After devastating fire, Gilson Snow to reopen in Selinsgrove

Jun. 8—SELINSGROVE — Less than a year after a fire destroyed the Gilson Snow building in New Berlin, the snowboard-manufacturing business is set to return to the Susquehanna Valley.

Nick Gilson, co-owner of the 10-year-old business, said an agreement was signed on Monday with Snyder County businessman Bill French to lease the former Wood-Metal building at 100 E. Sherman St., Selinsgrove. The 40,000-square-foot building on 5 acres is nearly 7.3 times larger than the previous 5,500-square-foot building that burned down.

"We'll be fully operational by September," said Gilson, who started the business with Austin Royer in 2013. "We're going to be shipping around the country and around the world again for this upcoming season, which we're absolutely thrilled about."

Wood-Metal Industries closed last year after declaring bankruptcy. The business was formerly owned by Maurice and Deb Brubaker.

French is the owner of Professional Building Systems in Middleburg and purchased the assets of the former Wood-Mode Inc. in Kreamer following its abrupt closure in May 2019 that put nearly 1,000 people out of work.

Fire undetermined

The fire on Nov. 18 destroyed the Gilson building in New Berlin and put a pause on manufacturing new products. Pennsylvania state police fire marshal James Nizinski said the cause of the blaze could not be determined but was likely electrical and is not suspicious.

Some of the custom-made equipment and machines were able to be salvaged, but the majority perished in the fire. New equipment and machines have been arriving at the new location.

"Since the fire, we've had some limited inventory. We've been shipping out some of the more popular models that we had in stock," said Gilson. "We haven't been able to do any of our limited editions. NHL has been on pause, anything with Hasbro and Transformers and GI Joe has been on pause. All our artist collaborations and limited edition drops have been on pause too. We'll have over 50 new collaborations coming out."

Gilson said the company has been "rolling with the punches" over the last seven months. It was a "multi-seven figure" financial loss and a "blow to the business."

"We've been making lemonade with what we can," said Gilson. "We're coming out of this bigger and stronger. We'll be making higher quality snowboards with the ability to fulfill at a greater rate around the world."

Before the fire, Gilson shipped to about 50 countries around the world, he said.

Renovations planned

Gilson said renovations of the new space include running electrical and installing interior walls and dust control. Of the 30 employees who worked for Gilson in November, 90 percent will return to work with the new opening.

"Everything in the last six months has been planned for this moment. Everybody on our team is excited to get their sleeves rolled up and get their hands back into sawdust and get working instead of just theorizing on what it will look like."

It's the people that help the business thrive, he said.

"The stuff can burn, the walls can burn, but we're so thankful that no one was hurt," he said.

Gilson said a lot of thought went into what to do and where to go after the fire. Conversations were had about relocating outside the Valley in California, Vermont or Maine, but Gilson said they wanted to "put their money where their mouth is" and commit to the Valley.

"We've said for years that we're committed to this region, we've said for a long time we're here to stay in this neck of the woods," said Gilson. "This community has embraced us in some extraordinary ways. It's one thing to say it, it's another thing to go through the motions and come out the other side."

The plan for the previous property, which is owned by Royer, will eventually have a similar shop as well as event space.

A grand opening celebration will be held later this year, said Gilson.

Summer Snow Days

Gilson's Summer Snow Days on Aug. 12 will be held at the previous location but future events may be held at the new location.

This year's will again feature free beer, wine, cider, spirits, live music and kid and pet-friendly activities. There will also be food trucks and real snow for the Iron Mountain Rail Jam.

"It holds special significance as we celebrate not only the challenging year we've had but also the 10 years we've been in business," said events coordinator Vanessa Venios-Antanitis. "There's a chance it could be our last year having Snow Days at that farm, so it is a little bittersweet for us. We're really excited to have everyone come out and join us for the party."

Venios-Antanitis said they expect more than 3,000 people at the event this year.

The event, co-sponsored by the Susquehanna Valley River Visitors Bureau, is free to attend as a way to give back to the community, said Venios-Antanitis.

"We anticipate this will be the biggest Summer Snow Days ever because of the fire and everything that's happening," said Gilson. "We're imagining a lot of people will want to party with us to celebrate our next chapter."

Free tickets and upgrades to Supporter or VIP can be acquired at gilsonsnow.com/summer-snow-day.