Ferguson breaks ground on new retail location for Koenig Equipment

August 2009

Koenig Equipment Inc. has purchased four acres in a Tipp City business park for a new lawn and ground equipment retail location.

Ray Koenig, president of Botkins-based Koenig Equipment, said the new location will replace the company’s current Vandalia store, which employs six people. Koenig Equipment’s new store, at the corner of Blauser Drive and County Road 25-A, will more than double the space the company has at its space in Vandalia, from 8,000 square feet to nearly 19,000 square feet.

Koenig said the groundbreaking is scheduled for the week of July 24, and he is looking to move into the new building by early January.

Koenig Equipment employs about 175 people at its 11 locations, seven in Ohio and four in Indiana. It sells a number of items, including, agricultural, commercial and residential products. It carries lines such as Toro, John Deere, Stihl and Ventrac equipment.

Koenig said he is in the process of hiring three more employees at the Vandalia location, in preparation for the move to Tipp City.

The new location will be located inside the 160-acre Northgate Commerce Center. Visit Northgate Commerce Center's website at www.northgatecc.com. Koenig joins three other tenants, welding equipment manufacturer OTC Daihen Inc. and logistics companies Transfreight and CEVA.

Koenig said the new location gives the company room to expand its product line and caters to its customer base.

“We want to make sure we are located in the most convenient location for the majority of our customers,” he said. “We’re still close to north Dayton, and we’re closer to Clark and Darke counties.”

The Vandalia store, located at 2740 W. National Road, only sold commercial and residential equipment. The new Tipp City location will add small agricultural equipment, such as tractors, hay balers and loaders.

Unlike Koenig Equipment’s more rural stores — which cater to the 4,000-acre-plus farmer — this location will focus on those with 20-acre to 30-acre farms, down to the homeowner who needs a push mower.

“We’ll have everything for landscapers, to small contractors, to commercial cutters and home owners,” Koenig said.

Ferguson Construction Co. was awarded the design/build contract for the facility. Janette Dywasuk, marketing director for Ferguson, said construction started in July. The nearly 19,000-square-foot building is scheduled to be complete by December.

The new building will sit off of Interstate 75 at the corner of Blauser Drive and County Road 25-A in Tipp City.

The new store comes on the heels of another Koenig Equipment location replacing an old store, which is opening Aug. 15. Koenig said with material and labor costs down, as well as low interest rates, now is a good time to upgrade the company’s stores.

You can visit Koenig Equipment online at www.koenigequipment.com.