JIM WILSON CO. BREAKS GROUND ON WAREHOUSE SITE

Jim Wilson Co., a wholesaler distributor of automotive, light truck and heavy duty truck parts, tires and shop equipment, is moving to a new site in Cape Girardeau.

James B. "Brad" Wilson, president of Jim Wilson Co., joined company officials and others Friday morning for a groundbreaking ceremony for the company's building, to be constructed at 2007 Southern Expressway. The company -- which covers Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee -- delivers their products throughout the area with a 40-vehicle fleet. It has an outside sales force of 17 and a busy telemarketing department, "This is another great day for the company," said Wilson, who lifted the first shovel of dirt during the formal ceremony. At signal from Wilson, company employees released several balloons which floated high into the bright morning sky. Kiefner Brothers Inc. is the contractor for the new facility, which will be constructed on 5.5 acres. Jim Wilson Co., an employee-owned company, is currently operating out of its headquarters building at 2100 Themis. The Jim Wilson Co. started business in 1947 -- founded by James W. Wilson, father of the current president -- in a 600-square-foot garage. He was joined by his brother, Jack Wilson, and moved operations to a 1,200-square-foot building on Highway 61.

In 1950, Jim Wilson Co. relocated to a 4,800-square-foot warehouse on South Spanish Street. The space was expanded an additional 20,000 square feet.

In 1965, the company moved to a newly constructed 31,000 square foot masonry structure at 2100 Themis. A month later the building was destroyed by fire, and the Wilson had to rebuild.

The Themis Street location has been expanded a number of times over the years, to more than 70,000 square feet. Today the company employs more than 100. It was in 1977 that the brothers sold the company to The James Wilson Co. Employees Trust.

The Wilson Brothers retired in 1987, and R.J. McKinney, who had been an officer of the company since the early 1950s, was elected president. He retired in 1998 as Chairman of the Board.

James B. Wilson has served as president since 1995. "We still take great pride in the fact that the company is an employee-owner base company," said Wilson."We're a family-oriented company," he said. "We realize that the progress and success we have attained would not have been possible without valued customers, and we look forward to serving the new customers with the same enthusiasm the Wilsons did in serving their first customers 50 years ago."Express Tire & Auto Center, a subsidiary, opened in Cape Girardeau in October 1988 in a 7,628-square-foot building with 11 bays, as a retail outlet that offers tires, motor tuneups and other automotive service.