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Show Saturday, July II, 2015 STANDARD EXAMINER ^BUSINESS Dow +211.79 at 17,760.41 Nasdaq +75,30 at 4,997.70 S&P +25.31 at 2,076.62 B Sierra leaving Sunset for Weber County New 12th St. location has more space to be used for RV park By BRYON SAXTON and JESUS LOPEZ JR. Standard-Examiner staff MARRIOTT-SLATERVILLE — An expanded sales floor, a bigger parts warehouse and a high-end RV park are a few of the features Sierra RV plans for its new location. After almost 20 years, the RV sales company is leaving its location at 1200 N. Main St. in Sunset for a new spot off of Interstate 15 and 12th Street, north of the Pilot service station. Sierra RV co-owner Jared Jensen said he finalizes the deal at the bank today. "Hopefully everything falls in line," Jensen said. The business currently sits on 17 acres, but Jensen said they could only use about 12 acres because of a canal, greenspace and roadways. The new 45-acre location gives the family-owned business room to add an RV park resort. "A big chunk of the ground will be designated for the customer service aspect," Jensen said. Customers can stay there after purchase or during repairs. "As well as anyone who wants to camp there, it will be a nice, high-end RV park," Jensen said. The move will also allow the owners to expand RV storage. The new buildings will maximize energy efficiency, through the use of energy efficient materials and LED lights. The new property will give Sunset RV the ability to stock and maintain more parts, with storage triple the size of the old location, as well as provide the ability to offer customers high- end gadgets. "We're moving for them, to make sure they have the best customer experience possible," Jensen said. Along with more space, Jensen said they plan to have more staff. The company currently has 54 employees and plans to hire at least another 14 after the move. While the owners break ground next week, the goal for completion is the beginning of 2016, in time for the start of the RV buying season. Sierra RV came to Sunset, from Ogden, in 1997. "It was a good run while it lasted; we were forced to move to meet the needs of our customers," Jensen said. The Sunset property will be available to lease. The move is less than amicable. Jensen said Sunset City officials were not willing to work with the company. "We worked with them for two years before we started on the path of moving facilities," Jensen said. "We want to make sure we have the best customer experience that we can offer." Jensen said he is disappointed the way negotiations turned out with the city. "We try to keep a good, clean place of business and we felt let down, to say the least," Jensen said. With the loss of Sierra RV, Sunset city officials will miss one of their larger sales tax tenants, the other being the Smith's Food & Drug Center. "They wanted to buy part of (South Park),!' Sunset Mayor Beverly Macfarlane said of what is" adjacent to the business. But residents of the pity opposed the idea of giving up the park space, which as a result prevented Sierra RV's expansion plans. "They needed some more room. Nobody wanted to do it," Macfarlane said, who remains uncertain at this time as to what Sierra RV is going to do with its prime piece of commercial real estate in Sunset. "We will see what they will do with that," Macfarlane said. But while Sierra RV made Sunset city its home, Macfarlane said, previous city councils did do some negotiating to get them there. The city also provided the business with property, the land strip between Main Street and the Davis and Weber counties canal. "Our councils have been pretty good to them," Macfarlane said. The mayor said she is hoping the addition of the new Maverick convenience store on Main Street, and two new used-auto sales businesses coming into the city, will make up for some of the lost sales tax revenues the city will lose with Sierra RV relocating elsewhere. The city receives V2 of 1 percent of the direct sales tax revenues generated from businesses within the city, City Recorder Sue Hale said. Because of confidentiality agreements with private companies enforced by state regulations, Hale said, she could not reveal the exact amount Sierra RV contributes to the city's coffers. "It will be a hit," Hale said. Contact reporter Bryon Saxton at 801-625-4244 or bsaxton@stan- dard.net. Follow him on Twitter at @BryonSaxton. Contact Jesus Lopez Jr. at 801- 625-4239 or jlopez@standard.net. Follow him on Twitter at @jesuslopezSE and like him on Facebook atfacebook.com/Je- susLopezSE. |
