9389 Riley St.
Zeeland, MI 49464
Jobs Expected To Be Created: 8
Auto Body Xperts is a full service auto body repair shop with four locations throughout West Michigan. The company started back in 1948 with one location in Hudsonville. In 1982, Bob Arnoldink and John Schout purchased the business, and began expanding operations with satellite locations. In 1998, the first satellite location opened in Wayland, and in 2000 they started a third location in Holland. As the business continued to grow, Bob and John began looking for land to build a fourth location in Zeeland. This area was ideal for them as this shop can take on overflow work from Holland and Hudsonville along with serving new business in Zeeland, an underserved market.
The 504 Loan Program was the perfect fit for their expansion. The new building, located at 9389 Riley Street in Zeeland, is 12,000 square feet with four garages for repairs, along with ample office space for employees as well. They qualified for a 10% down payment as this was an expansion of their existing operations and a multi-purpose property. SBA considers auto body repair shops to be multi-purpose if the building does not have pits AND permanent in-ground lifts.
The SBA debenture funded in February, providing a 20 year fixed rate for the borrower on 40% of the project cost. Great Lakes Commercial Finance (GLCF) partnered with Mike Eling of West Michigan Community Bank to provide the long term financing for the land and construction of the new building. According to Bob Arnoldink, “We had a very positive experience with the 504 program! Because of the program, we were able to build a state of the art facility that would allow us to employ more people and serve our customers better.”