U-Haul Moving & Storage of Rock Springs (Wyo.) received the Pride of Place Award on Feb. 27 for its commitment to the beautification of the city and its contributions to the overall appearance of Rock Springs.
Paige Moore and Paul Johnson accepted the award at the center’s location at 2450 Foothill Blvd. The current and former U-Haul® Company of Wyoming presidents helped oversee the transition from a dilapidated former K-Mart® store that had sat vacant for over three years to a property the city could truly admire.
Moore, general manager of the U-Haul of Rock Springs location prior to being named the marketing company president, noted the lot was initially “a Walking Dead scene that took up a large space in the heart of Rock Springs.”
“I will never forget the first day I was brought into the facility,” Moore recalled. “There were holes in the ceiling, birds flying in and out. You had to watch where you stepped, and heaven forbid you touched much of anything without feeling as if you needed to go and take a shower.
“It was the most rewarding experience to see the building go from that all the way to what it is today. The pride taken by everyone who was involved in the project was incredible, which ultimately transpired into what you see today: a big, beautiful facility that is hard to miss from any angle. It’s breathtaking!
“My team and I were beyond honored and excited to be chosen as the recipient of the Pride of Place Award. We truly feel blessed to be recognized for all of the hard work contributed throughout these past three years.”
The Pride of Place Award program is organized by the Rock Springs Beautification and Tree Board Committee. It recognizes local businesses on a quarterly basis whose properties reflect pride of ownership and commitment to the beautification of the city, thereby contributing in a positive manner to the overall appearance of Rock Springs.
“The physical appearance of the city, and the businesses and residential properties within it, provide a critical first impression to visitors from outside of the area,” stated Jenissa Meredith, committee chair and CEO of Sweetwater County Travel and Tourism Board, in a comment to Rock Springs Rocket Miner newspaper. “This committee would like to recognize those property owners for their efforts in establishing and maintaining their properties in a visually appealing way and for truly conveying pride of place. These efforts not only effect the impression given to a visitor, but they also create a contagious sense of pride for residents as well.”
U-Haul stores have received a number of beautification awards through the years.
Close to 70% of U-Haul-owned and -operated centers are the product of adaptive reuse, a U-Haul Corporate Sustainability initiative. U-Haul supports infill developments to help local communities like Rock Springs lower their carbon footprint. The adaptive reuse of existing and often vacant buildings reduces the amount of energy and resources required for new-building materials.
This ecofriendly U-Haul program also enables cities to reduce their unwanted inventory of unused buildings by removing eyesores and giving the properties a new purpose as scenic places of business – all while meeting rising demand for self-storage products and mobility solutions.
Adaptive reuse is why many U-Haul centers look different from one another, because they have different pasts. The Company goes out of its way to preserve the stories of properties where there is historical significance, and in turn preserving the community’s legacy.
Read more about U-Haul adaptive reuse projects in this revealing 2018 Forbes article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tompfister/2018/08/16/u-haul-hitches-its-ride-to-the-reuse-of-buildings/.
And here is an Architect Magazine article highlighting the preservation and display of ceiling artwork at a U-Haul center in St. Louis: https://www.architectmagazine.com/design/u-haul-restores-1940s-isamu-noguchidesigned-ceiling-in-st-louis_o.
