News Summary

Springfield, Ohio — In the next few weeks, area residents will see some familiar businesses take on new looks at new locations.

•Kemp's, a floor coverings business in Springfield since 1979, will relocate to the former Denny's restaurant at 2209 S. Limestone St.

Renovations are nearing completion, said owner Lou Kemp, and the new location will provide an updated and expanded showroom, a children's area and a small meeting room that will be available for public use.

Kemp, who spent 35 years with Navistar, said his main objective "is to continue our focus on customer service and employee service. We want to take care of our customers and employees."

•Enterprise Rent-A-Car will move from its present location at 1044 Upper Valley Pike to 830 N. Bechtle Ave., formerly Scooter's restaurant and more recently The Sportsmen's Club.

"We've been in town for more than 10 years. The move resulted from us researching strategic locations that were more visible and more accessible," said Chuck Turman, regional vice president for Enterprise.

Springfield represents a mature market with growth potential for the rental car agency and Turman is forecasting growth which would allow Enterprise to add to its existing staff of four full-time and three part-time positions.

"This is presently the biggest opportunity in my region," Turman said.

•Bill Marine Auto Center is nearing the end of construction on its new Honda dealership adjacent to its existing facility at 415 E. North St. The more than 20,000 square-foot facility is expected to open in September and will house the Honda showroom, offices and the parts and service center.

•A new Taco Bell restaurant is being built at 2149 S. Limestone St. to replace the previous South side location at 1931 S. Limestone St. that was destroyed by fire in August 2007. The new location will be a stand-alone Taco Bell with no other brands represented; the store is scheduled to open at the end of August.

The store will support approximately 30 to 35 employees, with some old employees returning. The remaining positions will be filled with a number of new hires, said spokesperson Monica Hawkes.

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0371 or elroberts@coxohio.com.