RUSSIAVILLE – An upcoming construction project is set to greatly expand both the acreage and the service opportunities at Tri-County Travel Trailers in Russiaville.
Tri-County owner Steve Jones said that the company will be moving from roughly two acres to 10 and one-half acres on the west side of town.
“It’s just phenomenal that we’ve had this type of growth here in Russiaville,” said Jones, adding that the company had felt some growing pains, and he’s pleased that the expanding business will be able to continue operating in Russiaville.
Currently, Jones said, the business takes up space in a few different locations, but the construction and subsequent move will allow for all sales and service to take place in one larger location.
“So we’ve got stuff scattered everywhere, so this is going to allow us to have all of our parts service and then all of our inventory will be in one facility now,” he said.
Tri-County started around 2010, when Jones said he was hearing complaints from folks that they would have to drive to locations such as Indianapolis for parts, service or units.
Initially, he said, the business would only hold onto a few units at a time, and that during their first year, they sold 12 units total. That’s compared to the approximately 200 units per year he’s seen lately.
Buyers have come from as far as Newfoundland, Canada, to purchase RVs, Jones said.
That far of a draw can be greatly credited to the internet, said Jones, adding that in the early days, it was a good tool to draw people in to see the far fewer number of units they had available.
Construction is set to be a fairly brief process, Jones said, with the new facility currently planned to be open in October. During an interview with the Tribune on Thursday, he said permits are planned to be in place at any time, and the first load of building materials would be on-site this week.
The increased acreage should bring with it more merchandise, both in terms of parts and units, and more services offered. The new 11,200 square-foot facility will include an indoor showroom and six service bays.
“That’s going to be the big thing is the service is going to be able to increase, because we’ve never really had anywhere to get stuff inside to work on it,” Jones said.
The service staff was recently increased, he added, and they plan to offer unit storage for RVs and boats. With people living in subdivisions, often they aren’t able to keep an RV in their driveway all through the winter, Jones said. Tri-County will soon be equipped to keep units stored and clean through the winter months.