San Antonio-based Caterpillar dealer Holt Cat is undergoing a $77-million expansion, prompted in part by a rush of new business from the Eagle Ford Shale and other domestic oil-and-gas plays.
Among its upgrades, the company — helmed by San Antonio Spurs owner Peter Holt — has begun work on a new, 40,000-square-foot, air-conditioned repair shop at its headquarters campus.
The new shop, set for completion next spring, will nearly double the 600-acre campus’ repair space for heavy machinery. Holt will convert its existing 25,000-square-foot shop into a component-repair and warehouse extension.
“This is historical for us,” says Howard Hicks, Holt’s vice president and public affairs director. “It’s a real paradigm shift to see us invest this much at one time.”
Driving much of the expansion — which includes both repair shops and dealerships — is Texas’ thriving shale activity, which relies on truck-mounted drills, hydraulic fracturing gear and other types of heavy equipment.