Alan Mruvka, founder of E! Entertainment Television, has launched a new self-storage business called StorageBlue, with four New Jersey locations serving residents and businesses in the Jersey City and New York City metro areas. Mruvka intends to “disrupt the business by concentrating on the customer experience,” according to a press release.
“We will convert the single-worst customer experience into a painless and convenient one,” said Mruvka, co-founder and CEO. “We are approaching the business from a whole new point of view, which is why we call ourselves, ‘America’s easiest self-storage.’”
The StorageBlue business model is predicated on customer convenience, with the size of storage spaces ranging from “closets and small storage lockers to oversized garages and storage units,” according to the release. Facilities will be open every day of the year, with office hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Locations will have onsite managers and offer moving-truck rentals and moving supplies.
“I’ve been in the self-storage business for over 30 years, and now that I’m back to living in New York City, there’s always a need for additional space,” Mruvka said. “So I decided to create a new type of self-storage to help residents with their storage needs. We actually help people pick up their stuff and get it over to our storage facilities—something that seems to always be taken for granted. I like to say, ‘From you to unit seamlessly.’”
Mruvka previously helped build the American Self Storage brand to 15 locations comprising more than 3 million square feet in the New York City metro area, according to the release. American Self Storage currently operates four facilities in New Jersey and six in New York, according to the company website.
The entrepreneur intends to scale StorageBlue quickly behind an aggressive plan to expand the brand nationwide within 18 months. The company is looking to acquire existing self-storage buildings as well as develop new facilities, according to the release.
Mruvka has more than 30 years of experience in the real estate and entertainment industries. Now in its 31st year, E! is owned by Comcast and valued at more than $12 billion, the release said.
