“We’re about 80 to 85 percent completed and we want to help Middletown prosper,” Allen said.
He said the service department is operational and the cafe is close to completion. A mural of the Cincinnati skyline on one of the interior walls is underway and should be completed in the coming weeks. The dealership’s showroom is full of BMW motorcycles, apparel and other merchandise are on the shelves. There are 22 motorcycles from BMW available for demonstration rides this weekend.
“We expect to have a good turnout,” he said. “We want to bring more people to Middletown.”
He said they have been reaching out to various motorcycle clubs in the region about the opening.
Allen described his experience of working with Middletown officials as “pleasurable” because he’s enjoyed the experience so much he has goose bumps. He said it took a lot of hard work and sacrifice “but after putting his plan together, it was easy to execute.”
MORE: BMW motorcycle dealership continuing to transform former Middletown senior center
Work on the project started in early 2018 and was expected to be completed by Dec. 31, 2018. Allen said the project was completed under budget.
The $1.273 million in construction costs and upgrades to the facility, including separating all utilities from the city’s municipal building, and will create 12 new full-time jobs and $375,000 in new payroll. The building formerly housed the Middletown Senior Center. It had been empty for the past decade after the senior center moved to its new facility on Central Avenue.
“The transformation of this facility has been absolutely amazing,” said Rick Pearce, president and CEO of The Chamber of Commerce Serving Middletown, Monroe and Trenton.
The Columbus-based Allen family also owns Motohio, a dealership with multiple lines of motorcycles including BMW. Allen said his family owns the BMW motorcycle dealership rights for the Columbus, Cincinnati and Dayton regions. Other than Columbus, the nearest BMW motorcycle dealerships are in Indianapolis and in Louisville.
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