WOODSTOCK, Ont. – Gerry’s Truck Centre held a grand opening for its highly anticipated second location in Woodstock on May 9.

The event saw suppliers and customers gather for the opening of the brand new building located at 1349 Parkinson Road in Woodstock.

The new location itself was a long time coming, says dealer principal Mike Wardle.

“We started planning in 2016 for the building,” he said, adding that the concept of having another location outside of its flagship London, Ont. location was discussed since a decade ago. “We’ve been hearing from customers for a long time that they needed some representation outside of London for a long time. But, we drew the first shovel for this place in November of 2016 and this building was operational in October 2017.”

The new 15,000 sq-ft. building is home to almost 20 staff members. It can fit nine trucks in the shop service bays, and has close to $500,000 in parts inventory.

There’s also a showroom and sales offices in the new facility.

According to Wardle, having the second location in Woodstock was a calculated choice.

“Feedback from customers was key,” he said. “We heard for years from customers they wanted another location. London has been a strong market for the last 38 years. And this is a strong market here in Woodstock. It’s a growing market. It’s still on an economic increase which is good. In London we capture the Hwy. 401-402 junction and here we can capture the Hwy. 401 and 403 junction.”

The new building was also constructed to be environmentally-friendly. Wardle says it has LED lighting throughout, heated floors in the shop and warehouse, and insulated walls.

“These were all conscious choices,” he said. “We could have cheaped out but saving energy is something that we support. Green energy is the way of the future. So making a new facility that’s going to cost less to run, sets a precedent for what we do and stand for.”

Looking towards the future, Wardle said he hopes the business will continue to grow in Woodstock.

The grand opening was held all day and featured door prizes, refreshments, and a barbecue lunch for all who attended.