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| Pictured (L-R) are Chief John Hayworth, Chief Bill Packard, Mr. Lee Spence, Chief Gerry Lampe and Chief Don Kohl |
| The Underground Vault & Storage Company's storage facilities lie 650 feet below the Kansas prairre in Hutchinson. UV&S provides secure temperature and humidity controlled storage for many businesses around the country including MGM, Warner Brothers, Sony, Raytheon, Koch Industries and many banks and other financial entities. Mr. Lee Spence, the President and Chief Operating Officer, took us on a personalized tour beneath the ground. |
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| After being outfitted with safety helmets and emergency breathing gear we were given a safety briefing. We then descended down an elevator in pitch darkness 650 feet into the earth...the ride took 75 seconds in a car equipped to carry 10 people. The facility was well lighted and very clean especially considering we were in an operating salt mine. |
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| Large caverns or bays which have been carved out of the salt during mining operations remain for lease by UV&S as storage areas that can be modified for various levels of storage per the customer's specifications. Some remain open and contain storage racks while others are walled in and behind sturdy vault doors. |
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| Major movie and television studios store their master films and tapes here in UV&S and we were able to walk among rows and rows of boxes containing familiar and classic films. Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, Gone With The Wind, Star Wars, and many others are stored here for safe keeping. |
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| One of the most impressive things about the Underground Vault & Storage Company was the family like environment among the employees....Lee Spence knows each of them and they know him. Lee provided the Chiefs with a fantastic tour as well as an afternoon of education and adventure. |
