Fulton County sawmill transformed into perfect storage space for outdoor recreation equipment
The Ward Family—(l-r) Remi (dog), Hadley, Ashley, Creston and Leah. Photo: Provided.
When it comes to space, you could describe Award Storage and Warehousing in Crystal Spring an “embarrassment of riches.” The sprawling property spanning 12.5 acres has plenty of room to store both large and small recreational equipment, filling a much-needed niche within the community.
Creston Ward shares the backstory. “I always wanted to own a business, but over the years, nothing really seemed viable. My business-minded aunt would play devil’s advocate when I would have the occasional flight of fancy, that is, until one day a local property went up for sale,” he said.
“We’d drive by that 12.5-acre property every Sunday after church and I used to joke with my wife that I could use the place to store all my cars,” Ward said, adding that the place had three huge outbuildings and an office.
The timing seemed to be right for Ward to make the decision to purchase the property. “It took the pandemic for me to realize that we could benefit from the tremendous growth of the camping industry during that time, so I approached my wife with the idea. She just laughed it off at the time and my aunt wasn’t overly excited either,” he said.
“With the explosion of camping, more and more people are investing in RVs, sometimes spending many thousands of dollars. By parking them in our facility, safe from the elements, they can take better care of their investment,” said Ward.
It was then that Ward knew he was going to have to do more to prove the viability of the business, so he began number crunching and devising a business plan and before too long, the ladies came around.
“I took my wife Ashley out to surveille the place in February and it was freezing outside — six degrees, with 40-mile per hour wind. When we entered one of the buildings, there was a bottle of water that remained unfrozen, so I was impressed with the insulation,” said Ward. Soon the couple was signing on the dotted line to purchase the old saw mill known as Williams and Sons Lumber Company.
Not only was Ashley onboard, but now her first initial (A) and last name (Ward) was also part of the business. His aunt came around to seeing his vision for the future too and decided to help with the downpayment.
A little help ramping up
Ward said that Huntingdon and Fulton County coach Christa McGeary was a great help with challenges he faced as a businessman just getting started. “She walked me through getting the LLC, step by step,” said Ward, adding that it took two hours, which was far superior to an experience he had starting up another business with his brother at a later date. “I went to his accountant and it took months and cost us $250,” he said.
McGeary also helped the Wards in finding funding with the Altoona Blair-County Development Corp., which agreed to help the Wards with a renovation loan.
McGeary also spent quite a bit of time with the couple on the phone, walking them through the loan process, the business application and more. “I have a business degree and still couldn’t do it on my own,” said Ward.
An RV backs into one of the large buildings at Award Storage and Warehousing. Photo: Provided.
A storage facility for large items and more
Ward hopes to have the place filled with RVs in the future. “With the explosion of camping, more and more people are investing in RVs, sometimes spending many thousands of dollars. By parking them in our facility, safe from the elements, they can take better care of their investment,” said Ward.
Those who choose to store their campers inside of Ward’s building like the fact that they have onsite restrooms and air compressors in each building to pump up tires.
Ward is also renting out the open space on the property as well. “Right now, a gentleman is renting an acre and a third for a firewood processing business and a trucking company is leasing the truck shop that came with the purchase, along with an acre surrounding it,” said Ward.
Those who choose to store their campers inside of Ward’s building like the fact that they have onsite restrooms and air compressors in each building to pump up tires.
In an effort to keep prices low, Ward scouted around the region and found his competitors lowest rates and matched them. “I’d rather get a little bit from a lot of people,” said Ward, adding that he rents outdoor spaces for $35 a month. The indoor spaces are 10-foot wide by 40-foot deep with no dividing walls and go for $150 a month.
Ward said that the project has been exhausting and tackling renovations to 30-year-old buildings of that size has been extremely challenging. “We did a lot of it ourselves and a family friend who is a contractor gave us a break on the prices,” he said.
A bright future
Ward reports that the company began turning a profit in December of last year after being open just four months. Now he is able to put more money into the business, from renovating the office, to excavating and adding aesthetic changes to the interior with special touches like wainscoting and more.
“By the time it’s all said and done, we’ll have put in about $200,000 into renovations, but we’re happy that we’re filling a niche and that people are responding positively and we think that this business will continue to grow and be of service to the community for years to come,” he said.
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