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After delays, construction gets underway for Blain's Farm & Fleet Rhinelander store

Construction for Blain's Farm & Fleet supply store is officially underway on Timber Drive in Rhinelander.

Progress on the building has been delayed due to challenges like inflation and supply chain disruptions. Instead of opening this fall, as originally planned, the store will open next spring.

Blain’s Farm & Fleet CEO and Rhinelander business leaders gathered on the site for a ceremonial groundbreaking Thursday.

“It’s happening,” says Jane Blain Gilbertson, the company’s CEO and owner. “We found a way to make it happen.”

She says the company has been looking to open a store in Rhinelander for some time.

“Honestly, my dad and uncle who started the company in 1955, this was an extension of their old stomping grounds,” she says. “They used to talk about Rhinelander, and I used to come up here and I would always think, gosh, we should be in Rhinelander. It just feels like a place that would make sense to us.”

The 84,000 square foot building will offer an automotive service center, drive-thru area and small engine repair center.

It’s expected to bring about 100 jobs to the area.

Blain’s Farm & Fleet is the second fleet supply store to recently make its way to the Rhinelander. L&M Fleet Supply opened in Rhinelander’s old Shopko building in April.

Erin Gottsacker worked at WXPR as a Morning Edition host and reporter from December 2020 to January 2023. During her time at the station, Erin reported on the issues that matter most in the Northwoods.
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