I-80 Enterprises celebrates one-year in new location in Adair

Businesses in Adair that were under the same ownership but had different names and different places to call home are now under one roof and have one name.

I-80 Enterprises welcomed customers in for an open house and meal Saturday, Nov. 26, at their new location, 108 S Fifth Street in Adair. Approximately 400 were served.

“It was always a dream,” said Jeremy Gettler of the new location, who co-owns I-80 Enterprises with Seth Wilson and Jeff Grant. “We never thought it would come true.”

The business began as Wilson Welding in 2017, handling custom fabrication and repairs, but it has grown since then.

When former NAPA Auto Parts owner Dave Goss passed away, the store was in danger of closing, so Wilson Welding bought that. They now also have a metal arts division and can handle the powder coating and sandblasting needs their customers have.

“We just outgrew our building and wanted to add some things,” Gettler said. “We thought we needed to get closer to the interstate for [the NAPA business] and we would have more room for the shop.”

The business certainly has more room, as the previous building’s size uptown Adair was approximately the size of the awning on the current building, Gettler said. The new building is 120 by 250 feet. They employ 16 people.

“We kind of want to be a one stop shop,” Gettler said. “We get a lot of our business from being able to do anything. We don’t want to say no to anything.”

Placed in front of I-80 Enterprises’ new facility is a miniature version of The Rock of Adair, a train built by Mike and Jim Moore, who are previous owners of Adair’s welding shop, and it is an icon for the community. The larger version is regularly featured in Adair, but the smaller one was found in the back of Wilson Welding before it moved. They got it out, cleaned it up and want it to stand as a reminder of the growth they’ve seen since starting up.

Gettler was really pleased to see such a large turnout at I-80 Enterprises’ open house.

“It felt really good,” Gettler said. “We missed a few people because it was a holiday weekend, but that’s understandable.”

I-80 Enterprises is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays.