Update 6/23/2014 – Cris Burnam received the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2014 Award in the Services & Real Estate category for the central-midwest region on June 19. He’s now eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2014 national program.
“It’s an honor to receive this award and a testament to the talented and dedicated people working beside me. I’ve been fortunate to work closely with my brothers and sister and learn from my mentor, my dad, Gordon Burnam,” Burnam said. “My hope is that being recognized for achievement as an entrepreneur reminds others in the trenches that ‘it is the courage to continue that counts.’”
Burnam said he champions StorageMart’s company culture to “focus on the customer experience because that’s what matters most.”
StorageMart was founded by the Burnam family in 1999. It doubled in size in 2008 with a successful takeover of a publicly-held Canadian storage portfolio. Most recently, the company acquired 17 self-storage properties in Des Moines, Iowa, and has plans to continue growing through self-storage acquisitions and conversions.
StorageMart is also a founder of Charity Storage, the first industry-led nonprofit organization. The charity supports Kure It Kidney Cancer Research, local Habitat for Humanity branches, women’s shelters, foster care and adoption-resource centers, and more.
Cris Burnam, president of StorageMart, an owner and operator of self-storage facilities throughout the United States and Canada, is a finalist for the 2014 Ernst & Young (EY) Entrepreneur of the Year award for the central-midwest region. The award recognizes entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.
Burnam was selected as a finalist by a panel of independent judges. Winners will be announced at a gala event on June 19 at the Sheraton Overland Park Hotel at the Convention Center in Overland Park, Kan.
“It’s a personal honor to be a finalist in such a prestigious award. I consider it an honor on behalf of my entire family, who have worked hand-in-hand with me in our family business,” Burnam said. “I’m proud of the acknowledgement this award brings to the dedicated people I’m fortunate enough to work with at StorageMart.”
Now in its 28th year, the EY awards program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries. Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year national program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the EY Entrepreneur of the Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced at an awards gala in Palm Springs, Calif., on Nov. 15.
Founded and produced by EY, the awards are sponsored in the United States by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and SAP America Inc. The central-midwest program’s sponsors include Armstrong Teasdale, Common Ground Public Relations, Enterprise Bank & Trust, Lockton Cos., Merrill Corp. Ltd., Smart Business and Stinson Leonard Street LLP.
Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Columbia, Mo., StorageMart owns and operates more than 149 self-storage properties in the United States and Canada. The company has 350 employees.
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