U-Haul of North Anchorage Introduces Self-Storage with Grand Opening

Anchorage residents and media attending the noon-3 p.m. festivities can take a behind-the-scenes tour of the facility while helping U-Haul celebrate 35 years of serving do-it-yourself movers in Alaska. There will be a complimentary catered lunch, children's plush toys and coloring books, a ribbon-cutting ceremony and other activities for those who attend. Admission is free.

"There simply has not been another truck and trailer sharing company that offers the state-of-the-art storage facilities we can," said John Norris, U-Haul Company of Alaska president. "U-Haul was in Alaska long before other large corporations. Most didn't start arriving until 10 or 12 years ago. We were some of the first kids on the block. With this being our 35th anniversary in Alaska, it adds a local touch to the July 1 ceremony."

U-Haul Moving & Storage of North Anchorage opened in a limited capacity in October 2013, offering trucks, trailers and moving supplies out of a temporary showroom in the existing E.A. Patson office once the five-acre property was acquired.

Then the real work began. Nearly a year of property cleanup involved the removal of 23 tons of metal and old equipment. Constructing the new self-storage building took part of 2014 and all of 2015. The first units were available for use by the start of 2016, but the facility wasn't completed and ready to be showcased until now.

The result is a striking 75,687-square-foot structure with 55,550 net rentable square feet. The facility has: U-Haul Remote 24/7® access; high-tech security features; heating to offset the cold winter months; elevators; covered, heated concrete pick-up/drop-off area; and a box sharing and green products reuse section. Plans call for covered RV, boat and vehicle storage spaces to be added in the near future.

"We outgrew our location at 4751 Old Seward Highway," said Norris, noting U-Haul Moving & Storage of Anchorage (opened 1982) is at near full capacity for its 434 self-storage rooms. "The Old Seward store is one of our busiest for transactions in the northwestern U.S. We expanded to meet public demand. It's convenient to have the Boundary Avenue store so customers don't have to spend their hard-earned dollars driving across town for U-Haul equipment and self-storage."

U-Haul Moving & Storage of North Anchorage is located by Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

U-Haul, which was founded by a WWII Navy veteran in 1945, preserved several U.S. military relics and other 1940s memorabilia that are prominently displayed in the location's showroom. The items, which include a standard-issue WWII helmet and pieces of a Willys MB U.S. Army jeep, have direct ties to E.A. Patson's history of selling surplus military equipment, vehicles and parts.

In addition to competitively priced self-storage and an array of DIY moving products, U-Haul Moving & Storage of North Anchorage offers propane, professional hitch installation and U-Box portable moving and storage containers.

Contact the store at (907) 331-6233 or stop by to visit general manager Steve Womack and his team. 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.

The recent acquisition of the E.A. Patson property was driven by U-Haul Company's Corporate Sustainability initiatives: U-Haul supports infill developments to help local communities lower their carbon footprint. Our adaptive reuse of existing buildings reduces the amount of energy and resources required for new-construction materials and helps cities reduce their unwanted inventory of unused buildings.

To learn more about U-Haul in the news and in your community, visit myuhaulstory.com.

About U-Haul

Since 1945, U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of more than 21,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to more than 150,000 trucks, 112,000 trailers and 40,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers more than 581,000 rooms and more than 51 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities throughout North America. U-Haul is the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry and is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S.

Contact:

Jeff Lockridge
Sebastien Reyes
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 602-263-6981
Website: uhaul.com

SOURCE U-Haul