Suffolk celebrated the growth of one of its hometown businesses on Friday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new location of Allfirst LLC in the Northgate Commerce Center.

Moving from a “crammed and chaotic” location on Proctor Street into the new 15,000-square-foot facility is literally a breath of fresh air for employees of the industrial contractor, said Les Hall, Allfirst’s president and general manager in remarks at the beginning of the program.

With 80 employees sharing space in the old building, he said, “Sometimes, it felt like we were breathing someone else’s air.”

There’s plenty of space to breathe and to work in the new facility, which features a 10,000-square-foot shop for off-site fabrication of HVAC and other construction components, he said.

And employees will benefit further from a kitchen and exercise room.

“We are growing, we are strong and we’ve got good support,” he told the crowd gathered for the celebration inside the new shop area. “We have not chosen to participate in the current economic turndown.”

Allfirst offers industrial contracting, HVAC, refrigeration, construction and property development services throughout the commonwealth.

The company was established in March 2000 and employs industrial and commercial project managers, millwrights, pipefitters, welders, riggers, carpenters and HVAC technicians, along with office support and project managers.

Its crews perform various machinery and equipment installations, process piping, general construction and HVAC work, serving industrial and commercial clients.

Noting that the company’s “level of repeat business far exceeds the industry average,” Hall added that Allfirst had laid “a solid foundation for sustainable growth.”

The building is the largest in the Northgate Commerce Park, which is scheduled to be home to 11 different tenants when it is fully occupied, he said.

“Every day we cut a ribbon is a very good day,” Mayor Linda Johnson told the group. “It’s always wonderful when the people of our city who live here also decide they want to build their businesses here.”

“It’s a very special day for Suffolk,” she added. “I’m excited, and I want to see this Northgate (Park) look just like this.”