Midwest Toyota growth driving its expansion

0 Comments | La Crosse Tribune, Jun 7, 2008 | by Magney, Reid

Steve Low's Midwest Toyota broke ground this week on a $2.5 million expansion.

"We're outgrowing our current facilities," said Steve Low, president of the dealership at 800 S. Third St. "We can't hire additional personnel because we're running out of space for them to work."

The dealership opened just north of City Brewery in November 2000 and sells the Toyota and Scion brands of vehicles.

To make room for the expansion, Low worked with the city of La Crosse, which vacated one block of Ferry Street between Second and Third streets. He also bought half a block of land north of Ferry from Dahl Automotive, he said Friday.

The 10,000-square-foot expansion on the north side of the current building will feature new service drive-in lanes, more quick-service stalls and a climate-controlled customer reception area.

There also will be a larger customer waiting area with workstations and wireless Internet connections.

The parts department also will expand to include more accessory displays, Low said. There also will be a separate display room for Scion vehicles on the south side of the complex.

Construction is expected to take six months, Low said.

The dealership now employs 50 full- and part-time workers, including four frill-timers hired in the past six months, Low said. With the additional space, two to four more people will be hired.

While this has been a difficult time for the auto industry nationally, Low said, Toyota has expanded its line of vehicles.

More people are buying Toyotas, Low said, and the dealership needs to expand to serve those customers.

"We're in the fortunate position that our business has grown, and that's driving this expansion," Low said.