So Money

mon*ey \ 'm&-nE\ adj. : involving or reliable in a crucial situation; valuable; top shelf

Conceptualized, written and coproduced by Jon Favreau in 1996, Swingers made quite a stir with its cast of Hollywood retro-Rat Pack ruffians--and the colorful vocabulary it inspired. When the film's lovelorn protagonist gets "shaqed" by his best "baby," even reassurances from his chums that he is "so money" isn't enough to snap him out of his funk. What cure does his "wing man" conjure up to help chase away those broken-heart blues? "Vegas, baby, Vegas!"

This being the official issue of our annual Vegas expo, we've pulled out all the stops. In addition to our yearly real-estate review and a bang-up set of features, we've added four new columns to this month's line-up. Jeffrey Greenberger of Katz, Greenberger & Norton LLP brings us Legal Perspectives, which will focus every other month on a distinct legal issue, such as rental agreements and clauses, late-fee litigation, auctions, etc. From Behind the Counter is a bi-monthly column addressing the challenges managers face in the course of day-to-day operations. It comes to us from David Fleming who, along with his wife, Tina, manages Premier Self-Storage in Amherst, N.Y. RK Kliebenstein's Market Profile puts a magnifying class to unique self-storage markets, analyzing their success and potential. Finally, TechTalk highlights the latest in technological products and services intended for self-storage. Whether yours is an older facility trying to keep informed of new developments or a newcomer, knowledge of the latest advances will help you maintain a competitive edge.

Also this month, meet Victoria (and her two secrets). Statistics identify the average self-storage customer as a married, 34-year-old mother of two children--Victoria. Martin Knuppe explains the importance of designing and enhancing your facility to please this particular customer, how to attract her and her "thousands" of friends, and add more money to your bottom line in the process. Along similar lines, Tammy Ross advises on "Getting and Keeping Customers," staying head and shoulders above your competition.

Finally, the object of "Monopoly" is to become the wealthiest player through buying, renting and selling property. The self-storage real-estate game is no different. Mike McCune's annual review, will help you understand the key issues and "pass GO." Bill Alter identifies specific factors that go into determining the highest possible value for a property--and where to place the most emphasis to maximize your facility's merit.

But if you lose at "Monopoly," never fear. There's always Vegas. So leave your broken hearts at home, boys and girls. This show is so money.

See you there,

Teri L. Lanza
Editor
[email protected]

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