Compass Self Storage of Florida is hosting a toy drive for Manatee Children’s Services Inc. The facility is collecting new, unwrapped toys until Dec. 18. Donations may be dropped off at the following Compass locations: 8915 Cortez Road in Bradenton, and 8424 Florida St. and 7750 Lockwood Ridge Road in Sarasota.
 
Manatee Children's Services is a private, non-profit organization that advocates for and provides resources, skills and shelter to alleviate abuse through prevention and intervention for all children and their families. Governed by a board of directors, MCS has served Manatee County for more than 32 years. It operates the only emergency shelter in the county for children who are removed from their homes due to abuse, abandonment and/or neglect.
 
Source: Bradenton Herald, Storage place hosts toy drive

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The Arizona Self-Storage Association (AZSA) has launched a statewide campaign to support the Marine Toys For Tots Foundation, with all of its member facilities serving as drop-off locations for donations. Participating facilities will provide collection boxes throughout the holiday season, encouraging their tenants and the general public to donate new toys to the effort.
 
The Toys For Tots Foundation has been in existence for 62 years, during which time Marines have distributed more than 400 million toys to more than 188 million needy children.

Founded in1996, the AZSA was created to strengthen the self-storage industry in Arizona, promote professional standards and quality, and present a unified voice on issues affecting the industry in the state and in its communities. The association has more than 500 facility and vendor members.

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Accountable Document Solutions LLC launched SimpleCertifiedMail.com, a major upgrade of its service. The company has added functionality requested by users and updated the user interface to improve the speed and management of Certified Mail. The program works with self-storage management software from SMD Software Inc., Centershift Inc. and Syrasoft LLC.

SimpleCertifiedMail.com enables users to:

• Prepare mail quickly with no special forms to buy, fill in by hand or print on the printer.
• Eliminate stamps and meters.
• Obtain proof delivery via the Web.
• Track and bill Certified Mail expenses
• Avoid subscription fees or contracts 

Accountable Documents Solutions specializes in services that improve the management of accountable mail. SimpleCertifiedMail.com, a Web-based service, combines electronic postage and Certified Mail label printing, with no set-up fees or long-term service contracts.

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Janus International, a manufacturer of steel roll-up doors and hallway systems for the self-storage industry, appointed John Trujillo as technical support sales manager for the company’s rolling-steel division.

Trujillo comes to Janus with 20 years of experience in the door industry.  He has worked for several large door dealers, including The Door Depot, Karavan Door, Atlas Metro and Atlanta’s Professional Door Inc. Trujillo will provide technical support to the Janus sales group as well as customers, and will operate out of the company’s Temple, Ga., headquarters.

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A U.K. mixed martial arts trainer and fighter has turned to self-storage to make his dream of opening his own gym a reality.

Philip Else has retrofitted an 800-square-foot self-storage unit at a Safestore facility in Reading, Britain, into a windowless martial arts training compound.

Else and his wife thought of the idea last year while using the unit during a house move. They spoke with the self-storage manager, who directed them to a more appropriate space, complete with new paint. The gym opened last summer. Membership has tripled in two months, and the couple hopes to expand into the next unit.
 
Source:  The Observer,  Chambers of Secrets

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MiniCo Publishing announced the winners of its 2009 Self-Storage Facility of the Year Awards. Winners were named in six unique categories. They are:

• Overall: Store Self Storage and Wine Storage, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., owned by E&J Properties LLC
• New Facility: C3 Modern Storage, Chandler, Ariz., owned by Devan Wastchak and C3 Modern Storage LLC
• Construction: City Storage, Atlanta, owned by Glen Nicotra and City Storage LLC
• Conversion: I-5 Self Storage, Tustin, Calif., owned by Randy Scott Wong
• Specialty Storage: Interstate Storage, Livermore, Calif., owned by Interstate Storage Livermore LLC
• International: Love Box Self Storage, Shanghai, China, owned by Carson Block

Full-length articles profiling the winning facilities are featured in the December 2009 issue of MiniStorage Messenger, a trade magazine for the self-storage industry.
 
MiniCo Publishing is a division of Phoenix-based MiniCo Inc., which provides specialty insurance programs, publications, and other products and services for the self-storage industry.

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A secret negotiation between city lawyers and a self-storage developer came to an abrupt halt after a citizens' group opposing the facility’s development discovered information about the deal.

In February, a planning committee unanimously turned down a proposal to develop a self-storage facility in Dundas, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, due to public opposition which included 70 personal letters and more than 1,500 petition letters. The proposed site for the 5-acre facility is on environmentally sensitive lands. The citizens would like the area to become part of an urban eco-park.

The land is currently zoned for restaurants and commercial-recreational use. Developing self-storage would require a change to industrial use.

The developer, First Dundas Leasing Ltd., then appealed the council’s decision to the Ontario Municipal Board. The city’s lawyer, Michael Kovacevic, was working on a settlement agreement between the city and the company. It was discussed by the planning committee and city council in closed sessions on at least four occasions.

However, a citizens' group opposing the development, Protect Our Dundas (POD), was unaware of the closed sessions. POD claims they were not included in the discussions with the proponent and only found out about the possible deal at the last minute.

The planning committee will meet Jan. 11 to make a final decision.
 
Source:  View Magazine,  Self-Storage Deal Squashed

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Harvey E. Green, president and CEO of Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services, was featured on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” on Nov. 23. Green was invited on the news broadcast to discuss commercial real estate conditions, a real estate market outlook for 2010, and the impact of maturing debt in 2010 and beyond.
 
To view a copy of the broadcast, visit
http://www.marcusmillichap.com/Video/cnbc_112309.asp.
 
Marcus & Millichap is one of the largest investment real estate brokerage firms in the nation, with more than 1,300 real estate specialists in more than 70 offices. The company includes a National Self Storage Group that specializes in self-storage real estate transactions.
 
Prior to his appointment as company president, Green served as chief operating officer since 1996. He was previously senior vice president, responsible for the firm’s nine Southwest offices. He joined Marcus & Millichap in 1981 as regional manager, responsible for opening the firm’s Encino office.
 
During his 37-year career, Green has initiated the close of real estate transactions valued at nearly $6.6 billion, including retail properties, office buildings and apartment complexes ranging in value from $1 million to $100 million. He has been involved in every aspect of the real estate industry, including development, commercial leasing, investment sales and firm acquisition. He also was responsible for the development and implementation of the firm's investment real estate training program.

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Personal Mini Storage Management Co. of  Florida recently collected more than 580 pounds of canned goods and non-perishable food items for its annual food drive. The food was donated to Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando, which has provided the community with more than 86,000 meals during this past year.
 
Personal Mini Storage manages 31 self-storage facilities throughout Central Florida. This holiday season the company has teamed with the Marine Toys For Tots Foundation to collect toys for underprivileged children. Collection boxes can be found at each of its locations.

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