James River Equipment’s open house to ceremoniously cut the ribbon on the 10,000-sq.-ft. expansion of its Charlotte, N.C., drew more than local guests, employees and contractors.

Two John Deere executives joined in on the Oct. 11 celebration.

Sam Allen, president, and Domenic Ruccolo, senior vice president, both of John Deere’s worldwide construction and forestry products division, expressed the importance of customers and the dealers that serve them to the manufacturer.

“They were really impressed at how far James River has come since being in the Carolinas,” said Terry Thomas, general manager.

The Deere executives attended the event to check out James River’s investment and celebrate the growth in the North Carolina market, he added.

The 10,000-sq.-ft. expansion is mostly for a parts warehouse and storage, but it also includes a 1,400-sq.-ft. training room. It brings the total facility, which was purchased in 2005, to 40,000 sq. ft.

Thomas said additional parts department personnel will be hired to staff the warehouse as part of the expansion.

As part of the celebration, a Hitachi ZX240LC excavator was on display to formally announce that James River has taken on the Hitachi line.