Eastern Oregon Telecom broke ground Wednesday for a new building that will combine the company’s business and warehouse operations into one location.

The new building on Kelli Avenue just off South Highway 395 is expected to be finished by May 1, 2018.

CEO Joe Franell said 10-minute trips back and forth between the current business offices and the place where the company stores its trucks and equipment can really add up.

“It ends up being a lot of time, so our primary reason for moving is for efficiency’s sake,” he said.

He said the location along South Highway 395 is also more central to EOT’s service area. The Kelli Avenue location in particular is advantageous because it has two different entrance and exit points — onto the highway or onto Feedville Road. That area of town is also expected to see an increase in traffic due to the newly completed Eastern Oregon Trade and Event Center and the Ranch & Home store currently under construction.

“That’s a growth area for our community,” he said.

The new building will have a better layout for office space, Franell said, and will have almost double the amount of space for trucks and equipment storage. The company plans to hire two more employees in the next six to 12 months.

Construction is being completed by McCormack Construction Company of Pendleton and the developer is Richard Hunsaker, who handled the Holiday Inn Express in Hermiston.

Eastern Oregon Telecom offers high-speed internet and voice services to Hermiston, Pendleton, Umatilla, McNary, Boardman, Irrigon and Plymouth.

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Contact Jade McDowell at jmcdowell@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4536.