DeWITT - A family-owned limousine and taxi company has bought a new building with an eye toward expansion.

Bellavia Transportation, Inc. bought a 10,000-square-foot building at 5948 Butternut Drive on Aug. 30 for $275,000 , according to the company. The building is adjacent to the company's current headquarters at 5952 Butternut Drive.

"It really is the most ideal location," says Ramona Bellavia, a spokeswoman for Bellavia Transportation who owns the company along with her husband Antonio. "There's nowhere else I would want to go. We didn't want the business to be in two separate locations that were very far away from each other.

"It's harder to run back and forth to two different places."

The company is housing its fleet of eight limos in the new building. The firm needed the extra space because of growth in its limo and taxi business, Bellavia says.

Currently, the new space is simply a place to store the limos and keep them out of the weather. Eventually, however, the firm's entire limo staff will move to the new building and operate there, Bellavia says. The firm employs 19; 11 on the taxi side and six on the limo side. Bellavia and her husband are involved with both portions of the company, she says.

The company started with taxis 12 years ago and moved into the limo business about seven years ago.

"It was something my husband wanted to try," Bellavia says. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

She attributes the company's growth to the environment.

"We want people to be happy," she says. "When people are happy, everything grows through word of mouth. That's the best advertising you can get."

The Bellavias' four daughters also work with the company. They range in age from 17 to 22.

Bellavia was not sure when the limo operations will move to the new building. The building was an empty warehouse before the company bought it and it needs some renovating before employees can work there.

Bellavia says her company will spend at least $50,000 upgrading the building. Planned renovations. include a new overhead door, plumbing improvements, walls, and flooring.

Family will probably do much of the work, she says.

"If there's a Bellavia who has a spare hour, you would probably be able to find them here working," she says.

Bellavia was not sure how many taxis the company has. Its drivers lease the cars from the company, she explains. She also declined to comment on the company's annual revenue or profit.

The Butternut location is the company's - fourth. The business began 9 the Bellavias' home.

NAI Pyramid Brokerage Company brokered the sale of the new building to Bellavia. Michael Tormey was the previous owner.