Ferriday&8212;William Pugh plans to have his grand opening for Lakeside Ford at the end of this month.

After signing the contract to build on Sept. 15, 2005, Pugh said he is relieved to have built the new facility and finished leasing the old one.

&8220;I have been planning to move for about five years now,&8221; Pugh said. &8220;We had been leasing the old building and during that time, growing by leaps and bounds so it was time to move to a bigger and much nicer facility.&8221;

Pugh, 34, said in the 16 years since he began selling cars for Lakeside Ford, the dealership has gone from selling an average of 20 cars per month to 100 cars per month.

&8220;This all comes from having a great staff to work with,&8221; Pugh said. &8220;I also think a larger and newer facility will ultimately increase our sales.&8221;

Pugh said one of the motivations to build the dealership was a desire to have a bigger and better service department.

&8220;It was time for a bigger service department and I really thought we needed it to be cleaner with better equipment,&8221; Pugh said.

Pugh said the only snag he has run into since moving from the old location at 6822 U.S. 84 has been getting a turn lane installed at the new location about three miles east from the old one.

&8220;After Hurricane Katrina, the state put that little project on hold to help concentrate its funds on New Orleans,&8221; Pugh said. &8220;We&8217;re hoping to have one constructed soon though.&8221;