Humboldt Ford anticipates opening new building early next year

Construction can seem like a never ending process, especially amidst a world that is experiencing continuous issues with rising inflation and material and labor shortages, but development at Humboldt Ford has made steady progress since February of 2021.

Owners, Steve and Alethea Kuhn, confirmed that the project is approximately 80 percent complete and they are anticipating to open fully in just a few short months, in February of 2023.

The Kuhns said that they have been avoiding many expensive development delays because they started acquiring materials for the rebuild nine months prior to the start of construction, with glass and windows going into the building just recently.

When they moved to Winnemucca from the Idaho Falls area, the Kuhns explained, they knew that Winnemucca and the greater parts of Humboldt County were underserved and they wanted to bring the appropriate level of services to the area.

“We knew the building would not fit the needs of the community,” said Steve Kuhn.

It was decided that an extensive remodel would be more fitting to the community, rather than some minor upgrades to the existing showroom and shop, so they decided to do an overhaul, even with the potential complications that construction could have caused for business.

Thankfully, the community was very accepting, according to Steve Kuhn. He said “the community honored us with their business and made us successful right off the bat.”

The new building will feature an expansion of space and services as well, especially the express lube services, like oil changes, inspections for preventive maintenance, and an automatic car wash, according to Alethea and Steve Kuhn.

“Our goal is to shorten customers’ time here by 50 percent,” said Alethea Kuhn.

Despite the progress of the project, there have been “pain points” that Humboldt Ford has experienced throughout the progress of the project, like difficulty with staffing and labor for the construction, which has put them just slightly behind schedule.

According to Alethea Kuhn, there is a very significant national shortage of automotive technicians and Humboldt Ford is working hard to create a family-like atmosphere where employees can grow their skills and have viable careers.

Attending career fairs, visiting the local schools, and creating a “culture” of expertise is a part of Humboldt Ford’s efforts to help address the shortage.

“As business owners, we have to be willing to participate in this community to be problem solvers,” said Alethea Kuhn.

Finding local contractors to work with for the construction of the new building was very important in efforts to be active participants of the community, explained Steve Kahun. Hunewill Construction, Michael Clay Corp., Northern Nevada Concrete, Fast Glass, and RHP Mechanical, are just a few of the businesses that Steve Kuhn commended for their continual work on the project, stating that “they are some of the best we’ve ever seen”.

Humboldt Ford also focuses on how they can give back and invest back into the community in other ways. According to Steve Kuhn, they prefer a more traditional form of marketing, with their engagement in the community and advertising centered around sponsorship of events, many of which are organized by nonprofits.

“We prefer to be involved in different activities in the community and help sponsor them to get our name out there,” said Kuhn.