Those interested in attending the Inside Self-Storage World Expo in Las Vegas, March 14-16, can take advantage of early-bird registration rates and discount room reservations. The next ISS Expo will take place at the Paris Hotel & Casino, where attendees can reserve rooms at only $139 per night if they do so by Feb. 15. Reservations can be made by calling 1.800.HARRAHS. Mention the ISS Expo to receive the discount.

Show participants can also get early-bird discounts on expo-hall and education packages as well as add-on workshops if they register by Jan. 14. The industrys largest conference and tradeshow includes four education tracks, more than 150 exhibitors, specialty seminars, a self-storage Q&A, roundtable discussions, a cocktail reception and more.  Learn more at www.insideselfstorageworldexpo.com.

Burlon Anderson and Lee Pepper have joined BETCO Inc., a single-source manufacturer of metal self-storage buildings, as sales representatives in the Southwestern states.

Over the past nine years, Anderson has accumulated valuable experience in sales with a general contractor who specialized in self-storage and boat/RV storage. He will be responsible for sales in Colorado, New Mexico and west Texas.

Pepper comes to BETCO with a background in technical sales and project management for a nationwide self-storage manufacturer. In addition, he has worked in estimating and project management for self-storage and construction projects. His sales territories will be Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and southern California.

SD Storage in San Diego is partnering with GreenSpot DropOff, setting up collection centers at its self-storage facilities to offer free and convenient e-waste recycling for tenants.

Six of nine SD Storage locations have been outfitted with GreenSpot DropOff collection stations. Rather than paying a recycling companys fees collect e-waste, tenants can simply drop off their old electrical items while at the facility.

Obsolete computers, old monitors, broken copy machines, or other unwanted or unused electrical items can be left at one of these stations for proper disposal. California state law mandates electronic items be recycled because some materials within many of these electronic devices are classified as hazardous waste and cannot be disposed of in landfills or by local trash-collection services. In addition, the metals used in these devices can be recycled, which helps preserve resources and protects the planet by reducing the amount of new metals that have to be mined.

Electronic discard is one of the most rapidly rising segments of the waste stream in the United States. According to eRecycle.org, researchers estimate nearly 75 percent of old electronic devices are in storage, partly due to the uncertainty of how to properly manage the materials.

SD Storage hopes by setting up these e-waste stations tenants will be motivated to recycle their unwanted electronic devices rather than discarding them in areas where they could potentially pose a threat to the environment.

Current SD Storage e-waste drop off locations include these facilities: Escondido, National City, North San Marcos, Pacific Beach, South San Marcos and Vista.

An auction scheduled to take place Wednesday evening in Malta, Mont., will include an extensive collection of historical artifacts and curios found in a local self-storage unit that has gone unpaid for 15 years. The new owner of the self-storage facility, who wishes to remain anonymous, contacted family members of the renter, none of whom were interested in reclaiming the property.

The sale will be conducted at 6 p.m. by Dan Tryan, owner of Tryans Auction Center. Items to be sold include a full-dress uniform of a grand past master of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF), including an embroidered sash and an elaborate plumed hat; a large collection of Order ribbons and badges, some from Montana conventions; Medals and ribbons from the Grand Army of the Republic, a fraternal organization of Union veterans of the Civil War; and an extensive book collection including a three-volume History of Montana, a 10-volume Photographic History of the Civil War, and a pristine eight-volume Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, published in 1887.

Additional items of interest include an antique Boy Scouts shirt and matching trousers, a boys sailor outfit, decorative pins and buttons, jewelry, purses, hand mirrors, brushes, carving knives, silverware, China, antique toys, pocket watches, handmade quilts, old Montana maps, photographs of downtown Malta, and old copies of the Phillips County News.

The IOOF, also known as the Three Link Fraternity, is an altruistic fraternal organization derived from similar British groups that came into being during the 18^th century. Founded in Baltimore in 1819, the organization is based on three founding principles: friendship, love and truth.

At times in our lives, weve each made the occasional business mistake. Most of the time, there are no financial ramifications for our errors. But what if you are a self-storage site manager and the blunder of all blunders is about to be made by your owner? What do you do?

First, do not cross the line. Wheres the line? Youll know when youre just about to cross it, or the second after youve stepped over. I crossed that line once with a boss, using a line akin to Johnny Paychecks musical hit, Take This Job and Shove It. Im not proud of letting things get that far out of control.

Thankfully, my supervisor had firsthand knowledge of what I was facing and knew I had been pushed to the breaking point and beyond. As we backed away to our opposing corners, there was time to breathe, reflect and determine how to best handle an emotionally charged situation. We were fortunate enough to move forward to a highly profitable and, most important, mutually respectful arrangement. We survived the tension-filled circumstances. Hopefully, youll take away information from this article to help you if you ever face a similar one.

Disagreeing With Tact

While disagreements between employees and superiors can be sparked by any number of things, lets use marketing as an example. This is the place where Ive seen the most discourse between self-storage owners and site staff.  

Lets say the boss wants you to execute a marketing idea you think would be an embarrassment to you and the facility. Your first thought? This guy is nuts. Of course, thats not something you should blurt out. In fact, dont knock his idea from the word go.

Instead, since youve already built a good rapport with your owner, ask for some time to mull the idea over. This buys you time for evaluation, and youll have the ability to research and gather some ideas, facts and figures to dispute the concept without making it a personal attack. Or perhaps you can add or enhance the idea to make it more workable.

Abruptly dismissing anyones idea outright may lead to a negative confrontation. The idea-maker will naturally become defensive, and youll find yourself in a battle of egos rather than on the path to creating a great marketing program. Dont inject emotions into the discussion; keep it based in fact.

You also need to learn the best way to approach your boss with ideas or changes. Some people have better analytical or critical thinking skills, while others are more emotional or reactive thinkers. This doesnt mean one type of thinker is any more intelligent; its just a natural predilection of the individual. Some people are more inflexible in their thought processes, so you may need to adapt to their thought methodology to get your ideas across. The goal is to identify the other persons preferred methods and adapt to meet him in the middle.

Weve all made our share of mistakes. Taking ownership or responsibility for an error in judgment is a good place to start; forgive yourself and move forward. Accepting that others suffer from the same human faults is another good starting place. Besides, what will happen tomorrow? A new day will begin with yet another opportunity to make a mistake or a good call. Each day is like a do-over with the knowledge gained from the days prior.

Building Respect and Trust

What if you dont have a good rapport with your boss? Dont fret. It can be developed. Interpersonal relationships require mutual respect and trust. Your boss is already showing you trusthe trusts you with his facility. You know your paycheck arrives promptly so, in a subliminal way, you trust your owner too. Continue on that path and think about other ways you trust one another. If you find there are places where theres no trust, move in a positive direction to rectify it.
Respect is another trait thats very important in any relationship. Even if you dont believe your owner is the sharpest tack, he does own a business and you are working for him, so respect that hes made a few good decisions in his life. He did hire you, didnt he?

Open Communication Lines

Another critical element is opening the door for honest conversations with your owner. One of the best ways to accomplish this is to meet with him off site in a non-work-related environment. This is the time to present issues important to you, your site and your owner.  Meeting outside of the trappings of your office provides a place where the flow of conversation wont be interrupted by customers or co-workers.

Another benefit: You wont be stressed about performing per script as you would in an office setting. An offsite location is conducive to a more laid-back dialogue. In this comfortable locale, armed with your facts, figures and research put together in a professional manner, youve got the start of a great way to address a concern or combat a bad idea.
Plan ahead, get your bids, suggestions or other items in place before the meeting, then review and study them. Analyze your own perspective, and have someone play devils advocate for you. Put yourself in your owners position while reviewing the appropriate topic. What other information might you ask in his position? Get the answers and be ready to share what youve learned.

Dont write volumes, instead focus on bullet points that are easy to present with one- or two-sentence leads. For example, I believe we need to consider addressing this issue. Please take a look at these bids (or ideas or my reasons) at your earliest convenience and let me know your thoughts. Then drop the subject and move on to a friendlier, non-threatening topic of conversation such as the latest game scores or a new play in town.

Be a Team Player

Despite your best efforts to turn any idea or project around, there may still come a time when you feel the boss is completely wrong. What do you do? You have two choices: sit back and watch his concept potentially fail, or jump in with both feet and help. One of two things will occur: Your owner will realize you were correct after all, and may then appreciate that you were so astute and on target. Or, by jumping in despite your take on the situation, youll show yourself to be a true professional and a real team player. Either way, you must give the owners ideas a chance to succeed or fail as they may.
People sometimes have to learn by making mistakes, and your owner is no different. As adults with the perceptiveness of hindsight, we know when we would have, could have or should have in past decisions if given a second chance to rectify our errors.

Whats the absolute worst that can happen by trying even a really bad idea? Sure, there may be an I told you so moment, which you, of course, will not use as an opportunity to gloat; and you could even be slightly embarrassed along the way. On the other hand, you could learn something new, make a friend, or discover a new skill.

Be a team player, even when you think someone else is completely wrong. You can prove to yourself and your team that youll put forth 110 percent even if you disagree, and youll gain respect along the way. How you overcome objections or less-than-optimal ideas by others within your organization is something you should accomplish through tact, grace and compassion. You have nothing to lose, but much to gain by working together in a non-threatening, mutually respectful manner.

Gina Six Kudo is the general manager of Cochrane Road Self Storage in Morgan Hill, Calif. She has more than 16 years of self-storage experience and a strong customer-service and sales background. She can be reached at 408.782.8883; e-mail [email protected] , visit www.cochranestorage.com .

Metro Self Storage of Mound, Minn., recently donated $1,217.48 to the Westonka Food Shelf, which provides food, toiletries and other staples to individuals and families in need. Facility manager Delbert Meismer presented a check for the amount to Jack Weist, food-shelf coordinator. The money was raised by Meismer and Weist as well as Westonka-area Boy Scouts from Troops 569 and 571.

Metro Self Storage has facilities in Bloomington, Eden Prairie and Mound, Minn.

West Bellfort Self Storage, a family-owned and operated facility in Houston, Texas, is celebrating its one-year anniversary. Built from the ground up, the facility is at 56 percent occupancy, an accomplishment achieved primarily through word-of-mouth marketing and local fliering. The facility just launched its own website.

Since this is a family-run business, we the owners are very much involved with the customers one-on-one and are able to satisfy all their needs through the openness and flexibility of an individually owned operation, said owner Neil Singh.

To celebrate its anniversary, West Bellfort is offering a new customer special good for one month of free storage rent.

Facility features include a 16-camera surveillance system, packing and moving supplies for purchase, U-Haul truck and trailer rental, drive-up unit access, and online reservations.

SMD Software Inc., provider of SiteLink self-storage management software, has released a next-generation Google Maps interface and CRM (customer relationship management) module for its Web Edition. Self-storage facility operators can use the module to map their competitors and tenants, and create ads based on the softwares postal code and marketing analysis.

CRM tools help operators interact with tenants and connect to listing services, call centers and websites. The new CRM module tracks leads and conversions. It also allows users to tailor e-mails, letters and ads to specific demographic groups.

The maps interface builds on the CRM module, plotting customers and competitors on Google Maps. Then Web Edition segments customers by postal code to help operators spot trends in customer behavior and fine-tune their advertising and revenue management.

Established in 1996, SMD Software has more than 9,000 installations worldwide.