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Commercial repair shop moving to Castlegar

Bill’s Heavy Duty is expanding into a space near the West Kootenay Regional Airport.
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Bill’s Heavy Duty’s new shop on Hughes Road in Castlegar. (Submitted photo)

A commercial vehicle service business is expanding and moving into Castlegar.

Bill’s Heavy Duty will be opening up shop Nov. 1 in the former Maglio Installations building on Hughes Road, near the West Kootenay Regional Airport.

Bill’s Heavy Duty has been operating in South Slocan since 1978. The move increases the business’s operating space from 6,000 sq. ft. to 30,000 sq. ft.

After 40 years in the same location, considering such a big move was not easy for owner Richard Hernandez.

“We have been in this location for so long, but when we could not make a deal to purchase our current location, we had to look elsewhere,” said Hernandez. “The former Maglio Installations/Finning building came back on the market this summer and we were pleased to be able to make a deal.”

Hernandez began working at the shop in 1993 as a commercial transport technician. When an opportunity to purchase the business came up in 2009, Hernandez made the move to owner.

Richard and his wife Eva work alongside more than a dozen other staff members and hope to add more employees in the future.

“All three of our sons work in the business as well, so we continue the tradition of this being a family business,” said Hernandez.

Castlegar’s CAO Chris Barlow said the city is excited to see another business take over the building.

“It’s another indication towards Castlegar becoming the centralized service center of the West Kootenay, as Bill’s Heavy Duty services a number of fleets across the region,” said Barlow.

“It’s great to see a business in there operating and generating jobs.”

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Betsy Kline

About the Author: Betsy Kline

After spending several years as a freelance writer for the Castlegar News, Betsy joined the editorial staff as a reporter in March of 2015. In 2020, she moved into the editor's position.
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