By Tim Mekeel, Lancasteronline.com
A provider of welding equipment and gases is more than doubling the size of its New Holland branch by moving to a larger location there.
Keen Compressed Gas Co. has bought the former O’Neill’s Auto Body location at 580 E. Main St. for $700,000 from Hauck Properties, courthouse records show.
The 0.55-acre site comes with a 6,000-square-foot building, more than double the size of Keen’s current location — a leased building of 2,500 square feet at 605 W. Main St. 2 miles away.
“This is a chance for us to have a bigger and more modern location where we can have more product on display and better serve our customers,” said President Bryan Keen on Monday.
Keen, whose grandfather founded the company in 1919, said Keen Compressed Gas will spend about $100,000 on building repairs, counters, shelves, painting, cleaning and other improvements.
Occupancy is expected by Dec. 1.
Handling the real estate transaction was Scott Bradbury of U.S. Commercial Realty.
The New Holland location, opened 2007, is among 13 branches for Keen Compressed Gas, based in Wilmington, Delaware. The New Holland branch has four employees.
“Our business has doubled in the 10 years we’ve been there, so it’s time” for a larger site that will allow its growth to continue, said Keen.
Keen Compressed Gas sells welding equipment and supplies, power tools, safety supplies and industrial and medical gases.
O’Neill’s Auto Body moved to 131 Jalyn Drive in the Orlan Industrial Park, New Holland, in November 2015.