Photo by Deb Gau Construction crews work on the footings for the new shop area of the Lockwood Motors expansion.

MARSHALL — A lot has been changing at a Marshall business this summer. Just outside the Lockwood Motors office and service center, crews have been working to excavate and pour concrete for new building footings.

All the work is part of an expansion project that will more than double the size of the existing Lockwood facilities, and add features like a new service drive, quick service pit, and a Chevrolet showroom, said owner Chet Lockwood.

“We’re excited about the level of service we are going to be able to provide,” Lockwood said.

Lockwood said the expansions would add about 19,000 square feet of space to the dealership’s existing facilities.

“It’s a very substantial investment in the community,” said Lockwood Motors general manager Perry McNeil.

Ground was broken for the project in April. Last week, construction crews could be seen working on footings for a new shop area, and a basement.

“There’s a lot of underground work, before they put the floor in,” Lockwood said.

The plans to expand Lockwood Motors were a long time in the making, Lockwood said. He said Lockwood Motors had been “bursting at the seams” since 2007, when they added the Chevrolet dealership.

“We needed to expand,” Lockwood said. At the same time, East College Drive was still a good location for the dealership, he said. When Lockwood purchased the former C&N Sales building on neighboring property at the corner of East College Drive and Sunrise Lane, the opportunity to expand opened up.

Even with the room to grow, it still took some time before construction could start. Lockwood Motors needed to work with auto companies to approve the design of the building project, Lockwood said.

“It’s been over a two-year process,” Lockwood said.

Lockwood said the expansion’s new showroom will likely be one of the first built with a new dealership design Chevrolet is coming out with. The existing Lockwood Motors building will also get an updated look, with a new building facade and signs, McNeil said.

However, it’s the chance to provide customeOngoing construction to double size of dealership’s facilitiesrs with improved service that will be most exciting about the expansions, McNeil said.

“It’s just going to be a state of the art facility,” McNeil said.

With a service drive, customers would be able to have the convenience of being able to get out of their vehicles indoors. Having quick service, and updated technology for service technicians, would also make a big difference, McNeil and Lockwood said.

McNeil said the expansions would also mean more shop space, and more capacity to service vehicles. That would help speed up vehicle service, he said.

Lockwood and McNeil said Lockwood Motors would also be hiring more service technicians to go along with the expanded facilities. Lockwood estimated they would be hiring about six to eight more people.

Lockwood and McNeil said they had initially hoped the expansion project could be finished in time for Lockwood Motors’ 70th anniversary this year. However, the project will likely be fully completed in 2026, they said.

McNeil said the construction has definitely caught people’s attention since this spring. Customers have been curious about the project, he said. They’ve also been patient about the active construction site on the Lockwood Motors lot.

“Our employees and our customers have been incredibly patient,” Lockwood said.

He and McNeil said it has also been good to work with area contractors, and with Marshall Municipal Utilities, as the work progresses.