Lot improvement is latest update at Schwab

By PAUL DELANEY

Staff Reporter

A brand new parking lot is the latest in a long list of upgrades and improvements made at the Cheney Les Schwab Tire Center, but the upgrades are not complete, company officials said.

That construction project started March 1, company marketing coordinator Shelly Rapp wrote in an email.

“It has given us a new, improved look from First Street and offers ample customer parking on a single level, with extra handicapped parking spaces,” Rapp said.

It’s the latest in a number of updates and additions to the Cheney store that most recently included the construction of a truck center and warehouse.

These latest improvements came following the company requesting from the Cheney City Council and receiving an official vacation of Spokane Street in the summer of 2015. Council voted unanimously on the matter after hearing no public comment.

“We are improving our Cheney store based on feedback from Les Schwab employees and customers,” Rapp said.

Prior to the addition of the truck center and warehouse, all large trucks and farm tractors were worked on behind the store. “The new truck center allows us to improve our customer service by having more room to work in and offers improved access for our commercial trucks,” Rapp said.

The Cheney store is currently in the design phase of a remodel of the inside showroom. What Rapp called a “Modern, open-concept design will help customers more easily find the right products and services to fit their driving and maintenance needs.”

Les Schwab systematically updates existing stores and incorporates new features and finishes, Rapp explained when asked about what the criteria is for selecting properties for updates.

“After more than 30 years in business, the Cheney Les Schwab Tire Center had earned improvements, so it’s ready to serve customers for the next three decades,” Rapp added.

Founded in Prineville, Ore. in 1952 by its namesake, Les Schwab, the company is now headquartered in Bend, Ore. and employs nearly 8,000 people in some 500 locations across the Western U.S.

Paul Delaney can be reached at pdelaney@cheneyfreepress.com.