WESTBOROUGH – For the past 50 years, the Towfigh family has designed and manufactured shelving for museums, universities, hospitals and businesses around the world.
After working out of spaces in Malden, Waltham, Millis and Needham, the family’s firm, Rakks, has found a home on Turnpike Road.
On Oct. 27, the Corridor 9/495 Regional Chamber of Commerce officially welcomed Rakks with a ribbon cutting and reception.
Leili Towfigh, the daughter of founder Keivan Towfigh and the firm’s CEO, conducted a tour of the facility, which moved into the Shakour building in 2021.
“The company has injected new life into the building,” said Mark Zepf, the town’s economic development coordinator.
The front end of the building includes office space, with cubicles made with Rakks products.
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During the tour, Rakks staff showed the products made “in house” with sustainable materials.
“Everything is made in Massachusetts,” said engineer Connor Pinson as he showed shelving with sliding brackets that secure with a clamp. That way, “it lets you create all kinds of space,” he said.
Later in the tour, Pinson helped present Rakks’ “starter kits” – a box containing everything to create a 3-by-3-foot shelving unit.
The kits come in five finishes; everything in the box, down to the small bags containing the screws, are recyclable.
The back of the facility includes the warehouse and production units. Here, staff can make shelving in custom sizes. The equipment ranges from robotic welders to the pinning machine designed and built by Keivan Towfigh in the 1970s.
The facility features extra insulation and rooftop solar panels.
During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Rakks staff received citations from the state House of Representatives and Senate, as well as a warm welcome from the chamber.
“One of the happiest days in my life is when I got the call that ‘we’re coming to town’,” said Karen Chapman, President and CEO of the chamber.
For information about Rakks, visit https://rakks.com/contact-us/.
