It’s the time of year for two particular things: counting our blessings and indulging in all kinds of treats we could normally never justify consuming. Personally, I try to keep thankfulness on my mind at all times, but you know how it goes … Sometimes we lose perspective. I stumbled across a sign in an antique store last weekend that read, “I start and end each day with gratitude.” It was a hokey, overpriced thing, but the message hit home.
So here we are, just two weeks from Thanksgiving. The world is rushing headlong into its inescapable winter whirl, and it may be difficult to remain focused on the things that bear weight in the balance between meaningful and frivolous. While it might be clichéd to ramble on about thanks this time of year, there’s never really a bad time for it. Thus, I’m taking this opportunity to give a shout out to folks who devote their time, energy and wisdom to helping us build and maintain the Inside Self-Storage (ISS) brand. Next year we celebrate 25 years in this incredible industry, and we would never have made it this far without the people identified below.
Oh, I’m also going to give you one of my new favorite holiday recipes. It’s my gift to you. If you prepare this delightful indulgence, not only will it make your taste buds sing arias of praise, it will give you one more thing for which to be appreciative this year!
One proviso: Over the years, ISS has been supported by hundreds of industry professionals who have contributed in some way to our magazine, expo, website, training institute, store and online community. There are so many experts, operators, vendors, etc., to whom we owe thanks that I can’t possibly call them all out here. To avoid the danger of inadvertent exclusion, I’ll refrain from citing particular individuals. Those who are “on the list” should know who they are.
We deeply appreciate the patronage of all the groups mentioned below and everyone they comprise—including you, dear reader. Also, the following are in no particular order, as all are equally treasured.
Writers: They say “content is king,” and that was never truer than it is in this information age. The driving force behind our success here at ISS is the quality content we’re able to produce for our magazine, website, newsletter, reports, image galleries, slideshows, digital issues, blogs and more. Some portion of it is written in-house, of course, but the majority comes from industry authorities who work in the field and impart their expertise to staff and readers. Some of our authors have shared insight with us for years and even decades, always answering the call when there’s some editorial question or need.
Speakers: When our former parent company Virgo Publishing LLC was purchased last year by Informa PLC, a company that produces hundreds of tradeshows worldwide, some of our new coworkers were shocked to see the success of the Inside Self-Storage World Expo Education Program, which has grown over the years to include 10 tracks and more than 40 seminars. At some shows we feature as many as 70 presenters across our seminars, workshops and roundtable discussions. As always, exhibits are a key draw to the event, but education has come to be in equally high demand. Our presenters and education best practices are now a critical component of brand achievement.
SST moderators and members: The Self-Storage Talk online community, launched in early 2008, has grown to nearly 8,000 members, 9,200 discussion threads and 83,000 posts. The evolution of the forum has been graciously guided by dedicated individuals who have devoted their time to starting conversations, answering member questions, policing inappropriate behavior, and generally keeping everything organized and smooth. In the beginning, all of our moderators were industry vendors. Over time, some of our facility-operator members began to really embrace and take ownership of the site, and we turned its management to their very competent care. We currently have a team of eight, and we owe a great deal to our amazing “Mod Squad”!
Advertisers/vendors: These guys are more than just "the money." Our advertisers and the other product and service suppliers who serve the self-storage community are the keepers of tremendous expertise, which they’re always happy to share with anyone who requires it. They write for us, present seminars for us and answer questions on SST. They talk to attendees at the shows. They advocate for the business and strive to make storage facilities more beautiful, efficient and profitable. (And, yes, we love that they spend their money on advertising and tradeshow booths and sponsorships and stuff.)
Audience: What can I say? Our audience is the best. You guys subscribe to our mag, attend our shows, read our newsletter, spend time on our website, shop at the ISS Store, hang out on our forum, and check out any other wacky initiative we throw at you. If it weren’t for you, there would be no need for ISS, which would make the world a very sad place indeed.
Staff: My list wouldn’t be complete without the ISS family. Our core group is a small but saucy bunch that includes Troy Bix, vice president and founder; Debbie Pirkey, executive/sales assistant; Amy Campbell, editor; Tony Jones, contributing editor and store manager; and me, editorial director. We’ve all been with the company for many years (Troy hired me in 1998). Of course, there are others at Informa who support the ISS brand, from the production team to tradeshow staff to marketing gurus and others who work across multiple divisions. But we five have devoted ourselves to ISS and the self-storage industry, and we love what we do. We hope it shows.
Our deepest gratitude goes out to every one of you. You make it possible for ISS to thrive. More important, your contributions make this business better every day, for everyone who enjoys its bounty.
Finally, here’s the recipe I promised you. Please enjoy (and don’t be cranky with me when you can’t stop shoving it in your pie hole) the remarkable Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake With Maple Glaze, courtesy of “Your Cup of Cake.” It will haunt your dreams.
Thank you for reading this blog and being an ISS advocate. You can rest easy tonight knowing someone on the planet genuinely appreciates you. (Well, unless you’re too haunted by cake.)