Inside Self-Storage Expands Training Institute to Include QSM Designation

The Self-Storage Training Institute (SSTI), owned and operated by Inside Self-Storage (ISS), will expand its online educational offerings to include a comprehensive continuing-education program for facility management employees and owners. ISS has partnered with industry experts Jim Chiswell and Mel Holsinger, former owners of the Self-Storage Education Network (SSEN), to create a broad-based curriculum allowing students to achieve a designation as Qualified Storage Manager (QSM).
 
The new program will evolve from the web-based educational platforms developed over the past two years for SSTI and SSEN. Participants will take classes in webinar format at their convenience, from the comfort of their own computer. All courses will be taught by recognized industry leaders.
 
In their capacity as educational consultants to SSTI, Chiswell and Holsinger will share their extensive experience in manager training and self-storage operation. Chiswell is the owner and president of Chiswell & Associates LLC, which provides feasibility studies, acquisition due diligence and customized manager training for the storage industry. Holsinger is president of Professional Self-Storage Management, which offers facility management, consulting and development services.
 
Im very excited to have this new opportunity to be building on the knowledge we developed with our online venture, the Self Storage Education Network, said Chiswell. Countless participants have been asking us to create a core curriculum that would allow them to earn a recognized professional designation. Joining forces with the marketing power and online-education expertise of ISS fulfills a vision I have had for more than 20 years.
 
An educational program that is affordable and convenient for self-storage managers is long overdue.  The QSM faculty is currently being finalized, added Holsinger. Im thrilled about continuing to work with top industry leaders to create this superior program for our industry. 
 
In addition to its online training institute, ISS (www.insideselfstorage.com) provides a monthly magazine, bi-annual expos, free webinars and e-books, a weekly newsletter, and other informational resources for the self-storage industry. The magazine was launched 17 years ago by Publisher Troy Bix.
 
Were pleased to provide these new tools that will help managers and owners enhance their skills and help to take their professionalism to the next level. Mel and Jim are the perfect partners to help ISS expand our educational offerings to the industry, said Bix. They both have served for years on our Editorial Advisory Board, contributed articles to the magazine and will continue to participate as speakers at ISS shows. Weve enjoyed a long, productive relationship and look forward to building on that synergy.
 
Information about SSTI and the emerging QSM designation can be found at www.selfstorageeducation.com. Interested parties can also inquire about the program at the ISS booth (#1837-1839) at the Inside Self-Storage Expo in Las Vegas, Feb. 5-8, 2008. Visit www.insideselfstorage.com/expo for details about the show.