It started with a listing at a commercial real estate firm that John Hayes Gilliland was working at. He saw a listing for self storage buildings and things took off from there.
Gilliland was honored as one of the “Forty under 40” profiled by the Central Pennsylvania Business Journal in 2002.
“It is a wonderful honor,” said Gilliland. “It is a goal I have had since I returned to Pennsylvania in the early 1990’s. It is a very prestigious honor to be picked as one of the ‘Forty under 40’.”
Gilliland, currently of York, but formerly of Warriors Mark is currently the president of Investment Real Estate and Investment Real Estate Management in York County.
“I had two listings for self storage sites in Hanover and saw the profit margin that was available,” said Gilliland. “I resigned from the firm I was working at and in December 1998, my father and I purchased the land in Bald Eagle to build our first storage unit.”
Gilliland currently operates seven self storage facilities.
Gilliland is also president of the Pennsylvania Self Storage Association and vice president of the Northeast Regional Board of the National Self Storage Association.
“One of the greatest joys of my career is working with my father,” said Gilliland. “He has been my mentor in many ways. He taught me about farming and the many other businesses he is involved in. If I wanted to see him as a kid, I had to go to the farm because he was working. He taught me a strong work ethic and I am passing that along to my sons.”
Gilliland has seen the major real estate booms that have hit the United States.
“I went to California right after graduating college and worked in the largest bull real estate market in history,” said Gilliland. “Everything was coming easily. I was driving in a convertible, but then the market started to slide. I learned that everything doesn’t come so easily. Real estate works in cycles. We are in a boom market now. I was fortunate to get a taste of the downtimes early. It gave me a more responsible outlook. It has you planning for a rainy day when the market isn’t as good.”
With self storage units in Bald Eagle and Warriors Mark, Gilliland is looking forward to the completion of Interstate 99.
“I am seeing the progress that Harrisburg and York is making because of the infrastructure they laid down 20 years ago and I see that progress happening for Tyrone, Altoona and State College,” said Gilliland. “What these companies will see is a good work force, property that is at about 20 percent of the cost it is here and the ability to get goods on the highway quickly. You are seeing companies like Wal-Mart doing that with their distribution center in Clearfield and Smith Transport in Bald Eagle. I believe that I-99 will be the saving grace of the Central Pennsylvania area.”
Gilliland is married to the former Denise DelGrosso and has twin sons Jacob and Alex. His parents are J. Galen Gilliland and the late Janice (Latham) Gilliland.
