Big service for big rigs

Dauenhauer Diesel Repair has been among New Rockford's most prominent local businesses for more than a decade, and they're now opening a brand new chapter in their story.

They've grown significantly since their humble beginnings in 2013 as a single service truck. And now, they find themselves upgrading to a 15,400-square-foot shop and office space, which sits on over four acres of land.

It's the latest upgrade for Dauenhauer Diesel's owners, Jacob and Amanda Dauenhauer, who've grown from that single service truck in 2013, to a 4,800-square-foot space in 2018, and now to their new, much larger home.

Located at 319 4th Street South in New Rockford, the new shop offers numerous amenities that the Dauenhauers believe will improve their overall service.

"The parking is definitely better and obviously the shop is bigger than the last one," said Amanda Dauenhauer about their new space. "The set up of this place is better too, like we have our offices separate now instead of all together, so there's better organization."

"And we have more room for parts on hand too," Jacob Dauenhauer said.

"We can effectively get more trucks inside, we can hire more mechanics, and it's definitely better logistically," he explained. "We've doubled how many trucks we can have inside being worked on at the same time, which allows us to multitask better as well."

And to go along with their new and improved shop, Dauenhauer Diesel also has a brand new logo.

The property was previously owned by Wayne Lesmeister, who had been operating his businesses – Lesmeister Construction – from that location for several years.

Included in the Dauenhauer's purchase of their new shop were the adjacent storage units, as well as the building on the corner of 7th Street and 1st Avenue North in New Rockford currently leased by the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture).

The Dauenhauers said the USDA will continue to lease that space under their ownership.

Meanwhile, the acquisition of 13 units now brings the total number of storage units owned by the Dauenhauers in New Rockford to 101, adding to their other local business which includes the storage units, a laundromat and an RV park.

As for their old repair shop on 10th Street, Jacob said he's expecting to have it rented out before the end of this year.

Meanwhile, both Amanda and Jacob expressed their gratitude for the local patrons who've come to rely on their services and who've allowed them to expand over the years.

"It's nice to see that the hard work we put in pays off," said Amanda. "We work a lot of hard days and long nights, so it's nice to see it evolving."

"It's all about family and it's all about having something here for our kids some day, and that's what we care about," Jacob said.