Hunt Ford, a car dealership that has been in Franklin for a half century, will open a new location toward the end of the year.

The business has grown during the past 12 years and its current location at South Main Street and Bluegrass Road in downtown Franklin no longer has adequate space, Vice President Ann Jackson said.

“We have been here since the ’60s, and we are running out of room,” she said.

The lack of space makes it difficult to move large trucks into a position where they can be serviced, Jackson said.

At 35,000 square feet, Hunt Ford’s upcoming second location at Henderson Industrial Park is roughly twice the size of the business’ original location, she said.

Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep sales, as well as service work on those vehicles, will stay at the original location, while Ford sales and service will move to the new building, she said.

The main attraction of the industrial park is its proximity to Interstate 65, Jackson said.

“That’s such good visibility from the interstate,” she said of the property near Exit 6.

Dennis Griffin, executive director of the Franklin-Simpson Industrial Authority, which owns Henderson Industrial Park, said the park’s visibility from the interstate has the potential to be an attractive location for businesses that aren’t strictly in the manufacturing sector.

“We realized when we purchased the property that it needed to be mixed use because it had some interstate frontage,” he said.

This visibility is important for Hunt Ford because it has customers that come from out of the county, Griffin said.

Construction of the building began in August, Jackson said, adding that the concrete foundation has been poured and the building’s steel framework been erected. She anticipates opening the new location by fall 2017.

Hunt Ford has about 40 employees, a number that is expected to double in the next five years, with new jobs in administration, sales and as technicians, she said.

Simpson County Judge-Executive Jim Henderson, who appointed four of the eight voting members of the Industrial Authority’s board of directors, said the expansion is a step toward diversifying the county’s workforce.

“It’s just another diverse business for us to have in this region,” he said. “You don’t want to put your eggs all in one basket.”

— Follow Daily News reporter Jackson French on Twitter @Jackson_French or visit bgdailynews.com.