A building at a Public Storage facility in St. Louis, Mo., was set on fire last night during riots that ensued after a grand jury chose not to indict police officer Darren Wilson in the death of Michael Brown. The 18-year-old was killed during an altercation with the officer on Aug. 9. Brown, who is black and was unarmed at the time of the shooting, was shot six times by Wilson, a white police officer, in Ferguson, a suburb of St. Louis.

Video from news sources shows what appears to be the storage facility’s management office completely engulfed in flames. It doesn’t seem that the fire spread to any of the storage units. No one was injured, according to a Public Storage spokesperson.

The facility at 9291 W. Florissant was one of more than a dozen businesses damaged or set ablaze during the protests, according to an article on WoodTV.com. Police arrested 61 people on charges such as burglary and trespassing, Brian Schellman, a St. Louis County police spokesman, told the source.

The Public Storage facility also suffered damage in August when riots erupted for several weeks following Brown’s death. The office windows and door were smashed. The facility reopened shortly after the incident, according to a blog posted by another self-storage operator who lives and works in the area.

The August shooting caused racial tension in the community and led to looting and vandalism for more than a week, followed by several weeks of peaceful demonstrations. In a Nov. 24 press conference, the St. Louis County Prosecutor announced the county grand jury voted not to indict Wilson.

Based in Glendale, Calif., Public Storage is a real estate investment trust that has interests in 2,234 self-storage facilities in 38 states, with approximately 144 million net rentable square feet. Operating under the Shurgard brand name, the company also has 188 facilities in seven European countries, with approximately 10 million net rentable square feet.

William Michael “Mike” Parham, a self-storage owner and developer who also owned The Parham Group of companies, died Nov. 18 after suffering a heart attack. He was 59. Parham is survived by his wife, Ann Parham, daughters Rachel and Rebecca Parham, and son David Parham.

His memorial service will take place at 3 p.m. on Nov. 30 at Bulverde Baptist Church, 1331 Bulverde Road in Bulverde, Texas. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to the Boy Scouts of America or Wounded Warriors Project. Condolences can also be sent to The Parham Group at 30435 U.S. Highway 281 N., Bulverde, Texas, 78163.

“During our 30 years of friendship, I watched at meetings as Mike was always willing to share his industry knowledge and try to help point folks in the proper direction toward future success,” said Jim Chiswell, owner of self-storage consultancy firm Chiswell & Associates LLC. “He and his wife, Ann, built The Parham Group into an industry leader with a positive philosophy and a desire to make everyone benefit. I am hopeful the family’s memories of all of their good times together will in some small way sustain them during his difficult time. May God’s light shine on all of them, as I know it shines now on Mike.”

A resident of Bulverde, Texas, Mike was a long-time member of the Texas Self Storage Association (TSSA), which has posted a remembrance of Parham on its Facebook page: “We will remember Mike for his perpetual smile, his warm, supportive comments, and his willingness to always teach others.”

TSSA Executive Director Ginny Sutton told “The SpareFoot Storage Beat,” Parham was already a well-respected TSSA member when she joined the association in 1997. “Over the years, he taught more sessions and led more roundtable discussions than just about anyone in the industry,” Sutton said. “In short, he was a great educator who seemed to love teaching people about his specialty—smart development.”

Members of the online community Self-Storage Talk are discussing their memories of Parham in a thread titled, “Sad news…”

Parham attended Stephen F. Austin State University under a U.S. Army scholarship and graduated as a “distinguished military graduate” with a Bachelor’s of Science in forest management and engineering in 1974. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. His advanced studies included the completion of a civil-engineering program from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer College as well as a construction-management program at Texas A&M University.

Parham fulfilled his military obligation from 1974 to 1980 and earned the rank of captain in 1978. His military career included commanding an atomic demolition and munitions regiment, brigade staff positions for logistics and financial management, and command of a heavy construction company, which built and managed government projects in Texas.

He began his civilian career in 1980 as the construction superintendent of ISC Properties, a multi-family and commercial development firm in Dallas. As a superintendent, Parham helped build 20 custom homes and two condominium properties. In 1981, he was promoted to president of DSC, the construction subsidiary of ISC Properties, responsible for all construction operations in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. During his two years as president, he was responsible for the construction of two office buildings, one retail center, multi-family properties and two self-storage facilities.

Parham left ISC Properties in 1983 to become vice president of Hendry Investments, a real estate development firm in San Antonio. His responsibilities included development, design and construction of all commercial, multi-family and self-storage properties. Between 1983 and 1987, he developed a 350-unit multi-family property, a 50,000-square-foot office complex and seven self-storage properties in Florida, Kentucky and Texas.

In 1987, Parham founded National Development Services Inc. (NDS) to provide a full complement of services for the self-storage industry. The company has developed, designed and built more than 150 storage properties across the country. Over the years, its clients have included Public Storage, Security Storage, Shurgard Capital Group, Storage USA and other owner/operators nationwide.

The Parham Group includes Joshua Management, which offers management and consulting, manager training, and auditing; Learn Self Storage, an educational tool for self-storage developers, investors and operators; NDS Construction, a full-service design/build firm; and Noah’s Ark Development, which offers self-storage development, consulting, site and business planning, and feasibility. The company also owns seven Noah’s Ark Self-Storage facilities in Florida and Texas.

Real Estate developers Brexton LLC and Edwards Cos. have proposed a six-story self-storage development for the corner of Long and Young streets in Columbus, Ohio. TriVillage Downtown Storage would comprise about 750 units and offer climate control and wine storage, according to the source.

The storage facility would be part of Edwards’ Neighborhood Launch project, a nine-block community development of condominiums, parks and tree-lined streets meant to revitalize the downtown area, according to the project’s website.

"We see growing demand for storage downtown," said Timothy Galvin, president of Brexton. "People living downtown don't have basements or garages with wall-to-wall storage units to store their holiday decorations, extra furniture and seasonal clothing. This is an untapped market with real potential."

The project still requires permits and city approvals, but the developers would like to open the storage facility by the end of next year, the source reported.

The facility manager at a Goldstar Self Storage facility in Cullman, Ala., thwarted two suspected burglars recently by trapping them inside the property until police could arrive. Nancy Bonds called police when she saw a man and a woman cutting locks and breaking into storage units, and then used the facility’s automated gate to keep them barricaded inside the property, according to the source.

When the police arrived, Jimmy Lee Persall and Jessica Dawn Persall were trying to find a way to exit the facility at 2330 2nd Ave. N.W. and were arrested. The married couple faces third-degree burglary charges, and Jimmy Persall has also been charged with possession of burglary tools, the source reported.

“The man was cutting the locks off the storage units with bolt-cutters,” officer Joey Duncan told the source. “He took several items out of one of the storage units while his wife was looking out.”

Investigators are reviewing the incident to see if evidence connects the couple to other crimes. “Storage buildings getting broken into is common,” said Craig Green, assistant chief of police. “Common sense tells us this probably isn’t their first. Hopefully, investigation will connect them—if they’re guilty of it—to things in the past.”

Police praised Bonds for her quick thinking and remaining calm under the circumstances. “Really, the hero here is Nancy Bonds,” Green said. “Our dispatch kept her on the phone the entire time, and she took the proper steps to stay safe.”

Goldstar operates five self-storage facilities in Cullman.

Inside Self-Storage (ISS) has released a slideshow focusing on some of the common mistakes owners and developers make when building a self-storage project. “Self-Storage Building Blunders: Common Development and Construction Mistakes to Avoid” offers insight and tips on how to avoid missteps related to project planning, site selection and design.

Developing a self-storage project is an expensive and time-consuming endeavor, and mistakes can occur at any time throughout the process. The presentation features insight from Marc Goodin, a self-storage owner and civil engineer, and Jamie Lindau, national sales manager for Trachte Building Systems, on how to minimize development problems, and keep timelines moving forward and projects on budget.

The slideshow is available for free download at www.insideselfstorage.com. To access the file, Web visitors should choose “Slideshows” in the Resource Center drop-down menu on the top navigation bar.

For more than 25 years, ISS has provided informational resources for the self-storage industry. Its educational offerings include ISS magazine, the annual ISS Expo, an extensive website, the ISS Store, and Self-Storage Talk, the industry’s largest online community.

A 6.0-magnitude earthquake that heavily damaged Napa Self Storage in Napa, Calif., in August, is still inflicting hardships for tenants of the facility, including Operation: With Love from Home, a local organization that normally sends about 1,000 care packages to U.S. troops overseas during the Christmas season. The nonprofit has hundreds of personal-care items trapped in two units donated by the self-storage facility, according to the source. The group has managed to assemble only 500 boxes, about half of its annual goal, because it cannot gain access to the items, program coordinator Liz Alessio told the source.

Building 900, a two-story structure containing 230 storage units, was red-tagged by city officials due to structural instability, prohibiting entry. While the storage business has been working to find a solution that would enable tenants to salvage their stored goods, Operation: With LOVE from HOME won’t be able to recover its items before packages need to be mailed in early December. “We really were counting on these items for this effort,” Alessio said.

The nonprofit is hopeful that donations from the community will help to make up the shortfall. It’s accepting donations of toiletries and other items through the end of November. The care packages will be shipped to U.S. troops stationed in the Middle East.

Miranda Evans, a spokesperson for RMB Management Inc., a property-management company that co-owns the storage facility, said a bracing-and-shoring plan that could enable specialized crews to enter the building and recover tenant property is expected to be submitted to the city by Dec. 8. The project would cost about $80,000, according to the source.

Tenants have complained about a lack of communication from the storage operator, and frustrations have mounted since other businesses in the region seem to be further along in their recovery and rebuilding efforts, according to news sources. Napa officials have agreed to get involved with the situation and will hold a briefing for tenants on Dec. 2, according to ABC7 News.

Ames West Side Storage opened in Ames, Iowa, on Oct. 31 as the first automated self-storage facility in the city and the third in the state. Facility owners Steve and Barbara O’Rourke opened the property at 1515 Florida Ave. with one building containing 90 storage units. Plans are underway to add a second building of the same size, according to the source.

The O’Roukes have owned the land for nearly 20 years and always planned to build a storage facility there, Steve O’Rourke told the source. Because they still work full-time jobs—Steve is a contractor and Barbara is a nurse—they added a kiosk to handle new rentals and payments. The technology appeals to younger generations, particularly in Ames, which is home to Iowa State University, according to Steve O’Rourke.

The state’s other automated storage facilities, owned by other property owners, are in Des Moines and Iowa City.

Ames West Side Storage features an INSOMNIAC kiosk by Phoenix-based OpenTech Alliance Inc., which offers several kiosk models as well as a call center, online Web and mobile applications, a Self-Storage Cloud, and other self-storage rental and technology solutions. The O’Rourke’s kiosk features the voice of “Megan,” who leads users through the rental process in English or Spanish. In addition to completing new rentals, the ATM-like machine can dispense door locks and tenant insurance upon request. It accepts payments in the form of cash, credit cards and checks.

eBid Storage Auctions has launched an online platform for self-storage lien sales that allows for real-time, cloud-driven bidding from buyers using Web and mobile devices. Online auctions are becoming an efficient way to sell defaulted self-storage units, according to a company release. The platform also benefits facility operators in the form of increased auction participation, the release stated.

"Holding these auctions online just makes sense. Storage operators get visitors to their auctions for days or weeks, receive more bids, and the whole process runs predictably regardless of local weather or other factors," said Jamie Rolewicz, president.

eBid is working with operators to create platform features that streamline the online-auction process, according to the release. "Auction bidders need the ability to bid on their auctions from anywhere, and we're excited to bring our mobile solution to market,” said Peter Allen, co-founder and chief technology officer. "These types of innovations will drive further adoption of the online storage-auction model among the top self-storage operators in the country.”

Based in Charlotte, N.C., eBid has completed auctions for local self-storage operators and plans to expand to other regions in 2015. The company is offering introductory pricing that allows operators to try the platform at no cost.

"We're very driven to create value for storage operators by providing advanced user and account management, auction management, enterprise reporting and even integrations when needed," Allen said.

eBid was founded by self-storage industry veterans and a technology entrepreneur, according to the release.

By Leonard Pecker

Who buys online? According to recent statistics, nearly everyone. More and more buyers are using the Internet as their prime source for merchandise and services. Here are some interesting facts compiled by marketing website CMO.com by Adobe in May 2014:

• Online shopping is predicted to grow to $370 billion by 2017, up from $231 billion in 2012.
• Two-thirds of Americans age 50 years and older buy from online retailers.
• In a survey of 58,000 U.S. adults, 75 percent said they had ordered products or services online.

With the ever-increasing popularity of online buying, self-storage auction participants are equally inclined to bid online as they are at live lien sales. Learn how to attract these customers to your next online auction.

Inform Your Regulars

Your prime source of online auction bidders is your self-storage facility’s existing bidder list. The “regulars” who participate in your live auctions are prime targets for your online sales as well, for a couple of reasons. First, they’ve come to rely on your sales to source merchandise and will continue doing so once the auctions go online. Second, if these storage-unit buyers have had a positive experience with you in person, they’ll be inclined to try your online sales. You can notify them of upcoming events via your website, e-mail or phone, or you can advertise in the local newspaper.

Tap Into Other Resources

Another source for online bidders is your live-auction company. Many bidders regularly follow auctioneers to various events. Your auctioneer may be willing to inform his followers of your online sales. Some online-auction companies have built relationships with live auctioneers specifically to share bidder contacts.

In addition, an auction company’s regulars will often seek more information about an upcoming event directly from the storage facility. This is a great opportunity to turn these onsite bidders into online ones. Generally, 50 percent to 75 percent of live bidders will register to bid once the auctions go online.

Don’t forget about word-of-mouth from the bidders themselves. Many are professional buyers who attend numerous auctions each month. These bidders get to know one another and will often share information, such as live and online auctions they plan to attend.

Some online auction companies have also created website affiliations to share bidders. As professional buyers often bid on numerous auction websites in their ongoing search for inventory, they’re always on the lookout for additional websites where they can register.

Embrace Social Media

Social media plays a huge role in attracting new bidders to your online auctions. Open to millions of possible participants, the Web holds the greatest potential and creates the largest marketplace. It also provides the highest return with the least amount of investment. Auction buyers are always looking for the next event, so post on social media platforms to advertise your lien sales.

Social engagement will drive more people to your website and help to improve your campaign for better online ranking. In addition, many bidders use Facebook and Twitter to learn and share experiences about using online-auction sites. There are several blogs and forums dedicated to users of online auctions, further spreading the word about this ever-expanding opportunity.

The number of online self-storage auctions is growing quickly as operators seek an efficient, cost-effective method for emptying their delinquent and abandoned units. The general public has become more aware of this exciting and often profitable new hobby or livelihood. As more people embrace online shopping, it makes sense to open your lien sales to as many potential bidders as possible. Try the above suggestions to reach this hungry audience and watch the number of bidders at your next online auction soar.

Leonard Pecker is the director of customer service for iBid4Storage.com, an online storage-auction marketplace where sellers and buyers in North America can benefit and prosper. For more information, call 855.402.4243; e-mail [email protected]; visit www.ibid4storage.com.

By Rich Morahan

Every crime puts your self-storage operation on the defensive, even if your renters have insurance and no one is hurt. Your business always has more at risk than any individual tenant. Following are some must-haves for site security, from technology tools to staff resources, plus a few ways to promote your best safety features to current and potential customers.

Automate for the Future, But Keep the Human Touch

Boston Seaport Self Storage is a gleaming glass and steel presence on Boston’s recently revitalized harbor. It not only looks state-of-the art, it is. Renters from anywhere in the world can secure a unit online. They can print their rental agreement from their personal computer or at an onsite kiosk. The facility boasts motion-activated lights, a spacious lobby, flat-screen security monitors, a business center, free Wi-Fi and more.

With all these great technology tools, why does Boston Seaport still have onsite staff? According to Jim Dinardo, owner of J. DiNardo Consulting, which manages the property, there are three reasons:

• Technology always needs human intervention.
• You need a person to sell boxes and other packing supplies, which is an income source and customer amenity for almost all storage facilities.
• You need a human presence to help with rental choices.

Even the flashiest tech-driven facility needs a human touch. Moving into an empty facility can create anxiety for a customer. A friendly, professional manager underscores the security most tenants need and want. You can market your facility and its tech-based sizzle, but you heighten the experience with a personal connection.

Veteran self-storage consultant Jim Chiswell echoes Dinardo’s assertion about human presence. Though the industry now enjoys the convenience of high-tech devices, such as phone apps to open gates and Web-enabled video surveillance, “The best security is a diligent manager,” Chiswell says.

Show a Gleaming Fortress, But Educate Your Customer

Clean, well-lit facility access that opens into a bright lobby dominated by a 40-inch, split-screen monitor can go a long way toward getting a prospect’s name on a rental agreement. Just make sure that in front of that monitor is a polite, knowledgeable, uniformed staff member who can quickly and clearly outline the security and convenience features of your site.

When it comes to educating the customer, don’t let your manager “wing it.” Give him specific talking points, including a brief outline of what sets your facility apart from the competition. For example, he could say, “We provide a secure disk lock [or a deadbolt cylinder lock] with each unit, and provide you with a unique key code for the gate [and/or the building]. You can see our monitor behind me. We have 24-hour, motion-activated digital cameras that transmit to our offices, and motion-activated lights.”

Demonstrate Features, But Never Overpromise

The key to marketing your security features is to show as much as tell. You want to showcase what you have without making any promises or claims. Every storage operator wants to promote his site security, but you never want to suggest protection that’s beyond your control, warns Jeffrey Greenberger, a partner with the law firm Katz, Greenberger & Norton LLP in Cincinnati. Keep your message clear and quantifiable, to staff as well as to tenants.

Your fences, gates, cameras, lights and locks can all be compromised. That said, it may be wise to add a disclaimer to your rental agreement that acknowledges the security features on the site but reminds the renter that it’s ultimately his responsibility to protect and insure his property, Greenberger says. Consult with your local attorney or state self-storage association for the best wording, but make it clear who’s responsible for tenants’ goods.

Stick to the Key Components

These are exciting times for technology of all sorts. The newest technology helps to provide the security and comfort self-storage renters expect, says Jim Del Sordo Jr., co-founder and owner of Goodville, Pa.-based Automated Security Corp. Swipe keys were once the flashiest way for tenants to get through the facility gate. Now there’s an app for smartphones.

Worried about site surveillance? Some facility-management software offers Internet-enabled surveillance apps. And it certainly increases a renter’s sense of security when he sees a 40-inch flat-screen monitor in the facility lobby displaying views from property cameras.

At the very least, protect your facility with disk locks. Offer tenants a lock with more than a cut-rate keyway, which is really just a “round padlock” with a cheap, easy-to-pick keyway and flimsy body. Before you buy an economy disk lock, compare it to a quality one. Your renter can do the same.

If you set the level of security at your facility higher than the rest of your market, you can stay out of the newspapers and blogs. Give away a quality lock, write off its retail cost as a promotion, and give every door the same uniform, secure face. Your facility will look more secure, and it will be more secure. You can tell prospects about your security, but it’s even more impressive to demonstrate it with a hardened keypad, cameras and monitors, and a cylinder lock-and-latch system.

Enjoy the Return on Investment

Monitors, access controls, cameras … Almost all these products are dramatically less expensive than they were a decade ago, and storage renters expect to see these signs of security; but they also want to see a personal touch. “You can’t replace the human mind’s ability to sense danger,” says Norm Kotoch Jr., president of Security Self Storage, a family-owned and -operated business serving Northeast Ohio. It may a cost little more to screen and train your staff to be security-minded, but the return on investment is likely much greater than that of any piece of hardware.

Rich Morahan writes frequently on security and marketing for the self-storage, information destruction and restaurant industries. You can reach him at 617.240.0372, [email protected], or go to his website, www.rmorahan.com.