named Joe Vogel to help with sales and marketing and gave him a 10 percent share of the company. In 1990, after increasing their production capacity, the company moved into larger premises. By 1996, sales were so strong that the company had to rent space elsewhere to store all of its baskets. That's when the company president decided to build their own storage facility. The company filed for bankruptcy in June 2006. At the time, they had about $20 million in debt and only 50 employees. But despite these financial difficulties, they continued to produce handmade baskets because they believed in quality workmanship and customer satisfaction. In 2007, Longaberger reopened for business with the help of a loan from the Ohio Department of Development. Today, the company sells its products in more than 20 countries around the world.