GREENVILLE — Dave Knapp Ford Lincoln, Inc. is building a new service facility to give technicians more room, accommodate growing demand, and get customers back on the road sooner.
The expansion will also free up space in the dealership’s existing service area for an express oil change bay, allowing customers to stop in for routine service without scheduling an appointment.
The project marks more than three decades in business for the family dealership, with founder and president Dave Knapp still involved alongside his twin sons, General Manager Bryan Knapp and sales consultant Brad Knapp.
Dave Knapp said increased service demand prompted the investment.
“Since we have such an increase in service business after 33 years, we’re still growing,” he said.
The dealership is serving as its own general contractor, using local businesses and relationships developed over the years to complete the project.
“We have used all the relationships that we have built for 33 years to do the work,” Dave Knapp said.
For Bryan Knapp, construction represents the realization of a project discussed for years.
“Ford’s been pushing us for 23 years to do this project,” he said. “We had a shop getting ready to be put up right before the lockdowns during COVID, so we put the brakes on, just thinking the worst was going to happen. And here we are, six years later.”
Despite that delay, the dealership has continued to grow.
“We’re glad to be expanding,” Bryan Knapp said.
The dealership also recently expanded its vehicle lot, adding a 60-foot-wide section extending to the back of the property.
Brad Knapp said the service expansion has been a long time coming and will provide opportunities to bring in additional technicians.
“It’s good to expand, get some more techs in here,” he said.
Service Manager Kasi Gregson said the new building will give each technician access to two work bays, allowing greater flexibility when a repair requires an extended stay or a wait for parts.
“It’s going to add one bay per technician,” Gregson said. “So each technician is going to have two bays.”
That extra space will let technicians leave a major repair in one bay while using another to diagnose a vehicle or address an urgent problem.
“If we’re working on a big engine job or something like that, and somebody comes in with an emergency, we can stop on that, have room to pull their vehicle in, check it out, and try and get them back on the road,” Gregson said.
Brad Knapp said the arrangement will help technicians stay productive when they can’t finish a vehicle immediately.
“So while one stall is waiting for parts, the other one’s diagnosing another,” he said.
Moving service work into the new building will create room for the express oil change bay in the existing service area. The express lane will give customers an option beyond the department’s traditional appointment schedule.
“Something else we’re going to do is we will have an express oil change bay as well,” Gregson said.
Customers will be able to stop in for an oil change without scheduling an appointment, she said. Gregson said an oil change using five quarts of oil costs $59.95.
The express service will also offer routine maintenance checks and services, including windshield wiper and bulb replacement, fluid checks and multipoint inspections.
“We’ll do a multipoint inspection,” Gregson said. “Check all your fluid levels, your wipers, your bulbs. Make sure all your lights are working. Check your brakes, everything like that.”
As service operations expand at the dealership, the Dave Knapp collision center will remain at its Wagner Avenue location behind Walmart.
Bryan Knapp said the family considered combining the collision center and new service shop but decided the investment didn’t make financial sense.
“We entertained bringing both the new shop and collision center together, but financially it just didn’t make sense,” he said. “It was a big investment.”
Brad Knapp said the existing collision center continues to serve the business well.
“We have a nice location and a good staff there, and it works fine, so we’re going to keep it the way it is,” he said.
The dealership plans to hold a grand opening so customers and community members can see the completed service facility.
“We’ll do a grand opening here, and we’ll just have like a nice little get-together and show people the shop,” Bryan Knapp said.
During construction, the dealership is holding a construction sale, marking down vehicles to make room for the new service department.
For Dave Knapp, the expansion is another chapter in a business built on customer relationships and community involvement, including support for young people at the Great Darke County Fair.
“The only thing I can tell you is that the Lord must have known that I was going to be a cheerful giver, because he has just blessed our business,” Knapp said.
Those relationships have helped keep the business enjoyable for its founder, who continues to visit the dealership and spend time with employees.
“I like to come in on Friday and pass out checks and give them a pat on the back and say I’ll see you next week,” he said.
Gregson, who has worked for Knapp for nearly 32 years, said the workplace has long felt like family.
“It’s like working with your dad. It’s like going home,” she said. “He is a great mentor for me.”
Although his sons handle much of the dealership’s daily operations, Dave Knapp said he intends to remain part of the business.
“I am going to work my whole life,” he said.
