Pflugerville business - shurlock storage

Pflugerville business - shurlock storage

Written by Mandy Hobby Thursday, 07 December 2006

Founding family invests in the community

Brothers Hal and James Kuempel compare their desire to open one of the first storage facilities in Pflugerville to their family ancestors who helped establish the City of Pflugerville more than a hundred years ago.

Hal and James, with their brother, Scott Kuempel bought five acres of land on Pflugerville Loop just west of Railroad Avenue and opened Shurlock Storage in 1996.

“We all had different backgrounds, but were born and raised in Pflugerville,” James said. “We noticed the changes and felt like we could fill a need and help the community.”

Hal was working as a real estate broker, James as a teacher and Scott as a coach at Pflugerville High School when the brothers decided to invest in the business.

“I felt like the line of business was something I would like to get in to,” Hal said. “The entrepreneurial spirit, I guess that’s why I like it so much.”

For the first five years, Hal and James’ wife, Sherry ran Shurlock, but Hal took over the management in 2001. They have expanded the business by almost doubling the number of storage spaces and by adding boat and RV parking.

“The storage business has grown a lot over the years,” James said. “It used to be that anyone with a fence and a gate could run a storage facility, but people demand more now.”

The Kuempels plan to open a second location in two years on Heatherwilde Boulevard. The new facility will have more storage units and amenities like covered RV parking and climate-controlled storage.

“People just need storage, whether it’s personal, for business, or residential,” Hal said.

Shurlock Storage offers 24-hour access to their storage facilities and the brothers emphasize that what sets them apart is their business philosophy to always put the money they make back into the business.

“All of the money we have made we have reinvested back into the community,” Hal said. “We have expanded the business, bought more land or donated money to local golf tournaments.”

The family-owned business prides itself on giving customers the lowest possible costs and the best service for the sake of the community.

“I have always liked serving the public,” James said. “It means a lot that the family helped start the city, and we would like to continue to see it flourish.”

The Kuempels’ history in Pflugerville

• Hal and James Kuempel’s great-grandfather, C.C. Kuempel married Annie Pfluger, the daughter of George Pfluger, the man who platted the city of Pflugerville. George’s father, Henry was the first Pfluger to come to America in 1849.
• Pflugerville High School’s football stadium is also named after the brothers’ father, Charles, and Charles’ second cousin Herbert because of their dedicated years as teachers and coaches at the high school.

Shurlock Storage, 805 Pflugerville Loop, Pflugerville, TX 78660, 512-252-1400