At Appro Development and Cerron Commercial Properties, every client we work with has different needs. Whether it’s commercial real estate, land development, construction design, or one of many other services, we strive to meet each client’s unique requirements for their project.

And in instances where a client’s project requires multiple services, this often means that both arms of our company get to work together to realize the client’s vision. This was the case with our latest project — constructing a second building for Dick’s Valley Service in Apple Valley, MN.

In this joint project, the teams at Appro and Cerron helped Dick’s Valley Service find and buy the right plot of land, work through the land development process, and finally design and build their new building.

Here’s an overview of how this project came about, the challenges we faced in completing it, and the solutions we implemented to bring it all together.

Expanding To Better Meet the Needs of Their Customers

Serving Apple Valley, greater Minnesota, and surrounding states since 1965, Dick’s Valley Service is a family run business that specializes in auto repair, towing, and equipment transportation.

They were referred to us through one of our subcontractors.

Dick’s was running out of space in their existing facility, and needed to expand to meet their increasing customer demand. In addition, they wanted to separate two different sections of their business. To meet those needs and make room for company growth, they wanted to construct a second building for their business, preferably within the Apple Valley area.

Cerron took the lead by doing a site search to find the right property for the build. They ultimately narrowed the search down to a lot in Apple Valley that fit the bill, and helped Dick’s close on the lot.

From there, Cerron and Appro worked together through the due diligence and city processes necessary to build, while Appro also provided design and build options. Appro provided multiple options and layouts as well as multiple cost alternatives to find the best solution for our client’s needs and the requirements of the site.

The project broke ground on July 13th, and is well underway.

Learn more about this project and view progress photos here.

3 Challenges We Faced In This Project

Every project has its challenges, and this build was no exception. There were three main hurdles we had to overcome to make this project a success:

• First, Dick’s is a local business and they wanted to stay in Apple Valley. However, because of their use needs, there were limited land options available in that area. Thankfully, the pros at Cerron were able to find a property that meets the needs of this project.
• However, the land parcel did have a major encumbrance with a gas line. To minimize the impact to the gas pipeline easement area, Jim and the Appro team did several redesigns of the site. Ultimately, they came up with the best solution for the site design.
• Finally, there was a very complicated city process that we had to work through to obtain a conditional use permit. The Appro team did a wonderful job of coordinating the details and completing this process.

Dick’s is a high integrity, well-qualified client with an outstanding reputation, and they hung in there through a very complicated process where others might have given up. Hats off to the team at Dicks for sticking it out!

Working Together To Build a Bigger Future for Our Client

In the end, Cerron and Appro helped Dick’s with a real estate search, site selection, city processes and regulations, construction design, and ultimately, the build of their new structure.

As a team we have been honored to be a part of helping another client expand their business and build a bigger future for their company. 

If you’re interested in learning more about building, buying, or leasing a new space for your business, the Appro and Cerron teams would love to help. Contact us today to get started.