A new long-haul truck sales and service facility broke ground at the site of its future home at the Kelowna International Airport on Friday
Officials with the City of Kelowna, YLW and Velocity Truck Centres were on hand for the ceremony to mark the start of construction on what will be a 41,000 square-foot facility, including 19 service bays.
The centre will be highlighted by state-of-the-art innovation in compressed natural gas, among other green technology.
“The opportunity for us to build a dealership location here that really will be focused on zero-emission vehicles that will be battery electric, that will be hydrogen compressed natural gas, is very important and we would like to go lockstep hand in hand with the airport as they push forward,” said Rod Graham, president of Velocity Truck Centres Canada.
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“I think that certainly the citizens of Kelowna, citizens of British Columbia, and Canadians deserve to have this as the next step of where we go.”
Velocity Truck Centres Canada has 18 locations across B.C. and Alberta, as well as more than 100 branches in the U.S., Mexico and Australia through its parent company, Velocity Vehicle Group. According to Graham, the company’s new location in Kelowna will benefit the local economy.
“In terms of jobs, employment is always key and critical, and so we will be looking to add another 40 well-paying jobs into the Kelowna region,” he said.
“From a training perspective, we will be working with the local colleges and universities, and we’re going to use this as a centre of excellence, and certainly look to have this as part of the training schools.”
Graham added the company will lease the facility on airport land for 30 years. The goal is to have the facility fully up and running by the end of 2024.