Ribbon-cutting ceremony, free BBQ lunch
part of public event Jan. 11 at 200
Irwin Ave.
FORT
WALTON BEACH, Fla., Jan. 10,
2023 /PRNewswire/ -- U-Haul® and the Greater Fort Walton Beach Chamber of Commerce
are hosting a grand-opening event from 10
a.m.-12 p.m. on Jan. 11 to
unveil the city's newest retail and indoor self-storage facility at
U-Haul Moving & Storage of the Emerald Coast at 200 Irwin
Ave.
Those in attendance can enjoy a free BBQ lunch, U-Haul giveaways
and raffles, a behind-the-scenes tour of the facility and much
more. Lunch will be served on a first-come basis.
Renovations to the 138,000-square-foot facility include nearly
800 indoor self-storage units with high-tech security features and
climate-control options. Storage customers can take advantage of
extended-hours access, drive-in load/unload areas; gated and
covered boat and RV storage; ADA-accessible units; free use of
utility carts; U-Box® portable storage containers; U-Haul Truck
Share 24/7®; propane; hitch accessories and professional hitch
installation; and more.
Years of work went into refurbishing and modernizing the
property that formerly housed a J.M. Fields® discount department
store and Kmart® store. U-Haul acquired the property in 2019.
"This building was originally constructed in 1971, and we are so
eager to show the Fort Walton
Beach community the investment we have made in repurposing
it," said Chad Rome, U-Haul Company
of South Alabama president.
"January 11 will be a fun family
event and a memorable day. We invite folks to stop by, enjoy lunch,
and see all the products and services that we have to offer from
this beautiful new store."
Contact U-Haul Moving & Storage of the Emerald Coast at
(850) 659-6113 or stop by to visit general manager April Audet. Hours of operation are 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday and Saturday;
7 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday; and
9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Reserve
equipment at uhaul.com or contact Reservations at
1-800-GO-UHAUL.
Acquisition of the former Kmart was driven by U-Haul Corporate
Sustainability initiatives: U-Haul supports infill developments to
help local communities lower their carbon footprint. The adaptive
reuse of existing buildings reduces the amount of energy and
resources required for new-building materials and helps cities
reduce their unwanted inventory of unused buildings.
By repurposing this building, U-Haul has prevented the use of
1,727 tons of metal manufacturing and transportation (the amount of
steel used to make 1,741 passenger cars); avoided 6,174 tons of new
concrete pours (enough to create 125 miles of concrete blocks);
kept 8,067 tons of building and demolition debris out of landfills
(avoiding 310 dump trucks traveling 6,516 miles); and stopped
9,413,095 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions from entering the
atmosphere (the carbon emissions of 722 large SUVs or pickup trucks
for one year).
"U-Haul is excited to be part of this community by providing
residential mobility and a secure storage facility to our U.S.
Armed Forces men and women at the Eglin Air Force Base just a few
minutes away, as well as the residents moving here from all over
the world," Rome added.
"We have also worked closely with the Audubon Society to
maintain a Rooftop Bird-friendly habitat for the threatened Least
Turn and Black Skimmer. Our gravel roof is the perfect nesting
ground due to lost habitat from growth in the area."
Rome intends to hire at least 20 Team Members to staff the
store. U-Haul will look to hire locally to promote job growth
within the Fort Walton Beach
community. U-Haul, ranked as a leading veteran-friendly business on
the 2022 "Best for Vets: Employers" list by The Military Times,
actively recruits veterans and gives them preference in the hiring
process. Find U-Haul careers at uhauljobs.com.
Grand Opening at U-Haul of the
Emerald Coast
- When: 10 a.m-12 p.m. on
Wednesday, Jan. 11
- Where: 200 Irwin Ave. NE, Fort Walton
Beach, FL 32548
- What: Free lunch, ribbon-cutting, facility tours
- Who: Open to the public
- Hosts: U-Haul and the Fort Walton
Beach Chamber of Commerce
About U-HAUL
Founded in 1945, U-Haul is the No. 1 choice of
do-it-yourself movers, with a network of more than 23,000
locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul
Truck Share 24/7 offers secure access to U-Haul trucks every hour
of every day through the customer dispatch option on their
smartphones and our proprietary Live Verify technology. Our
customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to
approximately 186,000 trucks, 128,000 trailers and 46,000 towing
devices. U-Haul is the third largest self-storage operator in
North America and offers 913,000
rentable storage units and 78.1 million square feet of self-storage
space at owned and managed facilities. U-Haul is the largest
retailer of propane in the U.S., and continues to be the largest
installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive
aftermarket industry. U-Haul has been recognized repeatedly as a
leading "Best for Vets" employer and was recently named one of the
15 Healthiest Workplaces in America.
Contact:
Andrea Batchelor
Jeff Lockridge
E-mail: publicrelations@uhaul.com
Phone: 602-263-6194
Website: uhaul.com
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SOURCE U-Haul
