LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — From a decades-old egg incubator to a sizable collection of computer mice, the contents of the warehouse hidden on Versailles Road may have you asking, “What is this place?”
Taking LEX 18 from aisle to aisle, Jeff Carmickle said, “Really anywhere and everywhere the University of Kentucky is, if they have surplus it generally hits this area.”
Carmickle is the purchasing and surplus assistant director for UK Surplus. His warehouse is a home for the excess and unwanted.
For example, when an office gets gutted, a stadium remodeled, or a hospital needs new equipment, UK Surplus is where all of the old stuff is sent.
“You never know what’s gonna come in here on any given day,” said Barry Swanson, chief procurement officer for UK.
The two say UK Surplus is more than its microscopes, metal chairs, and Memorial Coliseum mixing board. The warehouse full of odds and ends is saving the University of Kentucky big bucks.
Last fiscal year, UK Surplus’ cost avoidance was around $1 million.
“If I can save the University money, that's money that can go into another project somewhere,” said Carmickle.
Once surplus hits the shelves, interested buyers can bid in an online auction. Right now, the items of note include horse drawn carriages from UK’s Spindletop Farm.
The more practical surplus, like office chairs and computer monitors, are sent back to departments in need at no charge.
“The primary goal is to place it back on campus for reuse,” said Swanson.
You can learn more about UK Surplus here.
