The newest branch location for Blanchard Machinery was unveiled to the public during an open house Feb. 2, 2023, in Seneca, S.C.

Blanchard designed the new store to handle the rental and new equipment sales needs of its building customers in the burgeoning areas of Seneca and Clemson, which include the residential areas around lakes Hartwell and Keowee.

As South Carolina's Caterpillar construction and power equipment dealer, Blanchard Cat recognized an opportunity to expand its footprint in the Upstate due to the popularity of the region among both homebuilders and folks wanting to live in the beautiful foothills of South Carolina's northwest corner.

"This area continues to grow around Lake Hartwell and Lake Keowee, and around Clemson University," said Jassen Volk, vice president of Blanchard Rental Services. "Our goal is to be a convenient and close partner for our customers. We wanted to be where they work."

He added that the dealership, based in Columbia, also will have other Cat compact equipment for sale in Seneca.

"Throughout the Seneca and Clemson region there are also a lot of commercial and industrial building projects supporting the community and the university, in addition to the overall growth in the area," Volk said.

Although the Seneca location will begin as primarily a machine sales and rental store, Blanchard intends to grow it into a full-service location in the future. Today, customers can get field service done out of the Seneca location, but it does not yet offer shop service. For customers in the area who need shop service, Blanchard will continue to perform that work at its Greenville location off Whitehorse Road.

"We will have some parts on site and customers will be able to order other parts online at parts.cat.com and pick up from this location," Volk said. "Additionally, we will also have a drop box for after-hours parts pick up at this facility."

Volk added that as many as eight to nine employees will work from the 2,500-sq.-ft. facility in Seneca — among them inside and outside sales representatives.

"It is important to make it easier for our customers to do business with us and be a dependable partner in their success," he said. "We strive to be a one-stop shop in carrying a broad range of Cat and non-Cat equipment for a wide variety of industries. Up to 40 percent of our rental inventory is non-Cat and includes aerial lifts, air compressors, light towers, vacuum excavators, tractors, a host of hand tools, portable generators and more."

Blanchard Machinery's full-service dealership's facilities across South Carolina are outfitted with the latest diagnostic equipment, tooling and technology to provide its customers with fast, quality service, according to the company. There are more than 100 fully equipped field service trucks and more than 350 specially trained Cat and allied product service technicians in its shops and in the field.

Besides its Columbia headquarters, Blanchard Machinery has the Palmetto State covered with 17 branch offices from the Upstate, through the Midlands to Aiken in the west, to Hilton Head Island and the Charleston area along the coast, and north to Rock Hill, just south of Charlotte.

For more information, visit www.blanchardmachinery.com. CEG

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