NEW ON THE BUSINESS SCENE: AUTO TRIM AT NEW SITE

Auto Trim Design opened at 606 S. Kingshighway recently.

"The move has more than doubled our space," said Dillard Dale, president of Auto Trim Design, which was formerly at 807 Enterprise. "The new location offers us more room, great visibility; our showroom is three times as big."

The 23,000-square-foot structure on South Kingshighway previously housed Coad Chevrolet.

Auto Trim provides custom product lines for vehicles, including trunk decks, sun roofs, cruise control units, bed liners, sliding back windows for pickup trucks and a number of other after-market accessories.

The bulk of Auto Trim's work comes from auto dealers and other businesses, noted Dale. "But about a fourth of our work is for individuals."

Dale has owned the business since 1987 but has more than 20 years in the business.

Auto Trim Design is the former Trim-Line of Cape Girardeau, owned by 3M Co., which opened here in 1976. Dale joined the company at that time as an installer.

When 3M closed its Trim-Line operations, the local company joined Auto Trim Design, headquartered in Indianapolis.

Trim Line is at more than 300 sites, and Dale has three of them. He opened a store in Marion, Ill., in late 1992 and has opened a store at Paducah, Ky.

Dale's company employs 45 people, including some relatives. Today, Auto Trim covers parts of four states over a 200-mile radius.