The shop at La Grande Light Truck, pictured in its new location at 1805 Adams Ave., is a full service mechanic shop specializing in pickups and diesel trucks, with contracts with local commercial fleets. It also does work on hot rods, and window tinting and bed liners are additional features already under way in the new shop. (Tim Mustoe/The Observer)

Within a year, the property where Western States CAT used to be will see a pair of compatible, bustling businesses working hand-in-hand in a freshly refurbished building. Elsewhere on the property, hungry people will flock to a diverse selection of food truck options, while two other companies see customers streaming in and out.

It’s an ambitious vision, one that Heidi Adams knows won’t be easy. But it’s also one that has her, along with her husband, Luke, excited at the possibilities.

“We have quite the little dream for it, and everything seems to be falling into place,” Heidi said.

The couple acquired the piece of property at 1805 Adams Ave. earlier this year. Helped by a large grant from the Urban Renewal Agency, they’re going to name the lot Adams Professional Plaza to reflect several businesses set to operate.

The Adamses have been in the process of moving their company, La Grande Light Truck, into space in the former CAT building, and the business has been operating out of the new location.

Heidi said Luke has been in business for over 20 years, and originally started a company in Lakeview, where he’s from. They moved back to the Grande Ronde Valley, where Heidi was born and raised, in 2012, bringing the company to La Grande. This will be the third location in town, after initially being located in space previously held by Complete Auto Repair, before moving into the old Grande Ronde Sign building. The new shop is going to be 20,000 square feet, about five times bigger than LGLT’s last spot, Heidi said.

“This should be our final resting place,” she said. “It’s huge. We’re very excited about it, but it’s a big move for us. It’s exciting and scary — all the emotions.”

She said a big reason they decided to go through with the move was because of the steady growth of the business.

“Our business is going very well,” she said. “Since we’ve been (in the new location), new customers have already been coming in. We have confidence that it’sgoing to succeed and it’s going to work.”

LGLT is a full service mechanic shop specializing in pickups and diesel trucks, with contracts with local commercial fleets. It also does work on hot rods, and window tinting and bed liners are additional features already under way in the new shop.

“What we offer is (trucks) can stop by for an oil change, just like a Quickie Lube, and then we’ll get right on it,” Heidi said. “If they have a breakdown, we could be on it within 30 minutes. So we’re offering this to them, that we’re here to cater to the working man (and) the working company.”

The added space will allow for plenty of expansion, which should be in place within the year.

“We eventually want to be able to be full service,” Heidi said.

That includes carrying tires and other retail items and diesel exhaust fluid — a highly specialized chemical.

Developing the actual lot LGLT is located on was boosted by the URA funds, which aided the goal of getting everything in place within a year. Adams Professional Services, Inc., was awarded a grant of $54,380 in May, which will help upgrade and construct the building, including improving the heaters, which were operating at just 50 percent efficiency.

The grant also allowed the company to go from a “two-man team to a five-man team,” Heidi said, not including office personnel. The hires included a diagnostic expert who was retired but needed supplemental income to sustain his family and someone who was trying to relocate from Seattle, Washington, to Elgin to join his family. The company is still looking for a full-time parts worker for LGLT.

Plus, they’ll have a program for an Imbler High School student to get technical training for school credits.

“It’s a big shot in the arm,” Heidi said of the grant. “It’s going to help us achieve our goals, and it’s going to help downtown (by) bringing in these commercial and industrial businesses. (It) will help this piece of property really flourish.”

The other company located in the building can’t officially be named, as it has a lease currently set up elsewhere. Heidi did say that the business is compatible with LGLT. After some walls are knocked down, glass double-doors will be installed for easy flow between the two companies, with a showroom area for the second business.

“We are going to have a huge grand opening for our two businesses, I’m hoping in July or August,” Heidi said.

Mid Columbia Bus Company and a professional sign company that sells steel is also going to be located on the lot on leases.

The food truck court, to be located on the right side as one enters the lot, is another facet that excites the LGLT owners. After fixing the water main for direct link to water and sewer, Heidi said, a variety of food trucks will be put in place with a drive-through feature for one and a seating area for customers.

“It adds a dimension that La Grande doesn’t have,” Heidi said. “We’re calling it a professional plaza for a reason. Anybody that comes on, I have to be convinced that they know what they’re doing, meet all the codes (and) standards, and that their food is good.”

Heidi said her company is going to buy 20 meals for each new food truck to give to LGLT customers to continue the promotion of the businesses complementing each other.

“The businesses in here are going to attract people of all kinds,” Heidi said. “It’s going to promote a lot of traffic in this area. We want to make this a really hopping location.”