The final phase has been completed of a massive transformation – launched 12 months ago – of the Fort Dodge Kemna Auto campus at the intersection of First Avenue South and 25th Street.

Kemna Auto of Fort Dodge, a General Motors dealership owned by Ken and Carey Kemna, relocated to a just-finished building southwest of its previous home last weekend. On Monday, customers were welcomed to the company’s new, high-tech, multifaceted local facility. The structure that had housed the enterprise has been demolished to create more lot space for the business.

The Kemna investment in Fort Dodge also included constructing a Valvoline quick lane outlet and a car wash on the corner of First Avenue South and 25th Street and moving Auto-Smart, a used car vendor, to a site just north of Valvoline. The AutoSmart relocation took place last year. Valvoline began serving customers on March 28.

“One of the things that we as a company have been committed to for a long time is making sure that we invest back into the community that supports us,” Carey Kemna said in October 2013, announcing these projects. “My grandfather, who founded the company, had that feeling. My father has always had that feeling. And I want to be able to continue that tradition.”

Carey Kemna said last week the success the Kemnas have experienced in the local market since they took over the Fort Dodge GM franchise made these major enhancements of their Fort Dodge operation possible.

“We feel it is a growing market that has been real good for us the last seven years,” he said. “The investment as far as building a new facility, putting the money in the service department and the technology and the level of service that we are able to offer is … based on the history that we’ve had in Fort Dodge and great luck that we’ve had with people continuing to do business with us.”

Kemna said the economic boom Webster County is experiencing is benefiting many local merchants including car dealers. He said the prospect that further growth is on the horizon made his company’s decision to strengthen its presence here highly attractive.

“There are so many communities within a 30-mile radius that come to Fort Dodge for shopping,” Kemna said. “Fort Dodge has become a hub.”

The new building

The building that was constructed to be the home for Kemna Auto of Fort Dodge as the 21st century unfolds has many cutting-edge features.

It is spacious and has a very open feeling. The showroom areas have more than twice the space for displaying vehicles that existed at the old site. Additionally, extensive use of natural light improves the ambience both for customers and employees.

When artificial light is needed, however, anyone looking for a light switch will be hard-pressed to find one.

“There are no light switches,” Carey Kemna said. “Everything is motion-sensored. Lights immediately go off. There is not much of a carbon footprint for electricity. Every light is LED.

Security has been made a priority.

“All the doors to rooms where private information is housed have electronic security,” Kemna said. “If people have security access, they’ll be able to access these offices. If they don’t they won’t. … Everything is electronically controlled as far as allowing people access.”

Cameras are present throughout the building and campus.

“We’ve got 23 cameras throughout the facility,” Kemna said. “It all links to the Internet, so we can actually check them anyplace in the world.”

The service department incorporates features one will not find in many dealerships.

“It should be the cleanest and brightest shop you’ve every seen,” Kemna said. “It has the most state-of-the-art equipment that you’ll see.”

The features also benefit workers.

“There is a special ergonomical floor that is easy on the joints, the legs and the back – plus it cleans up real nice,” Kemna said.

A good example of the investment in the latest technology is the Altesco Diagnostic System.

“It’s the only thing of its kind in the state of Iowa,” Kemna explained. “It’s called an Altesco machine. Everybody that comes into our service department, we do a free brake, alignment and suspension analysis at no charge.”

The building also has an Auto Spa that provides reconditioning and detailing services. Kemna said the new and used vehicles the company owns will be enhanced in this area, but these services are also available to the public. He said this type of professional detailing for customer-owned vehicles isn’t readily available elsewhere in the community.

The Kemnas have also included features that will make a customer’s visit to the premises more pleasant and convenient.

The customer lounge includes two televisions. Kemna said one will be tuned to cable programming, the other to marketing information. The area has snack and beverage machines and comfortable seating. Adjacent to the lounge is a glassed-in playroom for children.

“Kids want to be kids,” Kemna said “They want to play. They’ve got their own TV in there.”

The construction that has taken place during the last year has hugely revamped Kemna’s physical presence in Fort Dodge. It has also been good for other local businesses.

Carey Kemna said local contractors were used extensively.

“Everything that could be bought locally was,” he said.

About Kemna Auto Group

Joe Kemna, who died in 1995, founded the company in Bancroft in 1956. His son, Ken Kemna, became the owner in 1987. Ken Kemna’s son, Carey Kemna, joined the team in 1999 after graduating from Iowa State University and became a co-owner with his father in 2007. The Kemnas now have General Motors dealerships in Algona, the corporate headquarters, Fort Dodge and Jackson, Minnesota. There are AutoSmart outlets in Algona, Fort Dodge and Spirit Lake. The new Valvoline quick lane opened in Fort Dodge in March.

Carey Kemna leads the Fort Dodge operation. He said the local work force includes 30 at the dealership, 10 at Valvoline and four at AutoSmart.

Kemna Auto offers its customers access to a huge vehicle selection. Kemna said the company’s assorted stores have about a $17 million vehicle inventory.

“Here in Fort Dodge at any given time we’ll have between $6 million and $7 million of vehicles, both new and used,” he said.

Kemna said the local dealership has seen its business grow rapidly in terms of monthly vehicle sales.

“We do about 40 new now,” he said. “When we came it was five or six. Used was doing only 10 and now we’re doing 60.”

Kemna is bullish about the potential for monthly sales to grow in the years ahead.

“I think the market easily is 50 if not pushing 70 or 75,” he said.

Kemna said the enhancement of the company’s Fort Dodge complex reflects a long-term commitment to doing business here.

“This dispels any concern about the longevity of a GM dealership in Fort Dodge,” he said. “Obviously, an investment like this ensures we are here for a long time. I’m 37 years old. I don’t intend to retire before I’m 70. … The commitment to Fort Dodge is extremely firm. … We’re just going to focus on being the best at what we do.”

Kemna has a message of gratitude to everyone who has helped make the company a local success story.

“We thank Fort Dodge for being supportive,” he said. “We also thank our employees for being loyal and enthusiastic.”