Trachte Building Systems, a manufacturer and supplier of self-storage buildings, appointed  Tom Blochwitz as the companys new regional manager. Blochwitz has served in various sales roles in the construction industry for more than 25 years, including previous experience on Trachte's sales team. He will oversee Trachtes sales in the southeastern United States, eastern Canada and international markets.

Based in Sun Prairie, Wis., Trachte designs, manufactures and erects a full line of pre-engineered steel building systems and portable storage containers. Its customized self-storage systems include single- and multi-story, interior partition and corridor, and canopy boat/RV. The company has more than 111 years of manufacturing experience.

By Mya Reyes

Awaiting inside the hotel suite sat an exquisite amenity that would have impressed even the most discerning traveler: Cristal champagne, Bitto cheese, Beluga caviar, and fruits and nuts from every corner of the world. There was no doubt the couple receiving the gift would recognize they were highly esteemed by the hotel. With great expectation, they opened the welcome card. To their dismay, they read, Dear Mr. & Mrs. Switzer

Of course the note sent a very sincere message of appreciation for their business, but the damage had been done. David Switzer, CEO of one of the nations most profitable corporations, and Ryan, his partner of more than 20 years, had recently married and planned a romantic honeymoon at their favorite hotel. Though they had received a copy of the local gay guide upon check-in, been asked their preferences on a number of amenities, and received assistance in booking a couples spa treatment, the start of their five-day celebration had been less than ideal. Unfortunately, it was one they would probably recount to friends and colleagues.

This is just one example of a well-intentioned company whose marketing initiatives went awry as a result of an innocent mistake by an untrained employee. This hotel prided itself on ensuring all guests were welcomed with the five-star treatment on which its brand was built; this commitment extended to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) travelers it had made a conscious decision to court. What could have been a PR nightmare, however, presented a learning opportunity that prompted enhanced training for every existing and new employee. The faux pas was not only corrected but served to catapult the company to being one of the countrys preferred hotels by LGBT travelers.

LGBT Spending Power

The LGBT consumer market is an increasingly coveted segment. Each of the communities it comprises represents a unique business opportunity and requires the development of a dedicated marketing strategy. With annual U.S. spending power of more than $790 billion, the LGBT consumer sector not only offers tremendous financial benefit to retail and service providers, it's extremely brand loyal, and supports and refers companies that are friendly to LGBT people and causes. According to Catalyst Research, even if a brand is costlier or less convenient, 71 percent of lesbian and gay people would remain loyal to it if the brand supports LGBT issues.

So how do you position your self-storage company to capture more than its fair share of this relatively untapped market? Building an effective marketing initiative is paramount; however, its important to remember theres no such thing as an LGBT marketing campaign. There are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender consumers, and each segment requires a customized outreach. The first step is to decide which of these groups you want to target, keeping in mind that each includes several niches of its own.

Your Message

In building your campaign, its important to remember that LGBT business must be earned. Your targeted consumers are smart, early adopters/trendsetters and computer savvy, and they network extensively all over the globe. They know marketers are pursuing their business, so if you want to stand out from the crowd, there are a couple of things you must do. Start by taking an introspective look at your company and get honest answers to the following:

• Is my company really committed? Do we have buy-in from the top?
• Are we willing to dedicate the necessary resources to succeed in the market?
• Have our employees been trained to understand the bottom-line benefit of our LGBT initiative?
• Are our initiatives really inclusive?
• Are we in it for the long haul?

If the answer to any of these is "no," you have more work to do. These additional tips will help:

• Perfect your product. You dont have to re-invent your service. However, with the proper research and focus-group feedback, you can create a customized program that will send a positive message to your potential clients and ensure your space in the marketplace.
   
• Perfect your message. You must develop a customized message for each of the subgroups youve decided to target. Learn how messaging to lesbians and gays differs, and how to maximize the opportunities presented by both. Many marketers have made the mistake of thinking they can take their existing advertisements, slap on a rainbow flag and call it a day. It just doesnt work that way.
   
• Implement top-down staff training. Without buy-in from the top, your program will languish. Those at the top are primarily interested in one thingthe bottom. If you can show the revenue potential of the market, youre on your way.
   
• Align with the community. There are a number of opportunities within local or national communities that will allow your company to align with a program that gives back. The benefits of this measure are nothing but positive.
   
• Develop an effective social media and advertising/promotional campaign. One cannot say enough about the importance of social media in all segmentation. Studies show LGBT consumers spend more time engaging in social media than the general market. Creating an engaging story about your company and ensuring an effective campaign is disseminated on the most visited social media sites will bring results. Of course your social media program must be enhanced by an equally effective advertising/promotion campaign.

Companies that are not attuned to the benefits of embracing the LGBT market today may find themselves playing a game of catch-up tomorrow. Those who effectively position themselves now to earn the business of the LGBT consumer will reap the benefits in a big way and for a long time. Which side of history do you want to be on?

Mya Reyes is a speaker, trainer and founder of Straight Talk on the Gay Market, a consulting firm that specializes in positioning companies to drive revenue from effective LGBT sales and marketing initiatives. A Certified Meeting Professional, Stephen Covey trainer, and one of only 13 LGBT travel specialists in the United States, Reyes advises domestic and international companies on their LGBT outreach efforts and sales initiatives. For more information, call 702.575.1080; visit www.myareyes.com .

Self-storage real estate investment trust (REIT) CubeSmart has received a special exemption for five proposed signs at its new corporate headquarters in East Whiteland, Pa. The zoning board approved the companys application with the condition that one sign facing a nearby residential community be reduced from 50 to 35 square feet and illuminated signs be turned off by 9 p.m., according to Lou Colagreco, an attorney for the REIT. Residents in opposition to the signage have threatened to appeal the decision in Chester County Court.

Neighboring residents have spoken in opposition to the development project for months. Chief among the complaints is the area has been rezoned since CubeSmart received approval in 2006 for the buildings land-development plan. At the time, the region was zoned for commercial use. Since then, it has been rezoned for multi-family residences and is near the historic General Warren Village, a master-planned community.

The 82,000-square-foot complex at 5 Old Lancaster Road is set to house 160 corporate employees and offer more than 200 storage units for rent. CubeSmart is relocating from Wayne, Pa., and began construction at the site in October 2012.

Colagreco has argued that the propertys previous zoning allowed for no more than four signs exceeding 5 square feet, with the maximum square footage for any one sign limited to 50 square feet. CubeSmarts application had five signs larger than 5 square feet and a wall sign facing Route 30 that was more than 80 square feet, according to the source.

During a previous board of supervisors meeting, township manager Terry Woodman said signage was not part of the land-development plan, and CubeSmart would have to comply with current zoning or receive a special exemption or variance from the zoning hearing board.

At a September zoning hearing, CubeSmart officials said the company redesigned two signs to look less corporate after meeting with residents, the source reported.

Residents have also complained about light emanating from the glass building and parking lot late at night. Jeffrey Lee, who lives across the street from the property, said he has seen people working inside the building until 1 a.m.

CubeSmart owns or manages 518 self-storage facilities across the United States and operates the CubeSmart Network, which consists of more than 700 additional self-storage facilities.

The self-storage market in southwestern Florida appears to be emerging from the Great Recession with a full head of steam, according to a report by news-press.com. Self-storage operators have reported increases in facility occupancy from residential tenants, and development of new or expanding facilities also appears to be on the rise. The industry is booming, said Lewis Pollack, president of the Florida Self Storage Association.

Crystal Rich, manager at Colonial Blvd Self Storage in Fort Myers, Fla., said her facility has benefited from securing a lot of long-term renters and commercial businesses. Rich also said she has noticed an increase in the number of self-storage locations opening in the region.

At Champion Self Storage in Cape Coral, Fla., property manager Lindy Lord-Cooper said occupancy is also up significantly compared to lean numbers during the height of the recession. The facility opened in October 2007 and did well, she said, but occupancy stagnated between 70 and 73 percent when the economy slowed. Today, the facility is operating at 91 percent occupancy.

Pollack estimated that prior to the economic downturn, 20 to 25 percent of Floridas self-storage customers were related to construction, but as commercial customers pulled back during the recession, they were replaced with residential tenants, he said.

The health of the Florida market may be a microcosm of what is occurring in major self-storage markets across the nation. In a market report examining the storage and warehouse-leasing industry published by IBISWorld, a firm that offers a database of information and analysis on several U.S. industries, analysts expected the self-storage industry to average an annualized rate of 1.8 percent to $25.2 billion in the five years to 2013. Despite revenue declines in 2008 and 2009 and stagnant growth in 2010, analysts predicted 4 percent growth this year, according to the source.

IBISWorld attributed predicted growth to a high rate of mortgage foreclosures, reduced numbers in homeownership and rising per-capita disposable income. Tight lending conditions following the recession also slowed development of new self-storage facilities, according to the source.

In a self-storage business brief released in August by the Valuation & Advisory Division of commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield (C&W), year-over-year results from the first-quarter 2013 showed increases of 3.1 percent for physical occupancy and 4.8 percent for rental income. Although C&W reported new-construction projects were low historically, new builds were up 4 percent from the previous quarter and 125 percent year over year. The brief is downloadable for free from Inside Self-Storage.

Most large operators and a handful of regional operators have started actively searching for new development opportunities in most major metropolitan areas, according to the brief. The robust growth in rental rates and occupancies combined with the small amount of new construction in the pipeline are fueling this new construction growth.

In Florida, Pollack expects new self-storage developments to emerge. Lots of people, like me, are looking to start building again, he said.

McPherson Mini-Storage, a self-storage operator in McPherson, Kan., is scheduled to have a public hearing today to discuss its plan to add three buildings to its property at 820 E. 1st St. The expansion plan could face opposition from area residents because the storage facility was originally approved under a residential zoning permit. The business was grandfathered in after the city changed self-storage to a business and commercial zoning designation, but the construction project requires a zoning change.

If the business was destroyed, they couldnt rebuild there because of the change, said Tom Stinemetze, the citys planning and zoning administrator.

Residents who live within 200 feet of the proposed construction area can file a legal protest against the project, Stinemetze said. If 20 percent or more of those landowners file protests, the motion to approve the project would have to be passed by a three-quarters majority vote of the city commission. In McPhersons case, it would require a unanimous decision since the commission has only three members, according to the source.

If legal protests fall short of 20 percent, then the expansion project would require a simple majority vote for approval.

Self-storage owner Larry Smith said he was confident the project will be approved. Im sure itll work out fine, he said. Everyones positive, and right now were just working through the process.

If there is no legal protest, the planning commission would likely decide on the zoning classification change on Nov. 19, with the city commission voting on the project on Nov. 25, according to the source.

Update 11/22/13 Extra Space Storage Inc., a self-storage real estate investment trust (REIT), has agreed to purchase a 17-property portfolio from Virginia-based operator Mini Price Storage for approximately $200 million in cash. The portfolio comprises about 1.5 million square feet of net rentable space in 14,000 units. As of Sept. 30, the facilities were about 90 percent occupied, company officials said.

In this case, we actually bought an operating company, said Clint Halverson, vice president, corporate communication and investor relations for Extra Space. It was an asset purchase, but we basically bought the name and the company itself.

The transaction is subject to the completion of due diligence and other closing conditions. Extra Space expects to complete the acquisition around January 2014.

The company also plans to sell 4.5 million shares of common stock in a public offering, with Citigroup acting as the sole book-running manager, according to the source. The REIT will grant the underwriter a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 675,000 shares. Extra Space intends to use the net proceeds from the offering to partially fund the Virginia portfolio transaction as well as other previously announced acquisitions, including five properties under contract with a total purchase price of $50.4 million. The funds will also be used to repay a portion of the outstanding indebtedness under the company's secured lines of credit and other general corporate and working-capital purposes.

The move is similar to last year when Extra Space purchased 28 self-storage properties in multiple states for $190.2 million and sold 5.2 million shares of common stock in a public offering to help fund the deal.

Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Extra Space owns or operates 1,007 self-storage properties in 35 states; Washington, D.C.; and Puerto Rico. The companys properties comprise approximately 667,000 units and 74 million square feet of rentable space.

By Sasha Fritzel

As the number of social networks grows, so does the time involved in maintaining those platforms for your self-storage business. First there was Facebook. Then Twitter came around. Before you knew it, you were expected to have a presence on Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest, too.

With the rise in social media platforms came social media management systems such as HootSuite, which saves time and improves your productivity by managing all of your social networks from a single dashboard. Its designed to allow you to work from one simple interface. Here are five ways HootSuite can improve your social media efforts.

1. Manage Social Media on One Platform

The days of keeping 10 windows open with Facebook, Instagram, WordPress, LinkedIn, etc., are gone. By using HootSuite, you can navigate between all social media accounts by switching tabs on your HootSuite page. Monitoring the happenings on those pages is easier when theyre all in one place! Here are just a few examples of the possibilities:

• Facebook: Post updates, add images, monitor feeds and more. Self-storage operators can manage complex campaigns including profiles, pages, events, groups and search.
• Twitter: Send and schedule tweets; listen using search, list and keyword tracking streams; and monitor mentions, direct messages, sent tweets, favorite tweets and more in dedicated streams.
• Google+: This integration allow brands to use HootSuite's business-focused functionality for account management and to publish targeted messaging to circles. Share and comment on posts, search public posts and updates, see recent user activity, and view comments and +1s.

2. Schedule Your Posts

While Facebook offers the ability to pre-schedule posts, other platforms such as Twitter and Instagram do not. HootSuite will allow you to pre-schedule items for any social media platform for any timethis afternoon, tomorrow or even next week. This allows you to schedule your posts for an entire month in just one sitting. You can select specific days or use the AutoSchedule tool, which uses algorithms to determine the best time to post per network and schedules your post to take advantage of that timeframe. Also, if you need or want confirmation that a post has gone out, you can check the e-mail me when message is sent box, and receive a confirmation.

3. Respond to Customer FAQs

Do you ever feel like youre saying the same things to customers on social media over and over again? With HootSuite, you can save common responses, such as your answer to a customer complaint or company phone number, which saves you time and allows you to standardize common replies for customer support. You can even assign customer questions to specific employees, have them follow up and see when it gets resolved.

4. Delegate Responses to Your Social Team

HootSuite offers a delegation feature where you can divvy out mentions and interactions between all the team members on your HootSuite account. It can provide organization and simplicity for businesses managing multiple pages, and if you stick with the free plan, you dont pay a cent! It makes monitoring your social presence even easier and allows you to develop an inclusive brand strategy between accounts.

Make the most of your collaboration efforts using Message Assignments. Assign messages within and across teams to improve engagement with your audience. Plus, administrators can choose to view all assignments on the organizational or  team level tabs for flexibility and control.

HootSuite is an essential tool for managing social networks by allowing teams to efficiently track conversations and measure campaign results, said Pete Cashmore, CEO of Mashable, which follows social media news.

5. Get Social Reports

You probably have a system for measuring your social progress, but you can save time by having HootSuite send you weekly reporting e-mails detailing click rates, user demographics and link clicks. View your Facebook Insights, Twitter Profile stats and much more.

Get a better overall view of your social campaigns with powerful analytics tools and customizable reports that will give you a complete and comprehensive picture of your participation in social spaces. Want to learn more? Visit Hootsuite.com for more information or to start a free 30-day trial of the software. Already using Hootsuite? Tell us about some of your favorite features.

Sasha Fritzel has been writing and creating all her life. After graduating from the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas School, she decided she might as well make a living at it. She found her dream job at Go Local Interactive as a marketing coordinator and assists the team with any and all things marketing. Go Local Interactive helps businesses acquire new customers through results-based online marketing solutions. For more information, visit www.golocalinteractive.com .

While preparing to relocate its company headquarters from Wayne, Pa., to East Whiteland, Pa., CubeSmart, a self-storage real estate investment trust, had to get creative to manage the propertys stormwater runoff. The 86,000-square-foot corporate center is split between corporate offices for 160 employees and rentable storage space, but the sites topography posed challenges to engineering firm Nave Newell Inc., which solved potential runoff issues by installing a stormwater-management solution from CULTEC Inc.

To manage the runoff, engineers had to overcome a 60-foot topographic grade to establish the building pad and parking area. The site is also at the top of a steep bluff. We knew that any consistent flow of runoff going over the side of the bluff would eventually cause it to erode and set other potential dangers in motion, said Alex Tweedie, design engineer for Nave Newell. In order to prevent any chance of erosion, a pipe was extended outside of the area to create a discharge site that would be able to adequately receive the runoff.

Nave Newell selected a CULTEC system to detain, or temporarily store, excess stormwater on site. The system also allows for infiltration in accordance with town and state regulations, CULTEC officials said in a press release. A grass field for reserve parking was placed on top of the stormwater system, leaving space for approximately 100 additional parking spots.

The subsurface system includes a CULTEC Recharger 330XL chamber model with a capacity of more than 400 gallons. The units small size helps save land space, and the installed system provides 94,319 cubic feet of storage, officials said.

We prefer to install an open chamber system over a pipe system because you get a much better overall footprint, said John Hogan, design engineer for Nave Newell. The Recharger 330XL is a very efficient chamber which has a lower volume in the early stages of a storm.

CULTEC manufactures septic and stormwater chambers that can be used as subsurface retention or detention systems and as replacements for ponds, concrete structures or pipe and stone installations.

CubeSmart owns or manages 518 self-storage facilities across the United States and operates the CubeSmart Network, which consists of more than 700 additional self-storage facilities.

MiniCo Self-Storage, the operating brand of MiniCo Asia Ltd., was recognized with the Best Storage award last month from GoHome.com.hk, a Hong Kong-based real estate listings website designed for property buyers and real estate professionals. MiniCos award was one of several issued in the area of lifestyle brands and services. Winners were chosen by the websites users, and a GoHome Awards 2013 ceremony was held Oct. 29 in Hong Kong.

MiniCo opened its first Hong Kong facility in June 2002 and currently operates three locations. Each facility offers American-style self-storage services. MiniCos success is due largely to our ability to customize our service to the culture and the customer, MiniCo Asia Ltd. president Marilyn Leslie said in a statement on the companys website. We respect local traditions while offering a top-notch product with a focus on customer service.

The annual GoHome Awards is held to recognize outstanding services provided by local property agents, property-services providers and lifestyle brands, said Catherine So, regional general manager of GoHome.com.hk. We would like to extend our hearty congratulations to all the award winners and are delighted to be their chosen online partner. Moving forward, we will continue to provide one of the best and most effective advertising platforms for real estate and lifestyle brands, and we invite all businesses in the industry to take advantage of the online platform to further their businesses and grow their sales in the year ahead.

The website attracts more than 800,000 monthly visitors, according to a company press release.

MiniCo Asia Ltd. is a Hong Kong-based corporation that does business as MiniCo Self-Storage. Its majority shareholder is Phoenix-based New Empire Ventures Inc., a property investment and management company that owns and operates several assets in the United States and Hong Kong.

The Lock Up Self Storage opened its newest Florida location on Nov. 1 in Bonita Springs, the companys sixth in the market. The four-story building at 27661 Tamiami Trail is just north of Bonita Beach Road. It encompasses 73,000 square feet and more than 600 climate-controlled interior and drive-up units. It also has carpeted units and hallways, and a separate building for vehicle storage.

We built this facility from the ground up, keeping in mind the needs of the Floridian tenant, says Andrea Carnes, vice president of operations. Because Florida weather can be somewhat unpredictable, we have a covered loading area for tenants so theyre protected while moving in.

The facilitys proximity to the Imperial River and a public boat launch led the self-storage operator to design units with 10-foot-high ceilings for the storage of fishing gear, canoes, kayaks and paddles. In addition, The Lock Up accepts deliveries on behalf of its tenants, provides use of its rental truck for move-ins, and offers 24-hour video surveillance.

To celebrate its opening, new tenants will receive their second month free, and online bookings receive 25 percent off the rental rate.

Meridian Design Build, a full-service construction company based in Deerfield, Ill., served as the general contractor. The company specializes in coordinating the design and construction of manufacturing, distribution, office, commercial, hotel and residential facilities.

Based in Chicago, The Lock Up currently operates 13 self-storage facilities in Illinois and has 29 locations in eight states comprising more than 1.6 million square feet.