PEOPLE OF THE INDUSTRY

wife, Linda. For her birthday, he purchased it. In the rainy winter of 2011, his daughter Kalli, who helps Kevin with his PartingOut business, said she wanted to have her wedding reception on the property. Kevin started building a barn from recycled materials to host the festiv-

ities. The wedding in May 2012 was a short 5 months away. With help, he accomplished the task, but he has not stopped building. “Now, I am working on the sec- ond floor space.” The barn’s outside tin covering was originally a part of an old barn that was being torn down, and the remaining tin and beams are from other decay-

ing buildings – even the roof of the high school gym that was being rebuilt. Rail cars, shipping containers and an old bridge serve as subfloor, ceiling joists, and other elements. “The doors, lighting, bathroom elements and everything else was re-purposed mate- rial, giving the entire barn a feeling of history even though it was ‘finished’ in May 2012,” says Kevin. The property is now called Sparrow Creek Ranch (www.sparrowcreekranch.com). “After Kalli’s wedding, family members asked about renting it for their weddings. I guess we shouldn’t have been so surprised. After a while, we began rent- ing it to the public as a wedding venue. At first, we were purely word of mouth and locally based. Now, we host couples from all over the state and even from across the country! We have one couple coming from New York City to have their country wedding,” says Kevin. “We host about 30 weddings a year. Kalli helps to grow this business, as well.”

Whether it is salvage, used cars, spare parts from salvage vehicles or a bride’s dream location, this entrepreneur is always thinking of ways to deliver on customer experiences and make a profit along the way.

Caryn Smith is the editor of Automotive Recycling magazine and has been covering the industry for over 20 years.

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July-August 2018 • AUTOMOTIVE RECYCLING