Janus International Corp., a manufacturer of self-storage doors and hallway systems, has acquired building manufacturer Gliderol Self Storage Solutions in Peterlee, England. Gliderol was founded in 2005 as a joint venture between Janus and Gliderol UK Ltd., a maker of rolling and sectional doors. Janus purchased the company outright to strengthen its brand presence in the United Kingdom and on the European continent, company officials said.

Self-storage operators throughout five continents identify with the Janus name, said David Curtis, president of Janus. Reaffirming our commitment to the European marketplace through this acquisition will support the enduring growth of their market by utilizing decades of experience to serve self-storage investors.

Gliderol Self Storage Solutions manufactures portable-storage buildings, as well as temporary and steel structures. The company specializes in the production, supply and installation of self-storage facility components. The companys website is now under the Janus International Ltd. name and can be found at www.janusintl.co.uk.

Headquartered in Temple, Ga., Janus manufactures rolling doors and building components for the commercial, industrial and self-storage markets. The company has seven global locations including a joint venture in Mexico.

Fairview Partners, a Seattle-based private-equity firm, has purchased Double D Self Storage in Turlock, Calif. The facility was built in 1999 on 5.32 acres and is comprised of 92,708 square feet in 609 units.

"We are pleased to have completed this acquisition at a favorable cost basis and anticipate the asset will not only yield above market returns to our investors, but also reinforces our commitment of value investing and capital preservation, said Michael Morgan, company principal.

Fairview Partners launched its first fund in 2011 to acquire and manage performing and non-performing loans, real estate and other real estate-secured assets, including self-storage. The firm has invested more than $20 million into distressed debt and rescue capital opportunities in 17 separate transactions since its formation.

This Saturday Westy Self Storage in Wilton, Conn., is one of three companies sponsoring the Cider Mill School Bottled Up! for Wilton Schools bottle and can collection drive. Community members are encouraged to drop off their empty bottles and cans at the Cider Mill bus loop, 240 School Road, from 9 a.m. to noon. Students will be on hand to unload bottles and cans from vehicles.

Once donated, the items are sorted, counted, bagged and redeemed for the 5 cent deposit. The money is deposited into an account for the Wilton Education Foundation (WEF), which is affiliated with the event. As sponsors, Westy Self Storage, Stop & Shop and Wilton Hardware have agreed to provide in-kind and material donations.

The student-run charity effort began four years ago by a group of second-graders who wanted to give back to their school. To date, the drive has raised and donated $2,300 for Wilton schools, according to WEF member Heather Borden Herve, who serves as a Bottled Up! advisor.

WEF provides ongoing professional development for teachers and funds interactive teaching tools, particularly for music and the arts. The organization recently donated more than $100,000 to area schools to fund technology and arts programs, teacher development, and continuing education. The money will also support classroom materials and learning programs, Borden Herve told the source.

Founded in 1990, Westy Self Storage is headquartered in Stamford, Conn. The company's portfolio of facilities spans the tri-state area of Connecticut, New Jersey and New York.

Chicago-based self-storage operator LifeStorage has opened a new facility in the citys historic West Loop neighborhood. The property at 1205 W. Jackson Blvd. is in a growing area and will serve business and residential customers, company officials said. It is near trendy restaurants, shops and galleries, as well as residential lofts and apartments.

This area is experiencing tremendous growth, and LifeStorage is delighted to be able to help people cope with that growth by providing a safe, secure place to house their excess belongings, said Michelle Wight Sands, director of operations. Industries such as fashion and the arts, as well as numerous design outlets and boutiques, have settled in this area, making storage space an essential component to growth. Were intent on meeting the need for storage by providing a solution thats far and above the expectations of the people now living and working in West Loop.

LifeStorage was founded in 2002 by owners Jean Jodoin and Christopher Barry. The company currently has 49 facilities in eight states, with a heavy concentration in the Chicagoland area.

Self-storage tenants hoping to retrieve their salvageable belongings from fire-destroyed Metro Mini Storage in Atascocita, Texas, earlier this week were mostly blocked from gaining entry to the facility and kept in the dark about the status of their goods. They were outraged as demolition crews began tearing down the structure and clearing debris, according to the source.

More than 20 customers showed up at the facility on Tuesday after a three-alarm fire caused substantial damage on Sunday. Investigators suspect arson in the case and have arrested 19-year-old Benjamin James Patrick La Chapelle.

Tenants could only watch as crews used backhoes to load debris into large dumpsters. The self-storage owner reportedly would not allow anyone to enter the property, although some business clients were able to check their units and recover a few items, according to the source. Others had workers take pictures of their units for them.

Deputies from the Harris County Sheriffs Office were called multiple times to remove people from outside the facility gate because the owner felt threatened, the source reported.

Joey Kovacik, who runs a mobile disc-jockey business, said he lost about $100,000 between two box trucks and lost equipment. A woman said she stored rare books, antiques and other items in a climate-controlled unit. Another tenant who had insurance to cover the loss of her items was told her adjuster could not access the property, according to the source.

Investigators believe La Chapelle deliberately set fire to the storage facility but have not indicated a motive. He is being held in Harris County Jail on $10,000 bond.

Self-storage operators in the United States and abroad are helping local charities to feed and clothe the poor for the upcoming winter holidays. Following is a sampling of their altruistic efforts.

Self-storage provider Discount Mini Storage at 1803 90th Ave. in Vero Beach, Fla., is accepting "Hunger Free Holidays" donations of nonperishable food until Nov. 8 to benefit Harvest Food and Outreach Centers, which provide food, employment training and education in Indian River, Orlando and St. Lucie Counties. The donations will help stock the shelves of the Indian River center's emergency food pantry. Suggested items include canned soup, fruit, vegetables, tuna and other meat, as well as peanut butter, jelly, macaroni and cheese, cereal, and other boxed meals.

Guardian Self Storage in the Hudson Valley region of New York is partnering with the United Way of the Dutchess-Orange area on a regional coat drive until Oct. 31. The goal is to collect 1,000 gently used or new coats for men, women and children in Orange County. Donations can be made at five Guardian Self Storage locations. The coats will be professionally laundered and distributed by the United Way through eligible nonprofit organizations.

Last year, 7,000 coats were collected during Guardians annual drive. The family-owned self-storage company opened its doors in Fishkill, N.Y., 25 years ago. It operates 13 facilities in Dutchess, Orange and Ulster counties.

StoreSmart Self Storage in Fort Myers, Fla., is donating a 5-foot-by-10-foot space to store donations for Blankets & Breakfast 2013, a charitable event that collects and distributes blankets, clothing, toiletries, hand sanitizer, backpacks or bags, and any other necessary items to local citizens in need. Phil Mikel, senior manager at the StoreSmart facility, contacted the organization after hearing it needed a place to store collected goods. The donations and breakfast will be served Nov. 28 by volunteers at Lions Park and Morningstar Baptist Church, both in Fort Myers.

Blankets & Breakfast was founded three years ago by Kerry Constantine, who operates a property-management business. Her third-grade son, Will, was saddened when families failed to pay rent and were evicted during the winter months, Constantine told the source. "Will saw a need in the community and never looked back. Each year we strive to make the Blankets & Breakfast event larger and more productive than ever. There are so many items that we all have that we don't need. It's amazing how much impact we can have when we simply give back," Constantine said.

StoreSmart Self Storage operates self-storage facilities in  Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina and South Carolina.

San Diego Self Storage (SDSS) is partnering with Rubio's Mexican restaurant for the self-storage companys 15th annual drive to benefit the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots. Collection began at all 18 SDSS facilities on Oct. 24 and runs through Dec. 19. Coupons for a free taco at any Rubio's San Diego location are being offered to the first 50 donors.

In addition, the storage company will conduct a drawing at each of its facilities for a $100 credit toward a self-storage rental for a new or existing tenant. Rubio's also donated a family four-pack of complimentary meal cards. To enter the drawing, individuals may register when dropping off a new, unwrapped toy at any SDSS facility. The drawing will be held on Dec. 20.

Last year the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve delivered 136,976 toys to children in the San Diego county area. SDSS contributed 16,232 toys to the effort. The Toys for Tots campaign has been running for approximately 64 years.

Founded in 1972, SSDS has a network of 18 self-storage facilities in San Diego County and additional facilities in Los Angeles and Orange counties. The company is locally owned and operated.

Access Self Storage is supporting 21 charities across the United Kingdom in its annual Christmas Charity Appeal.  This year, the self-storage provider has partnered with Action for Children, Save the Children, Kingston Foodbank, Acton Homeless Concern, Myton Hospice, When You Wish Upon a Star,  Rainbows and several other organizations, said Kevin Pratt, marketing manager. The self-storage facilities will act as drop-off points, where donations will be collected, sorted and delivered to the various charities. Last year the public support for our campaign was incredible, and we are really hoping that we will be able to top it again, Pratt said.

In Cricklewood, London, the company launched its Christmas campaign to help The Children's Society. Access Self Storage, which supported the charity last year by collecting 5,000 toys across England, is asking for toys and games to deliver to The Children's Society in West Hampstead.

The Access Self-Storage Fulham branch is seeking donations of art materials to benefit Action for Children. The drop-off opened Oct. 18 at the store at 21 Effie Road, Fulham Broadway, London.

Access Self Storage operates more than 50 facilities in the United Kingdom, with a large concentration in Greater London.

As we wind down another calendar year, self-storage owners are working on next years budgets. After we get past the optimistic income projections, we need to analyze our operating expenses and see if we can manage our facilities more efficiently and lower our costs. With price increases occurring in most every facet of life (gas, food, insurance, taxes, etc.), planning for business expenses is complex in many ways.

The goal is to effectively manage costs and minimize increases. Approach each line item with an open mind and look outside the box. Here are some tips to keep your facilitys expenses in check.

Consider Your Vendors

An important consideration when looking at your overall expenses is your vendor relationships. First, look at your business and tenant-insurance policies. Have signed on with the same property-insurance company year after year simply out of habit? You could be saving money simply by switching providers. Get at least three different companies to look at your policy and offer you a bid.

There may also be some new discounts available to you. For example, if youve added mandatory tenant insurance in the past year, look to see if theres a  discount based on your facility's average penetration. Have you upgraded your security system, improved safety conditions or made other major capital improvements that have increased the value of your property? If so, go over these improvements with your insurance agent to see if any of them can help you save.

Have you really looked at your invoices and statements from your other vendors, such as your landscaper, maintenance company, etc.? Again, get some other companies to give you bids for the same services.

When gas prices sky rocketed a few years ago, many vendors added a fuel surcharge. Are you still paying for this and, if so, why? Ask your vendor if you can reduce or eliminate it all together. Fuel is costly, but after this many years of relatively stable prices, perhaps this is something you should not have to pay.

Are you spending money on services that could be purchased for less or even eliminated? For example, compare the cost of an outside service, such as pest control, to doing it yourself or having your manager do it as part of his duties. In many cases, youre paying hundreds of dollars for something that may not be as necessary as it was in the past, or that could be done in-house by simply buying the materials.

Im not saying you should make your manager do more than is necessary but, in many cases, you could offer your manager a raise of half of what you save by not outsourcing the service. This way, you both win. Your manager gets a few more dollars in his pocket, and you shell out a few less. Look at each item you outsource and evaluate it from every conceivable angle.

Go Paperless

Are you still writing checks to pay your bills? These days, most companies offer auto-billing or online bill pay. Think about the cost savings if you eliminate the cost of postage, checks, printer cartridges, etc. You may be losing money by not paying your bills online.

Are your managers still sending invoices and late notices via snail mail? Again, if you can get this to a paperless process, youll save hundreds if not thousands of dollars each year. These minor items can add up fast.

Examine Your Retail Inventory  

We all recognize the value of selling retail and ancillary supplies, but how many of us honestly know what we sell? Do you really need to have the amount of inventory on hand that you do?

Many of us want to have as much as possible to sell to customers, but do we really sell everything we display? What length of time should we allow for product movement? If it takes us six months to sell an item, is there really a reason to re-order it once it's gone? Is this the most effective use of our money? These are hard questions to answer, but some stores have thousands of dollars tied up in retail inventory for an extended period of time, sometimes unnecessarily.

Audit Your Energy Costs

Have you recently completed an energy audit of your facility? You might be surprised, but next to taxes, payroll, marketing and insurance, utility costs are usually the next highest expense. Can you adjust the temperature in the climate-controlled building by 2 degrees? How much would it save you in the long term? Can you turn the lights off after 1 a.m. without compromising your facilitys safety or security?

Again, these are questions we never seem to ask because were so focused on increasing income. However, imagine what your bottom line would look like if you could reduce these expenses by 10 percent? Things like leaky faucets, toilets or hose bibs are just allowing us to throw money out the window. These expenses are manageable and should be constantly maintained.

Pay Your Managers Well

Last but not least in the discussion self-storage operating expenses is your payroll. Are you over or under compensating your management team? Many owners think the lower wage they have to pay, the better off they are. This sounds good in theory. In reality, its probably the most wasteful spending youll ever do.

You get what you pay for. If you want to pay minimum wage to your manager, expect minimum results. If you compensate well, you should expect higher returns. Examine your operating hours and payroll obligations to see where you can make improvements. Create a team you can compensate based more on performance and give them an opportunity to increase their income by growing yours!

One alternative is to install a self-storage kiosk to reduce some of your employee work hours. It might not only save you money but allow your managers to make more by focusing on facility performance. The important thing is to weigh the cost against the benefits and have a clear objective.

Many owners wont even consider installing a kiosk because they fear how it will affect their managers, who often relate the automated machine with a drop in pay. Nothing is further from the truth. A strategically placed and used kiosk can actually increase their income by paying a bonus for every rental gained from the kiosk, for example. Kiosks also extend your renting hours, which can improve overall occupancy.

If you can offset the cost of a kiosk with increased rentals, the savings can be huge. Im not promoting kiosks for every facility, but we have to embrace the technology tools out there to help us improve our bottom line. In many cases, kiosks are a great alternative and an asset that should be examined closely.

Managing your self-storage facilitys expenses is hard work. However, the rewards of efficiently doing so can be exponential, making it well worth your time and effort.

Mel Holsinger is president of Professional Self Storage Management LLC, which oversees the operation of more than 40 facilities in Arizona, Colorado and Texas. Holsinger has been in the self-storage industry for more than 25 years. To reach him, call 520.319.2164; e-mail [email protected]; visit www.proselfstorage.com .

After vandals burned the wood reserved for a bonfire event taking place Nov. 2 in Godalming, Surrey, England, a local storage facility and other community members are coming forward to replenish the supply and save the day. Laura Leah Price, office administrator of Kellys Self Storage, has agreed to donate all of the facilitys broken pallets and spare wood to the annual town bonfire and fireworks display, sponsored by the Godalming & Villages Lions Club.

The vandals destroyed the fire preparations last Saturday. Surrey Fire and Rescue Service said an engine from Godalming fire station attended the blaze, which took a couple of hours to extinguish. Godalming Mayor Tom Martin made the announcement on his Facebook page on Sunday, saying he was sad and disgusted that someone would ruin the clubs hard work.

"I am shocked and disappointed. It is very sad that some people will do what they have done and burn it down, Martin told the source. The Godalming Bonfire is a staple event in the diary. It has been going for many, many years, and it is very well-attended."

Martin made an appeal on Facebook to get local people to rebuild the bonfire in time for Saturday, organizing deliveries of wood by region. He said he believes this will be the best bonfire the town has had in several years.

Donations for the event, which includes a torch-lit procession, also starting pouring in after Eagle Radio reported on the vandalism.

The bonfire and fireworks will be on The Lammas Lands behind The United Church on Bridge Road. Gates to the field will be open to the general public at 6.30 p.m. The procession will leave The Pepperpot on High Street at 7 p.m.

Established more than 75 years ago, Kellys Self Storage offers mobile-storage services in Birmingham, Bristol, East London, Guildford, Manchester, Southampton and St. Albans.