Les Schwab Tire Center

After completing several projects with Les Schwab across Colorado and Montana, their real estate team told me they were preparing to enter North Dakota and South Dakota and asked me to begin identifying sites for their expansion.

I asked a simple question: “So you’re giving me the green light to start putting deals together for you?”

They said yes.

One of the first markets I began studying was Fargo, North Dakota. Fargo and the surrounding area form one of the largest trade centers in the region, and it was clear that Les Schwab would ultimately need multiple stores to properly cover the market.

As I started mapping the city, one corridor immediately stood out on the south side of town near a Walmart and ALDI Foods. The retail activity was strong, and the location had excellent highway visibility.

Adjacent to the ALDI was a large tract of land that immediately caught my attention.

It felt like the site Les Schwab would want.

There was just one problem.

Les Schwab wasn’t planning to tour North Dakota and South Dakota for a couple of months, and this site was too good to sit on. If I waited for a formal tour, there was a strong chance someone else would tie up the property and the opportunity would be gone. So I trusted my instincts.

Without waiting for the tour, I pursued the property and worked to secure control of the site, confident that it would ultimately fit Les Schwab’s model.

It turned out there was competition for the land, but we were able to move quickly and successfully secure the deal.

When Les Schwab eventually toured Fargo, the site was exactly what they were looking for.

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We still had to work through a lot, split with the seller to create the right parcel for development, but the ownership group was cooperative and easy to work with. After finalizing the site configuration, we were able to close the transaction and move the project forward.

Today, Les Schwab has a strong presence in Fargo, anchored by a prime location along one of the city’s most active retail corridors.

J. Clint Jameson, CDP

Managing Partner