Les Schwab Tire Center

In early 2022, Les Schwab asked me to begin identifying and assembling development opportunities for their planned expansion into North Dakota and South Dakota. I took that assignment seriously and spent a significant amount of time scouting both states, putting together multiple sites for their real estate team to tour and evaluate.

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One of my primary areas of focus was Fargo. I had assembled a strong site on the south side of Fargo, along with another opportunity in neighboring Moorhead, Minnesota, which serves the same trade area. At the same time, I had been trying to identify a location on the northwest side of Fargo, near Costco. My search was primarily focused along Veterans Boulevard, but I hadn't found a site that I felt was the right fit.

 

When the Les Schwab real estate team traveled to Fargo to tour the sites I had assembled, they also drove the area around Costco. During that visit, they identified a parcel along 23rd Avenue that was available and called me with a simple instruction: "Go put that site together."

 

It wasn't a property I likely would have pursued on my own, but I appreciated the lead and immediately shifted my efforts toward assembling the site. The transaction itself was relatively straightforward. The property was available for purchase, and aside from working through a handful of recorded CCRs related to building height and parking requirements, there were few significant challenges during development.

 

The project moved through entitlement and construction with relatively little fanfare, and today the Les Schwab store is open and operating successfully.