Schur Success Auction & Appraisal Inc., a Colorado Springs, Colo.-based company that conducts auctions at more than 200 self-storage facilities in four states, raised $5,570 for the American Cancer Society during the last financial quarter. The company raises charity funds by working with storage-auction buyers and adding donations from its sales commissions, according to Shannon Schur, president and CEO.

"One of our team members is battling lung cancer, and this quarter the donations were personal, Schur said. Our office team of five even participated in the Relay for Life, logging over 75 miles, to help raise more money.

The company began its fundraising strategy in 2011 with a donation to the Wounded Warrior Project. Auction buyers embraced the program immediately, Schur said. To encourage buyer donations, she offers giveaways and auctions T-shirts and hats. Our wonderful bidders and clients contributed along with us, so we have made this a regular part of our operation," she added. Together, we have raised more than $25,000 for charity since we started."

The American Cancer Society is a nationwide, community-based, voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem through research, education, advocacy and service.

Schur Success has selected the American Red Cross to be the companys fundraising recipient for the fourth quarter to help flood victims in Colorado.

Nearly 30 years old, the company is 100 percent woman-owned. It has been the exclusive contract auctioneer for the city and county of Denver for more than 25 years. It conducts self-storage auctions and works with government and commercial clients across Colorado. Shannon Schur is a Hall of Fame auctioneer and past president of the Colorado Auctioneers Association. She and her husband, Rich, also operate United Country-Schur Success Realty & Auction LLC, a full-service real estate company, based in Monument, Colo.

Jacksonville Jaguars rookie wide receiver Denard Robinson will appear at an Uncle Bobs Self Storage facility in Middleburg, Fla., on Oct. 8. Robinson will be at the 1709 Blanding Blvd. location and meet with fans and sign autographs from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. EDT.

Denard was a star at Michigan, and we know Jacksonville fans are excited that the Jaguars drafted him, said William Sambuca, area manager for Uncle Bobs. Jacksonville has a rich history of loving football, and were as excited as the fans to have Denard visit with us.

Robinson had the unusual distinction of being listed as an offensive weapon on the Jaguars depth chart, but NFL officials recently asked the team to designate him to a traditional position, according to the source. He was designated a wide receiver, which allows him to wear his preferred number 16.

Robinson was rated a four-star football recruit out of Deerfield Beach High School in Florida before starring at the University of Michigan, where he was noted for purposefully playing with his shoes untied. While at Michigan, Robinson set the NCAA record for total offense in a single season with 4,272 yards in 2010. He was drafted this year by the Jaguars in the fifth round.

In addition to Robinsons appearance, participants can enter to win prizes from local radio station WOKV.

Uncle Bobs is owned by Sovran Self Storage Inc., a real estate investment trust that owns and manages more than 450 storage facilities in 25 states. The company currently has seven self-storage locations in the Jacksonville area.

Self-storage operators who have invested in solar power at their facilities to reduce their carbon footprint and lower utility costs may be in for a fight as power companies in several states rethink solar-energy rate structures originally designed to promote alternative-energy use. Utility companies in Arizona, California, Georgia and Idaho are among those that have proposed charging special fees to solar-power users or rolling back or blocking power-swap rate plans, according to a report by the Associated Press.

A power-swapping plan typically enables solar customers to trade excess solar power generated during the day for power from the utilitys grid when necessary. The move by utility companies coincides with an increase in solars popularity, as systems have become more affordable. As rooftop solar systems become more mainstream, they threaten utilities ability to retain customers and generate revenue, according to the source.

If new fees or rate structures are adopted, many solar installers believe rooftop solar systems would no longer be an economical option for customers. "They are trying to punish people for buying less electricity," said Bryan Miller, vice president for public policy at SunRun Inc., a solar installation and financing company. "They are trying to kill solar."

In Georgias case, the power company wants to add a new fee for solar customers who install new systems beginning next year. As a result, those same Georgia Power Co. customers could buy electricity at prices the utility says would enable it to better recoup its costs.

Mike Easterwood, owner of Decatur Self Storage in Decatur, Ga., believes the proposed charges will discourage residents and businesses from pursuing solar installations and protect the profits of the utility. "I think [solar power] scares the heck out of [utilities], quite frankly," he said. "They are a monopoly, and so they operate in monopolistic fashion."

Easterwood invested $320,000 to install nearly 400 rooftop solar panels at Decatur Self Storage. The facility currently returns excess electricity to the Georgia Power grid in exchange for a reduced monthly power rate.

This type of program is common across the nation with 43 states adopting some sort of power-swapping plan. Many of those cap how large they can grow, according to the source. As of July, 283,000 customers were participating in a power-swapping program, according to the Energy Department.

Storage Asset Management Inc. (SAM), a York, Pa.-based self-storage management and consulting company, promoted Jeff Fickes to district manager. He was formerly the property manager for Chester Heights Self Storage in Glen Mills, Pa. In his new position, Fickes will oversee several properties in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Fickes has more than 16 years of experience in management, sales and customer service. This promotion enables Alyssa Quill, vice president, and Kevin Bledsoe, director of operations, to be more focused on improving operation and performance for all the properties under SAM's management, company officials said.

Founded in 2010, SAM manages approximately 30 self-storage properties and three UPS Stores along the East Coast. 

Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services has named Stacey Gorman as a director of the firm's National Self-Storage Group (NSSG), which assists self-storage investors and owners by matching them with available properties and active buyers. The group was involved in more than $460 million in investment sales transactions in 2012.

Gorman began her career with Marcus & Millichap in January 2002 as a licensed assistant to a senior director in the NSSG. In 2006, she became an associate and has since closed 27 storage facilities valued at more than $50 million.

Gorman is a board member of the Georgia Self Storage Association and a founding board member of the Tennessee Self Storage Association. She graduated cum laude from the University of Rochester with bachelors degrees in economics and political science and has an MBA from Georgia State University.

The NSSG named a new national director in July. Richard Bird was promoted from his position as regional manager of the firms Salt Lake City and Las Vegas offices. He oversees all aspects of the group.

In January, senior associate Brett Hatcher was named associate director of the NSSG. He participated as a speaker at the 2013 Inside Self-Storage World Expo, presenting a seminar on Investment Trends in Major Self-Storage Markets: Cap and Interest Rates.

Marcus & Millichap has more than 1,000 investment professionals in offices nationwide and closed more than 6,100 transactions last year.

By Debbie Lamb

According to the Pew Research Center's Pew Internet & American Life Project, as of May 2013, 72 percent of online U.S. adults use social media networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest. The predominant users of social media are between 18 and 29 years old but, most recently, the 50-to-64 age group has increased to 43 percent.

One of the sites with a huge user base is Pinterest. This relatively new social media platform, launched in 2010, has exploded in usage over the past few years and now has more than 70 million users, 80 percent of which are women. There are also more than 500,000 business accounts on the site, including self-storage companies Extra Space Storage Inc., ezStorage, Manhattan Mini Storage and Uncle Bobs Self Storage. This article explores what Pinterest has to offer self-storage operators, and how to make the most of pins.

What Is Pinterest?

Pinterest is a social network where a user can share and discover new interests by posting images and videos. Or as the social media site describes itself: Pinterest is a tool for collecting and organizing things you love. A pin is an image or video you add to the website. Pinning is the act of visually sharing content. Repinning is sharing another persons or companys content.

Your pins are put on boards, which are usually focused around a central theme. You can follow company pages as well as individual boards. Following another persons page or board is the major form of engagement on Pinterest. On average, Pinterest buyers spend more money on items than those from any of the five big social media sites, according to a 2012 report from comScore Inc., which provides analytics for digital-based products.

How Do You Use It?

Setting up a business account on Pinterest is simple. A setup wizard on the site will walk you through the steps. Once your business page is up, you can start adding photos of your self-storage facility, other interesting photos or even storage tips.

To promote your new Pinterest page, share the URL with your social media fans and followers. Add pin it buttons on your website and the Pinterest icon to your e-mail signature, newsletters and other marketing materials. Finally, place correct description tags on your website photos so people can pin them to their own pages.

There are many ways to use Pinterest as part of your self-storage marketing efforts. To get users to engage with your boards, create a user-generated board where customers can upload their own images. Create boards to showcase your facility and services as well as your employees, customers and special events. Infographics are another great visual. These are great for sharing statistics, a story about your business or interesting organizational facts.

A great pin will spark an emotional response from your followers. If the pin is unique, captivating and even a bit quirky, it will be shared.

Engaging with other Pinterest boards or pages is just as important as posting pictures on your own page. Repinning photos from another board or "liking" a pin is the site's form of conversation. Commenting on and liking other peoples pins will draw attention to your own profile and show your business personality and human side. However, do not use pin comments to promote your own company or talk about your companys services.

Benefits for Self-Storage Operators

Its important to analyze the performance of your company's social media programs. Pinterest business pages can allow you to track whos pinning from your website, how many impressions you receive for your pins, and how many viewers are clicking on your content. The analytics can also provide demographic information such as whos pinning your website photos, when theyre pinning and which pins get the most repins. These analytics will help you maximize your marketing efforts.

Self-storage companies are using Pinterest for a variety of reasons. The key is to understand that the majority of users are women, who are also considered the primary decision-makers when it comes to renting a self-storage unit. Statistically, women are the ones who are shopping and asking others for opinions. Pinterest users are searching for a variety of information, from recipes to clothing styles to home-decorating tips. There are a lot of great organization and storage tips shared on the site as well.

Self-storage pages can share everything from organizational tips to local information. Great ideas for boards include decorating tips, self-storage packing tips, moving tips, room wish lists and holiday tips. Its also important to create boards containing your company information as well as info about other local businesses, sports teams, parks and community events.

Adding a Pinterest page to your current social media program will enhance the transparency of your storage operation and allow you to share valuable information (via images) about your services and topics about which your customers are interested.

Debbie Lamb wears many hats at Linkmedia 360, an Ohio-based company that provides marketing and lead-generation solutions to self-storage operators. Shes an account executive, social media coordinator, content creator and webinar coordinator. She has more than 13 years of experience in the local-search marketing industry and many years of customer service experience. For more information, call 877.843.1091, visit www.linkmedia360.com .

Kennards Self Storage, which operates 74 facilities in Australia and New Zealand, donated more than 200 packing boxes to the nonprofit organization Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia (Australia) Ltd.. The jumbo-sized, heavy-duty boxes will be used to send shipments to Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital (AAFH), a medical center providing free obstetric fistula-repair surgery in Ethiopia.

Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia was launched in 2012 by Australian-born Dr. Catherine Hamlin and her late husband, Dr. Reginald Hamlin. The group raises funds for AAFH, the Hamlin College of Midwives and Desta Mender, a farm and training center for long-term patients. The organizations provide holistic services to women with childbirth injuries.

This year, Kennards Self Storage expanded its charitable scope to include less-privileged communities from outside its country. The self-storage operator also donated shawls to AAFH patients. In addition, Kennards has contributed to organizations closer to home, including Neutral Bay Public School and the nonprofit Footys4All, which supplies new sports balls to underprivileged children worldwide.

Established in 1973, Kennards is a family business offering traditional self-storage, boat and RV storage, gun storage, wine storage, and deposit boxes.

Gotham Mini Storage, a self-storage facility in Manhattan, N.Y., has installed a cogeneration power plant that uses excess heat from the onsite production of electricity to warm and cool its building. The facility uses natural-gas-fed mini-turbines to produce the electricity used by the facility, company officials said. The excess heat released by the turbines is captured and used to produce hot water, which is then circulated throughout the building to provide heat during the winter months or fed into a chiller to create cold water for the buildings air-conditioning during the summer.

The type of plant installed at the facility is sometimes referred to as combined heat and power or CHP, the company said in a press release.

Not only does this system dramatically reduce the amount of greenhouse-producing gas emitted into the environment relative to conventional methods, such as purchasing electricity from local utilities or burning oil to fire traditional boilers, but it also provides for complete self-sufficiency as all electricity is produced onsite, said Stephen Schwartz, who co-owns the storage business with Jack Guttman.

The facility also installed advanced window glazing throughout the building to further enhance its energy efficiency. Customers get piece of mind knowing theyre storing in one of the most efficient and environmentally friendly self-storage facilities, and are also assured of having an extremely high level of reliability and consistency with respect to the climate-controlled storage and security systems that protect their belongings, company officials said.

Gotham Mini Storage, at 10th Avenue and 39th Street, serves the residents of Chelsea, Hells Kitchen and Midtown Manhattan.

Secure Self Storage in North York, Ontario, Canada, sponsored the Lumberjacks team this summer in the Mississauga Sportsman Fastball League. As a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization, the Lumberjacks primary revenue source are the fees paid by players. With equipment, field permits and travel costs rising, the Secure Self Storage sponsorship afforded the team additional opportunities without increasing their expenses.

On behalf of the Lumberjacks, we are very grateful for the sponsorship and support Secure Self Storage provided. They really look out for supporting our community, said Kyle Scott, head coach. Our team sincerely appreciates the help provided by Secure Self Storage during the 2013 season, and it is clear their sponsorship had a very positive impact on the performance of our team.

The Lumberjacks made it to the first round of league playoffs, but were defeated by the fastball leagues Red Sox.

Actively supporting and being involved in the community has helped Secure Self Storage build goodwill and generate positive awareness for its self-storage business in the area, company officials said. We believe every business must step forward to help local community and residents in the event of a need, said Don Barrister, district manager. We are very proud to support the Lumberjacks and congratulate them on the exciting and successful season.

Secure Self Storage operates one facility in North York, Ontario, and another in Mississauga. It also operates facilities in the eastern United States.