Oakland Industries, a business that’s been established for some 20 years in Virden, has diversified to include a shipping and receiving service. “We’ve been shipping and receiving for years in this business,” said owner Neil Graham of Oakland’s electrical contracting business. With their ongoing experience, it seemed like a good fit.
Recently, industry around Virden has slowed, but online orders business has continued to grow. Graham reasoned that people who live in the country or are away at work would appreciate a service where parcels can be dropped off and safely stored until pick-up.
“It seems that most on-line orders are looking for a physical street address to deliver to during working hours. For people who live in the country, or are away at work all day, this is an option for a climate controlled, secure location,” said Graham. “Nothing is too small and on-site equipment can manage up to 5000 lb loads.”
The business just started about two weeks ago. “With a low price-point, you need community buy-in,” he said.
Offering parcel tracking, Graham is asking people to provide their order information.
“I’m currently tracking a parcel coming out of Illinois… I started tracking it as soon as the customer gave it to me. It’s a heavy package, I have to make sure I’m here to off-load it.”
The customer then receives an update from Oakland regarding parcel arrival.
“We’ll log it, store it, and phone the person to whom it’s addressed. For an extra few dollars, we would deliver.”
He says that while the big convenience may be in the heavier items, the business is hoping to handle all sizes of parcels in order to become a sustainable service.
