As they are for most business executives, things are scary right now for Paul Almburg.

But Almburg’s fear comes from something other than falling revenues and the threat of layoffs.

The president of HTI Plastics has to figure out how to keep things running smoothly while his company expands to accommodate growth.

HTI broke ground last week on a new $3.5 million 35,000-square-foot building that will be next to the company’s existing 48,000-square-foot building at 5120 N.W. 38th St. in Air Park.

The company, which makes plastic injection molding  products, also plans to renovate about 20,000 square feet in its existing building.

That building is “just jam-packed with equipment,” said Almburg, who is, in addition to being president of HTI, the leader of the plastics group owned by Plastics Companies Enterprises.

The new building, which Almburg said he hopes will be completed by early in the fourth quarter, will house the company’s medical and pharmaceutical manufacturing, about 60 percent of  HTI’s business.

That part of the business shares the existing building now with other segments, including HTI’s business making plastic gunstocks, which is also on the rise.

Almburg said each of the past two years has been better financially than the previous one, “and this year is starting out on track to beat both of them.”

The business normally runs three shifts, 24 hours a day 5 days a week, he said, with a skeleton crew doing some work on weekends.

But in both January and February, Almburg said HTI had to run production 24-7.

“With all the business we’ve been bringing in lately, we’ve had a hard time keeping up,” he said.

“We consider ourselves lucky that we put a lot of things into place three, four, five years ago that are now coming to fruition.”

Almburg said he expects the expansion to pay dividends down the line as well.

Plans include an expansion of the company’s 80-person work force.

Almburg said HTI currently is looking to hire a highly skilled maintenance person and will be adding some machine operators as well. He said he expects the expansion to grow HTI’s employment by about 35 people over two years.

HTI’s operations are on land owned by the Lincoln Airport Authority, which on Thursday approved up to $4 million in bonds to help pay for the expansion. HTI would pay off the money over 20 years.

John Wood, executive director of the airport and the Airport Authority told the board on Thursday that HTI is a good tenant with a “good balance sheet.”

Reach Matt Olberding at 473-2647 or molberding@journalstar.com.