The AllState Peterbilt Group started exploring the construction of a new truck service center and dealership in Superior in 2020, but the $1.8 billion Blatnik Bridge replacement project served as the real catalyst to make the move happen.
Two years ago, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) told AllState Peterbilt and a handful of nearby businesses they would need to vacate by early 2026. Funding from the WisDOT relocation assistance program facilitated the move, with AllState Peterbilt making its own financial outlay for a proper, new facility.
“The company’s investment into the expanded infrastructure shows a commitment to continue operating and providing services in the community for years to come,” the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the lead agency on the project, said.
AllState Peterbilt’s move went from an old and cramped 11,000-square-foot space at the foot of the Blatnik Bridge, 211 Hammond Avenue, to a spacious and efficient 22,500-square-foot facility at 2929 Belknap Street, off the ramp to the Bong Bridge. They closed the old spot on the first Friday in February and opened the new location the following Monday.
AllState Peterbilt roughly doubled the size of its maintenance bays for semi-trucks to 12 bays, with improved ingress and egress for those trucks and expanded its parts storage space.
Mark DeWitt, the AllState Peterbilt service manager, said “everything” changed.
“We have more bays, much more room for the technicians, better lighting, bigger warehouse, more storage space for parts, bigger parts area, offices,” he said. “I mean, everything is incredible with this building compared to the other building.”
The AllState Peterbilt Group – which is owned by WD Larson Companies – started in South St. Paul, Minn., in 1971 and has grown to the largest full-service dealership in the Upper Midwest. It has roughly 20 locations across Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa.
Kyle Gillett is AllState Peterbilt’s director of service operations, oversees the shops/dealerships and its trucks; he declined to share the amount of outside funding received for the relocation.
“We were building a millions of dollars facility and if you get some sort of support, a coupon, a big coupon, in some relocation funds from the city or the state, the DOT, that’s beneficial to help fund a project like this,” he said.
DeWitt estimated the new location has led to the amount of business increasing steadily in Superior. “Probably a 30 percent increase since we’ve opened the doors here,” he said. “It’s helping substantially. Everybody’s seeing it.
Gillett singled out “space” as the biggest upgrade with the new Superior location.
“It’s just a lot easier when you have an organized shop that has the space for equipment and customers’ vehicles,” Gillett said. “Being able to pull in a truck and trailer that’s still hooked up is a huge advantage versus dropping a trailer or not even being able to fit a trailer into a shop because you don’t have enough space.”
Dewitt said a doubling of AllState Peterbilt’s workspace has allowed them to cut their “dwell time” – the amount of time spent in one area within a system before being able to move onto the next step. It has “dropped dramatically,” with estimates that might have been cut by one-third the time.
The new space cuts down on the amount of juggling and brought in a more-streamlined work process.
“We can have more (trucks) down for major repairs in the shop at one time,” DeWitt said. “Before we had to kind of move things in and out if we’re waiting on parts or something along those lines. There’s a lot more room for the technicians to perform their work around these trucks. When we get a repair complete, it’s a lot easier for workflow in the shop.”
AllState Peterbilt Superior sells both OEM (original equipment manufacturer) and aftermarket parts and conducts repairs for all makes and models.
Brian Hunter, the parts manager at Allstate Peterbilt Superior for nine years, called the new facility “absolutely perfect.”
“With our larger warehouse now, I can actually increase that ability to store parts if I need to,” he said.
Hunter manages seven employees at the Superior location; he has seen a better workplace culture in the new location.
“Just the general mood is a lot better because everything is so much cleaner, and there’s so much more room, more capability,” he said. “It definitely was a boost when we moved into the new facility.”
Added Gillett: “It’s just made us a lot more efficient, cleaner. You can find stuff a lot easier when it’s not tucked away in a corner.”
Gillett thanked the 21 total Superior employees for their patience in waiting for a new workspace.
“The employees deserved this,” he said. “The employees and customers deserved a facility that was modern. Their patience in waiting for this; we’re super, super grateful. We didn’t lose any employees waiting for this. They were promised a new facility and it got delivered. I think everybody’s ecstatic about it, so we take a lot of pride in it.”
Allstate Peterbilt had initial issues finding new real estate. The City of Superior suggested a location, but six months later, it was not going to be available, Gillett said. Finding quality soil to build on was another hurdle.
Then they found the location just off the Bong Bridge, with ample space for trucks to maneuver.
“Instead of driving all the way through the City of Superior to get to the south side by the fairgrounds, we’re fortunate enough to find a piece of property close to the bridges, and that helps our customers,” Gillett said.
The AllState Peterbilt Superior location had a grand opening on June 18. Members of the Superior-Douglas County Area Chamber of Commerce, city and state officials and area business leaders attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony and grill out. AllState Peterbuild also invited Wieser Brothers General Contractor and several other builders on the project.
“We had some vendors with some stuff on display, some new trucks on display,” DeWitt said. “Just to let everybody kind of come in and see what we were all about, check out our new building and gawk over it a little bit.”
Andy Greder is a Twin Cities-based freelance writer.
