WESTLOCK – Hundreds came out to celebrate the Saturday, Aug. 20, official opening of the new $7 million, 22,000-square-foot Westlock Powersports and Marine building on the west side of Highway 44 at 104th Street, the largest commercial development in town since 2019.
WPM dealer principal Dan Horinek was beaming during the grand opening, noting they now boast more than 18,000-square feet of showcase space for their sleds, ATVs, side-by-sides, boats, lawn mowers and snow throwers, while the shop is six times larger than the previous location — the building even has a pool for in-water marine testing year-round.
He went on to note there’s space for 15 offices in the building “as we plan to grow our team as the premier powersports and marine dealer for north-central Alberta” and said it’s been a selling point to attract new staff.
Dan said he and his father Ehreth Horinek have made a life-long commitment to Westlock and are extremely proud not only of the new facility but being able to be one of the community’s largest employers. Open for three weeks already, Dan said customers are “floored” by the building and traffic at the site is probably “three or four times higher” than their previous location in the west industrial park on Highway 18.
“My father and I have great ties to the town — I was born and raised here and I’m raising my family here. We’re just so proud to be able to open what we think is an outstanding facility that’s been built to last,” said Dan. “It’s exciting to be able to make this kind of long-term investment in the town. Between all of our businesses we employ right around 90 people which puts us as one of the biggest employers in Westlock.”
And while the pandemic did offer some challenges during construction, which started last summer, Dan said it actually created more demand for their products. Meanwhile, Precision Collision Repair and Restoration has stayed on the other half of the lot which ends at 106th Street, while the main office for Precision Design and Manufacturing now occupies WPM’s old space on Highway 18.
“We had this all planned prior to COVID but the pandemic just helped push it along. To be honest, we were lucky to have a business that was able to thrive during COVID,” he said.
Westlock & District Chamber of Commerce president Graeme Harrington called the building “fantastic” and applauded the Horineks for their continued support of the community.
Although the last two years have been relatively quiet for seven-figure commercial projects in town, 2019 saw the new Brick building and Westlock Motors Bodyshop go up across the street from one another of Highway 18 east, while the new DQ restaurant also opened on Highway 44 just south of WPM.
“It’s fantastic. We’re excited and proud of what they’ve done. As a chamber member and a business, they represent themselves and the town so well and it gives that highway frontage a modern, contemporary facelift that looks great and will be spectacular for years to come,” said Harrington. “This is really a crowning achievement for them, and we’re really excited to see what they continue to do moving forward.”
Mayor Ralph Leriger called the building “spectacular” and said he’s even gotten comments from out-of-towners on its majesty.
“Just look at it, it’s spectacular. It’s absolutely first-class, just like all of the businesses that are run by the Horineks. They don’t do anything second rate,” said Leriger. “It’s gorgeous and is in a great location on the way to lake country. And I’ve even heard from people in Edmonton asking me about what was going up on the highway — people who are driving through are noticing that there’s something going on in Westlock.
“Looks tell the story, it’s impressive.”
