A Caterpillar dealer is planning a $3 million expansion that company officials said will give the Chattanooga business room to grow.

Officials at Stowers Machinery Corp. recently purchased seven acres adjacent to its three-acre facility on Access Road, to which it will relocate a Kelly Road rental business.

David Waddilove, president of Stowers Machinery, said the planned expansion has been under way for about two years, but it was energized by the recent announcement that Volkswagen will build a plant at Enterprise South.

“The announcement that Volkswagen will build its newest U.S. facilities in Chattanooga means that this area now represents one of our company’s greatest opportunities for growth,” he said. “We are excited about the opportunity to better serve our customers and accelerate our growth from this new, consolidated location.”

Staff Photo by Gillian Bolsover
Jason Pierson, left, and Rick Saint work to construct a new office at Stowers Thursday. The company recently bought seven acres behind their Access Road property, which is currently being used to store machinery but may eventually be used for new development.

The Stowers facility at 4066 S. Access Road is just four miles from the future Volkswagen site, which officials expect will generate more business for them as construction continues.

Bill Stanley, vice president and branch operations manager at Stowers, said customers have about 150 pieces of Caterpillar equipment at the Volkswagen site.

Mr. Waddilove said the additional acreage will allow Stowers to service its construction, truck engine and industrial customers from the same location. It also will help the company increase its operational efficiency and provide additional services, he said.

Mr. Stanley said workers are renovating office space to make room for the rental facility when it moves to the Access Road location. The rental facility is expected to be moved to the Access Road location by Nov. 1.

“The rental store will be functional until we get this renovated,” Mr. Stanley said.

The additional acreage will be graded and used for equipment storage. Mr. Stanley said that additional buildings could be built on the property in the future.

Stowers, which operates seven locations in East Tennessee, has about 70 local employees and about 450 statewide.

Mr. Waddilove said the expansion will enable the company to increase its personnel over the next several years.

“Over the next five years there will be new personnel added,” he said. “I see us adding new people each year and beyond.”