Photo by Deb Gau Les Schwab Tire Center Manager Zeke Roark cut the ribbon, as members of the Marshall Area Chamber ambassadors and Mayor Bob Byrnes visited the new tire center during its grand opening.

MARSHALL — Over the past year, people have seen the construction progress at a lot near U.S. Highway 59 on the south edge of Marshall. Now, the new Les Schwab Tire Center is open and ready for customers.

Crew members were already busy changing tires Friday afternoon, when members of the Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce visited the tire center for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“We’re glad to be here,” said Zeke Roark, manager of the Les Schwab Tire Center in Marshall. “Overall we’ve been very well-received.”

The new Les Schwab Tire Center had its soft opening on April 16. Although it’s only been a couple of weeks, people have already taken notice Roark said. Some customers — especially ones who were familiar with Les Schwab in the western U.S. — were excited for the Tire Center to open, he said.

Roark said he has also enjoyed getting to know the Marshall area community.

“It’s been fun to get out and talk to everybody,” he said.

Les Schwab Tire Centers was founded in Oregon in 1952. The company offers automotive services and products for tires, brakes, wheels, alignments, batteries, and shocks and struts. The Marshall tire center is one of several Les Schwab locations that are now open in Minnesota. There are also locations in Willmar, Hutchinson, Worthington and Fairmont.

The Marshall Tire Center has seven bays for working on vehicles, Roark said. The crew included nine employees, plus an assistant manager and manager, he said.

Les Schwab was celebrating its grand opening this weekend in a couple of ways — with a lunch for visitors, and with a new tire donation for an area nonprofit.

Les Schwab’s Tires for Purpose program donates tires to organizations that help the local community, Roark said. The first Tires for Purpose recipient in Marshall arrived at the Tire Center on Friday. Les Schwab crew members worked to put a new set of tires on a staff support vehicle from United Community Action Partnership.

UCAP serves a wide area in southwest Minnesota. In the Marshall area, UCAP also runs the Community Transit bus system.

Roark said that there will be more opportunities in the future for Les Schwab Tire Center to donate to other area nonprofits.

“We’re very proud to be able to help support the community,” he said.