MONROE - Spokespersons from three companies with plans to open vehicle-related businesses in Monroe say the time is right to expand - and Monroe has the right stuff for their markets.
O'Reilly Auto Parts, an auto parts retailer, is opening 180 new stores in 2012, according to Mark Merz, corporate spokesman for O'Reilly. The Monroe store will in the 600 block of 8th Avenue and is expected to open in the latter half of 2012. Store size is typically about 7,000 square feet.
"When we look at all the new markets," Merz said, "we look at vehicle registration, demographics, competition, the number of professional installers (garages).
"Once we made a decision on Monroe, we looked at the need based on vehicles and population, whether it's a thriving area, and then traffic pattern to determine where exactly to put a store - and Monroe is a great place to open."
The fact that O'Reilly, claiming to be "the dominant auto parts retailer," is locating its store right across the street from AutoZone, claiming to be "the leading auto parts retailer," didn't surprise Merz.
"That's not unusual," he said. "I'm sure they did the same site selection process and found the same results - it's a great place to put a store."
Tormohlen's Good People Automotive in Freeport is also opening in Monroe. With a log cabin-style office and showroom on the corner of 8th Avenue and 7th Street, the used-vehicles and in-house financing business is awaiting its dealership license from the State of Wisconsin sometime within the next month.
Yes, the log cabin office is also a show room, with a 2007 Volkswagen Beetle already inside. Showrooms are required for dealerships in Wisconsin.
Barrick Tormohlen, a third generation in the family business, said the company had looked at expanding in Rockford, where his grandfather, Paul, once had the business, but it didn't compare to "Monroe's business-friendly environment."
His father, Gordy Tormohlen, added that Monroe has a lower crime rate, and Green County has a lower unemployment rate compared to the Rockford area. What's more, Rockford recently decided to put in a round-about, instead of a national drug store and Tormohlen's dealership at the "perfect" location he had targeted, he said.
He contacted Anna Schramke, director of Green County Development Corporation, who recommended Bub Zwygart at Century 21 to find that "perfect" spot in Monroe.
"Green County has its act together," he said. "They're drawing business and have a friendly attitude."
The time for expansions may not seem right to some people, said Barrick Tormohlen.
"The recent economy has certainly affected us, but we expect it to turn around in the next couple of years, and now is the time to move," he said.
Tracy Weigel, Darlington, wants to build an automatic, touchless car wash business at 112 West 8th St. Weigel worked with the city's economic development director, Pam Christopher, to find the right location, which is surrounded by at least three other car wash facilities on the west side. Weigel is having a certified survey map of the property prepared to present to the city's plan commission in about two weeks.
Unfortunately, not all the commercial property on the west side is moving as fast.
At the far west end of 8th Street, the old Walmart building is still not sold, but Ryan Ziltner, a real estate agent at Hedemen Real Estate overseeing the sale, said there are interested parties. He just wouldn't say how many.
"We still have people working on it," he said.
"Commercial property sales take a long time," he added. "It's not like buying a house, where you have just a couple people. (In) commercial property you might have real estate departments and probably a board that has to approve it, and then there are lawyers on both sides of the sale..."
Activity also began last week at an empty fast-food restaurant building on the Walmart corner. The location has housed both a Wendy's restaurant and a Hardee's restaurant.
L&H Remodeling and Repair from Sun Prairie was hired to make the building ready for a new business, but any more extensive remodeling would need a permit, which no one has applied for yet, according to Dave Powers, Monroe building inspector. Wendy's restaurant holds the lease to the building, which expires in May.
The corner property is listed in the county property tax rolls under the name Fred N. Oreel, a private company in Madison, overseeing the property for Bridgeman Foods Inc. in Kentucky. Voice mails left at the company last week were not answered.
O'Reilly Auto Parts, an auto parts retailer, is opening 180 new stores in 2012, according to Mark Merz, corporate spokesman for O'Reilly. The Monroe store will in the 600 block of 8th Avenue and is expected to open in the latter half of 2012. Store size is typically about 7,000 square feet.
"When we look at all the new markets," Merz said, "we look at vehicle registration, demographics, competition, the number of professional installers (garages).
"Once we made a decision on Monroe, we looked at the need based on vehicles and population, whether it's a thriving area, and then traffic pattern to determine where exactly to put a store - and Monroe is a great place to open."
The fact that O'Reilly, claiming to be "the dominant auto parts retailer," is locating its store right across the street from AutoZone, claiming to be "the leading auto parts retailer," didn't surprise Merz.
"That's not unusual," he said. "I'm sure they did the same site selection process and found the same results - it's a great place to put a store."
Tormohlen's Good People Automotive in Freeport is also opening in Monroe. With a log cabin-style office and showroom on the corner of 8th Avenue and 7th Street, the used-vehicles and in-house financing business is awaiting its dealership license from the State of Wisconsin sometime within the next month.
Yes, the log cabin office is also a show room, with a 2007 Volkswagen Beetle already inside. Showrooms are required for dealerships in Wisconsin.
Barrick Tormohlen, a third generation in the family business, said the company had looked at expanding in Rockford, where his grandfather, Paul, once had the business, but it didn't compare to "Monroe's business-friendly environment."
His father, Gordy Tormohlen, added that Monroe has a lower crime rate, and Green County has a lower unemployment rate compared to the Rockford area. What's more, Rockford recently decided to put in a round-about, instead of a national drug store and Tormohlen's dealership at the "perfect" location he had targeted, he said.
He contacted Anna Schramke, director of Green County Development Corporation, who recommended Bub Zwygart at Century 21 to find that "perfect" spot in Monroe.
"Green County has its act together," he said. "They're drawing business and have a friendly attitude."
The time for expansions may not seem right to some people, said Barrick Tormohlen.
"The recent economy has certainly affected us, but we expect it to turn around in the next couple of years, and now is the time to move," he said.
Tracy Weigel, Darlington, wants to build an automatic, touchless car wash business at 112 West 8th St. Weigel worked with the city's economic development director, Pam Christopher, to find the right location, which is surrounded by at least three other car wash facilities on the west side. Weigel is having a certified survey map of the property prepared to present to the city's plan commission in about two weeks.
Unfortunately, not all the commercial property on the west side is moving as fast.
At the far west end of 8th Street, the old Walmart building is still not sold, but Ryan Ziltner, a real estate agent at Hedemen Real Estate overseeing the sale, said there are interested parties. He just wouldn't say how many.
"We still have people working on it," he said.
"Commercial property sales take a long time," he added. "It's not like buying a house, where you have just a couple people. (In) commercial property you might have real estate departments and probably a board that has to approve it, and then there are lawyers on both sides of the sale..."
Activity also began last week at an empty fast-food restaurant building on the Walmart corner. The location has housed both a Wendy's restaurant and a Hardee's restaurant.
L&H Remodeling and Repair from Sun Prairie was hired to make the building ready for a new business, but any more extensive remodeling would need a permit, which no one has applied for yet, according to Dave Powers, Monroe building inspector. Wendy's restaurant holds the lease to the building, which expires in May.
The corner property is listed in the county property tax rolls under the name Fred N. Oreel, a private company in Madison, overseeing the property for Bridgeman Foods Inc. in Kentucky. Voice mails left at the company last week were not answered.