The World Pulling International Executive Board has completed the purchase of a 12,000 sq. ft. office complex on the southwestern edge of Marion, Ohio. Once renovations have been completed, the building will serve as the permanent headquarters for the National Tractor Pullers Association, which will vacate its current leased office space on the north side of Columbus by the end of 2024.
Funds for the purchase and renovation of the structure were raised by the issuance of additional shares of stock in WPI, the NTPA’s holding company.
Among the features of the building, located on Campbell Road just north of State Route 739, are a large gathering space in the center and more than a dozen surrounding private offices. It is anticipated that some of the offices will be reconfigured to form a conference center, a media studio, and a merchandise storeroom, while the center section will become a meeting hall for Tech Schools, workshops, and social events.
“This will actually be the first time the NTPA has owned its own land and building,” noted Gregg Randall, the Association’s Executive Director. “We have been renters ever since we left [first NTPA president] Ed Hart’s basement in Upper Sandusky about 50 years ago.”
Randall remarked that leasing was for many years a prudent use of the Association’s resources when its operations were almost all of the traditional office variety. But times—and expectations—have changed.
“Our Executive Boards and staff have long discussed ideas for how to expand on the services we provide to our fans, competitors, promoters, and sponsors. A major limiting factor was the physical space available to us within the walls of a leased office and warehouse in the city.
“We were ready to get a place where we can safely store all of our merchandise and equipment, shoot and edit video for social media or streaming, conduct our board business, meet with our sponsors and promoters, train and support our officials and satellite staff, entertain our members, and greet our pullers and fans.
“Thanks to our new shareholders who possessed that same vision,” Randall continued, “we’ve gotten the first phase done, and we’re very excited about the new possibilities this structure provides.”
Located six miles from four-lane U.S. 23, the accompanying five acres include 40 paved parking spaces and an additional wooded area that may eventually be developed to provide storage for the NTPA’s vehicles and trailers.
Planned initial renovations will include removal of all of the existing carpeting, ceilings, and furnishings, rewiring to make each interior space compatible with modern media technologies, and the installation of a garage door in the building’s rear wall to allow for the ingress and egress of the NTPA’s merchandise trailer. And competition vehicles.
“The past two years, NTPA Tech Schools have incorporated tractors, trucks, and modifieds that were generously loaned to us by local competitors for the training of officials. This new space will be configured to accommodate those and other ways of featuring both the mechanical and human stars of our sport: a multimedia-enhanced lobby, a dedicated Pulling Hall of Fame space, and even an on-site NTPA Merchandise Store,” Randall concluded.
“It will be unmistakably a tractor pull office, the new epicenter of our motorsport, and the NTPA’s home for many years to come.”