March 28, 2024
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Kunes expansion progresses in Sterling

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STERLING – Right now, the front of the building at 3200 East Lincolnway in Sterling looks like a derecho slammed into it.

The southeast corner of the structure is exposed, and piles of dirt are everywhere.

A few months from now, this work in progress will be a distant memory. The exposed part of the structure will be a showroom, displaying six of the company's top of the line vehicles.

Last October, the Kunes Country Auto Group finalized the purchase of the 55,000 square foot facility, formerly the Sauk Valley Media building, with plans to move from its current location at 2502 Locust Street. In 60 to 90 days, the transition should be complete, according to regional manager Tony Wheatley.

“The progress is full speed ahead,” Wheatley said. “The contractors are here every single day. We were a little slow out of the gate with some design estimates, getting contractors and things like that, but once we got everything set, we were full speed ahead. They’ve been working every single day, and we plan to open as soon as we can.”

Bigger and better is the plan. More new and used cars will be on display, in front of the building, close to Lincolnway, as well as behind the building, on Lynn Boulevard. It is hoped sales will jump from about 100 cars per month to 200.

“When you build a new building, the manufacturer rewards you with more inventory,” Wheatley said.

The service area is more than doubling. There are now 10 bays at the facility on Locust. Once up and running in the new facility, 21 bays will be operational.

“It’s going to be a good opportunity,” parts and service manager Travis Tomman said. “We can basically double the amount of customers we bring in on a daily basis. Instead of maybe being a week out on a particular appointment for a customer, I’d like to be able to think we’d be able to get him in the same day. That’s going to improve the customer experience.”

Seventeen of the bays will be similar to the ones currently located at the Locust facility, with all new equipment. Four of the bays will be heavy duty, designed to handle trucks weighing up to 20,000 pounds.

“You’ve got a lot of local businesses and they’re using their vehicles day in and day out,” Tomman said. “We’re hoping to help them maintain their vehicles. We can bring their vehicles in, get them serviced right away, and there will be very little down time. That’s what we’re shooting for.”

Sullivan Construction, based out of Madison, Wisconsin, is the lead contractor on the project. Sub-contractors have all been locally hired, according to Wheatley.

“We had a couple different walkthroughs and we invited all the local contractors,” Wheatley said. “It was very important to Gregg Kunes, the owner, and us a company to make sure the people that were doing business here were local people in our community.”

Additional sales and service staff are expected to be hired once the new facility is up and running, to handle the expected increase in business. It makes for an exciting time for a dealership located in Sterling since the spring of 2015.

“The ultimate goal is to service our customers more efficiently,” Wheatley said. “That’s why we did it. To increase business, yes, but to serve the customers, make sure they’re having a good experience, and get them in and out quicker and more efficient.”

Brian Weidman

Brian Weidman

Brian Weidman was a sports reporter for Sauk Valley News