Rain didn’t dampen the spirits at L&M Fleet Supply’s groundbreaking event in Grand Rapids on Tuesday.

The company is excited about their new $55 million dollar distribution center. The site is located off Airport Road. They’ve outgrown their current center, which is off of Highway 169.

“We started with one 10,000 foot store. Now we have 13 stores and 1 million square feet,” shared one of the third generation owners, Del Matteson.

The new center is going to be 210,000 square feet, and include state of the art safety features as well.

Dave Cowan, the Vice President of Strategy for the company, said, “It will triple our indoor storage space, and support continued growth for the next 50 years.”

Mayor Tasha Connelly told the group that L&M is a cherished cornerstone of the community.

The project has support from Iron Range Resources. The board approved a loan last summer, as the project will help the company retain 80 jobs and add at least 30.

Site prep is underway. Crews were busy while the groundbreaking was underway. The goal is to have the building up in January, and be using it by the spring.