Y Yard Celebrated at Chamber First Friday

(THE POWERPOINT PRESENTATION HIGHLIGHTING Y YARD INCLUDED THE COVER OF A TRADE PUBLICATION THAT REPORTED THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD WHEN KELLY ROEPKE AND ERIN SWINGLER TOOK OVER OPERATION OF THE BUSINESS FROM THEIR FATHER, MIKE NOLAN)

The history of the Y Yard was celebrated at the Chamber First Friday, hosted monthly by the Effingham County Chamber of Commerce.

Mike and Kathy Nolan purchased a salvage yard in 1970 and went to work converting the business into a quality source of automotive parts. The business was named Y Yard after the highway intersection just to the south, the Watson Y. Of course, the intersection is now a T, but Y Yard's name was a fixture by then.

Two of the Nolan's daughters are now in leadership positions; Kelly Roepke is company president and Erin Swingler is vice-president.

Roepke explained that 86% of a vehicle is recycled, so little goes to waste. 

The sisters have updated the company; record keeping has progressed from card stock to a highly automated operation. They've also launched a e-bay sales page. Roepke said, "We might not have (a part), but we have the resources to get it."

Roepke also shared that the company is hiring and adding staff.

Oh yes, for anyone who might mistakenly term the Y Yard a "junkyard", Roepke explains, "Junk is as bad as any other four-letter word."