Mechanical equipment and diagnostic tools worth approximately $310,000 were stolen in two separate incidents from vans parked at Big Yellow Self Storage in Tolworth, England.
The first incident occurred Oct. 25, the second on Dec. 10. In the most recent incident, thieves apparently cut through wire fencing to gain access to where the vans were parked outside the storage facility.
A white transportation van was seen driving away from the facility around the time of the incident.
Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services brokered sale of seven bank-owned self-storage properties throughout the Central Valley of California for $17.9 million.
Six of the facilities are located in Escalon, Riverbank, Ceres, Elk Grove, Soulsbyville (Sonora) and Stockton. The seventh property is land approved for self-storage development in San Diego. The existing facilities represent 3,811 units and 520,870 net rentable square feet with years of construction ranging from 1990 to 2007.
Charles Chico LeClaire, senior vice president investments, Nick Walker, associate, and Walter Brauer, associate investment specialists, had the exclusive listing to market the portfolio on behalf of the seller, a national bank. The buyer was a private real estate group.
By Tony Jones
No matter how you shake it, 2010 has been a difficult year for just about every industry, including self-storage. Tough times typically require tough decisions, but investing in the intangible can sometimes be among the most difficult things to do. For example, while most business owners have looked at ways to cut costs (including labor) to help offset revenue shortages, few businesses continue to maintain their internal cultures and morale without compromise.
Its depressing to cut back hours, lay off workers and force employees to make concessions and sacrifices for the sake and survival of a business. It also may be unproductive and damaging. In some cases, these types of moves may actually undercut the profitability and productivity they are designed to preserve or protect.
I recently attended the Western Carwash Associations 29th annual convention, and one of the educational sessions touched on the important role business leadership plays in building success from the inside out. The presenter, Mary Flynn from the Disney Institute, discussed how a companys underlying culture defines the life of a business and outlined how effective leaders shape and strengthen winning employee relations to fuel company success.
Among those traits are the ability to lead by example, teach, coach and counsel. Effective business leaders also display their passion and personality, infuse positive energy and bestow rewards and recognition. All of these can be difficult to do when logic says to keep tightening the business belt and ones instinct is to withdraw as unpopular decisions mount and become tougher to enforce.
Flynns presentation included a story about how Walt Disney gave each of his animators a generous dinner allowance during a late work night only to shut off all but a solitary light shortly after they left for their break. When the animators returned, Disney stood in that spotlight and told his workers they were going to launch an animated feature film. For the next three hours, he proceeded to tell the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, acting out each character and voice to help the animators visualize what they would be creating.
The year was 1934 and America was deep in the midst of the Great Depression. Disneys ambition, passion, pragmatism and resourcefulness were all on display that night. His animators were inspired and produced a masterpiece. Although the film cost a fortune in the three years it was in production, it raked in even more at the box office and took Disney to new heights.
Talk about risk-reward propositions. Im not suggesting you forego difficult cuts or foolhardily throw money at every whim. However, be pragmatic in your cuts (Disney stayed in the studio with that solitary light while his workers ate on his dime) and dont lose sight of the significant role your internal resources play in your companys success.
Create and maintain a dynamic company culture. Invest in your workers as you do your external customers. Preserve company morale and lead with passion and focus. Valued employees who are openly praised and rewarded for their hard work will carry your torch and strive to protect your business.
Tony Jones is an editor with Virgo Publishing LLC, Inside Self-Storages parent company.
Hamilton Mini Storage in Hernando, Miss., hosted an event last month in which toys donated by Hollywood Casino Tunica were given to more than 115 underprivileged children. The project was part of a state work program that provides temporary assistance to needy families.
Program officials and Mississippi RiverKings hockey mascots Sheldon the Turtle and RiverThing participated in the event.
Hollywood Casino has donated toys through the program for more than five years and supports several community-outreach programs and charity organizations during the year.
Metro Storage acquired 15 self-storage facilities in three states from the Wichita Group for about $46 million.
The portfolio includes facilities in El Paso, Corpus Christi, Midland and Lubbock, Texas, and in Topeka and Wichita, Kan.
The Wichita Group is led by Morrie Sheets and Dan Carney, the founder of Pizza Hut. Ten years ago, the duo also franchised self-storage properties owned by Colby Sandlian, a minority partner in the Wichita Group. Under the name U-Stor, the group built 20 facilities, then later sold five, including two to Sandlian, who has a stake in facilities in 29 U.S. cities.
Founded in 1973, Metro Storage operates more than 75 facilities across the United States.
A new tenant at a Texas self-storage facility took advantage of the business free moving truckand took her sweet time returning it, causing the facility manager to sweat it out. Members on Self-Storage Talk (SST), the industrys largest online community, are now discussing the issue of missing rental trucks and how they handle the related stress.
Member unclelourocks shared his story in a discussion titled I want my truck back! At 1:45 p.m. on Dec. 22, his tenant paid for her first month of rent and requested free use of the facilitys 5-by-10 moving truck to transport her belongings. Though the vehicle was supposed to be returned by close of business, it was still missing at 6 p.m., and the manager didnt know what to do. Forum members suggested he call the tenant and demand the trucks return, threatening to report it stolen.
The next day, unclelourocks went to the tenant's address, only to find she had been evicted from her apartment. That's when he called the police. He continued to phone the tenant, encouraging her to return the truck, which she finally didafter the facility closed on Christmas Eve. And it was still full of her stuff.
"[The tenant] left a message saying she would drop the truck off and put money in the drop slot for the extra days and miles, wrote unclelourocks in his thread. She dropped the truck off less than half a tank full and did an extra 150 miles! No money in the drop slot either. We have overlocked her and denied her access until we get the money. She will never ever take my truck again!"
Do you have a good story about "vanishing" moving trucks? Do you have a solution or prevention technique for the problem? Perhaps you require extra documentation from the truck driver in addition to a driver's license. Maybe you charge a sizable security deposit, or cap mileage, or equip trucks with GPS tracking software. Whatever your method, make sure to jump on the thread and share it with others. You must be a registered member to post, but registration is free and easy.
Live and growing since 2008, Self-Storage Talk is the largest online forum in the industry and the official forum of Inside Self-Storage. SST has approximately 3,850 members, 23 different topical forums, 3,830 discussion threads and more than 33,000 posts.
The Manatee County Sheriff's Office is investigating a break-in Saturday at a Bradenton, Fla., self-storage facility.
Deputies responded to an alarm just after 3 a.m. at Budget Self Storage, 6801 Cortez Road West. Thieves had broken into three units, and attempted to break into a fourth.
Investigators are still determining if anything was taken. Anyone with information about the break-in can call Crime Stoppers at 866.634-TIPS.
Harvey Lenkin retired from the Public Storage Inc. Board of Trustees effective Jan. 3 after nearly 20 years of service. Lenkin served in a wide variety of executive positions with the company from 1978 until his retirement as president in 2005.
A talented executive and fundraiser at a time when Public Storage needed capital to grow, Lenkin quickly became the face of Public Storage on Wall Street. His many significant contributions to the success of the company include completing Public Storages first preferred stock issuance in 1992, laying the foundation for affiliated company PS Business Parks to become a public company in 1998, and consummating the Public Storage merger with Shurgard in 2005.
After retiring from management, Lenkin continued to share his counsel and knowledge of the self-storage business with the board, of which he was named a member in 1991.
Harvey was a key contributor in building Public Storage into the world's largest self-storage company," said current president and CEO Ronald L. Havner Jr.
Public Storage, a member of the S&P 500, The Forbes Global 2000 and FT Global 500, is a real estate investment trust that acquires, develops, owns and operates self-storage facilities. The Glendale, Calif.-based company has more than 2,000 self-storage facilities and 4,900 employees as well as a market capitalization of more than $20 billion. As of Sept. 30, it had interests in 2,044 self-storage facilities in 38 states as well as 189 facilities in seven European nations.
The holidays are over and the drudgery of routine has set in. In some parts of the country, the weather is not helping to fend off the blues. Maybe youre beating yourself up because youre still carrying around some of those holiday pounds, or you feel youve already failed miserably on your New Years resolutions.
You dont need to wait for some outside stimulus to make you happy. You can start right now. Here are 10 suggestions that can quickly and effectively change your mood and your attitude! Not only will these tasks themselves increase your happiness, but the mere fact that youve achieved some concrete goals will improve your frame of mind and send the doldrums packing.
1. Get Moving
Raise your activity level to pump up your energy. If youre on the phone, stand up and smile. Put more energy into your voice. Throw your head back and laugh like a crazy person. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Take a brisk 10-minute walk. Even better
2. Go Outside
Take a walk or jog around the building. Research suggests that light stimulates brain chemicals that improve mood. Try to get some sunlight first thing in the morning every day. Make it a point to stop and recognize the nature around you before you hurry into work. Find something beautiful to enjoy for a minute. Take time to appreciate the beauty of the snow hanging off a branch, the color of the sky or the smell of the rain.
3. Reach Out
Send an e-mail to a friend you havent seen in a while, or reach out to someone new. Having close bonds with other people is one of the most important keys to happiness. When you act in a friendly way, not only will others feel more pleasant toward you, but youll also strengthen your feelings of friendliness for other people.
4. Do It Now
Do something youve been procrastinating. It will rid you of that internal nagging. Deal with that insurance problem, purchase something you need, or make that phone call youve been putting off. Crossing an irksome chore off your to-do list will give you a big rush of elation.
5. Be Peaceful
Create a more serene environment. Outer order contributes to inner peace, so spend some time cleaning off your desk and tackling the piles in the office or kitchen. A large stack of little tasks can feel overwhelming, but often just a few minutes of work can make a sizable dent. Set the timer for 10 minutes and see what you can do. Make a game of it.
6. Move Things Around
Still stuck? Then commit to moving that stack you just cant deal with to a new location. Sometimes when the same pile just sits there staring at you, it makes it harder to get up the gumption to act. Just moving the pile from the floor to the desk can make the task seem more manageable.
7. Do a Good Deed
Hold the door open for someone, compliment a tenant, take a minute to pass along useful information, or help someone whos noticeably struggling with something. In fact, you can
Also
8. Save Someones Life
Sign up to be an organ donor, and remember to tell your family about your decision. Donate unused items to a homeless shelter or sign up to volunteer for a worthy cause. Do good, feel goodit really works!
9. Act Happy
Fake it 'til you feel it. Research shows that even an artificially induced smile boosts your mood. And if youre smiling, other people will perceive you as friendlier and more approachable. Breathe deeply, skip rather than walk, think about a person or a pet that you love.
10. Mind your Ps and Qs
Make a habit of being polite. Say please and thank you as often as you can. Let someone pull out in front of you in the parking lot or go ahead of you in line. Slow down and use common courtesy to make you feel better and lighten someone elses mood.
Take steps now to break up the late winter blahs and help you feel happier right now. Being happy is not a selfish goal; research shows happier people are more sociable, likable, healthy and productive. By working to boost your own happiness, youre making other people happier, too.
Linnea Appleby is president and chief operating officer of StorKwik, a national self-storage company based in Orlando, Fla. Appleby has been involved in the self-storage industry since 1998, with a 27-year background in management and finance. In addition to being a past president and managing director of the Florida Self Storage Association, shes a contributing writer to Inside Self-Storage and a frequent speaker at industry tradeshows and events. To reach her, call 407.246.1144; e-mail [email protected] .
Happy 2011 to everyone in our loyal audience! As everyone is back to work today after the holidays, it's time to set some goals for the year and commit to them, and that includes the leadership of Self-Storage Talk.
Self-Storage Talk, the official online forum of Inside Self-Storage, is coming off it's best year ever, with an estimated 1,400 new members joining in 2010 and a tremendous growth in Web traffic. But that doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement. A recent discussion thread explores members' resolutions, but perhaps what's missing from this thread are SST's commitments for the upcoming year. So, without further adieu, in 2011 SST resolves to do the following:
1. Stay Motivated, Don't Get Complacent
It would be easy to rest on the laurels of the past year, but the fact is there are still tens of thousands of self-storage operators and industrial personnel who've yet to join and participate in the forum. Until everyone in the industry is on board, we won't feel like our mission is complete. In the meantime, we are getting close to eclipsing the 4,000-member level. Help us get over the hump!
2. Investigate Technological Upgrades
Members have consistently asked to add different features, some of which are available and some that aren't quite ready yet. The SST team will continue to be diligent to investigate and offer the latest and most useful forum features to its members.
3. Handle Each Member's Inquiries Promptly and Thoroughly
The nature of a live website is that it's always running and open for use. That means that issues arise on all days and at all hours. Though the site's leadership appreciates your patience when tech concerns arise (i.e. password doesn't work, post editor won't do what you want, etc.), we also commit to responding even more quickly than we did in 2010.
We promise to do our part, and we ask you to do yours. Make sure you're visiting the forum regularly to check out the latest discussions and that you're chiming in with your opinions. When you attend professional networking events and conferences, such as the Inside Self-Storage World Expo, March 14-16 in Las Vegas, let your industry colleagues know about SST and what a great resource it is.
Last but not least, if you haven't joined our online community, the new year is a great time to start. You can register a username here for free. The process is free and takes only a couple of minutes.
