The Storage Group (TSG), an Internet-marketing company serving the self-storage industry, recently hired Jeanne Dotson as director of customer success, a new position the company created to better serve its customers, according to a press release.

With more than 20 years of multi-media marketing and customer-service experience, Dotson will lead the company’s Customer Success Team. Through on-boarding, training and communication, the team will work to ensure all customers are fully engaged and getting the value they expect, the release stated.

“I’m thrilled to join an organization that places great value on creativity, innovation and caring so deeply about its customers,” Dotson said. “The Storage Group clearly has the goal of making sure every self-storage client uniquely benefits from our efforts. My focus will be entirely on our clients’ needs, expectations and success.”

Based in Maitland, Fla., TSG provides online tools and marketing solutions to the self-storage industry. The company's customized services include mobile websites, website development, content management, search engine optimization, online rentals, pay-per-click marketing and transparent reporting/analysis.

Johanna Long, a NASCAR driver and former Snowball Derby Winner, will greet fans and sign autographs on Dec. 2 at Uncle Bob's Self Storage in Pensacola, Fla., Long’s hometown. Attendees can pose for photos with Long and her race car and get their personal memorabilia signed from 6 to 8 p.m. Nash 102.7 FM radio host Lindsey Marie will broadcast live from the event and give away prizes.

The community event at 5060 North Palafox St. will also feature a craft table where young fans can make crowns for Long, who has an affinity for the headwear, according to an Uncle Bob’s press release. “I’ve always loved crowns, and I appreciate when I get the chance to share that love with others,” Long said. “I can’t wait to see what all the creative boys and girls come up with!”

“Pensacola loves Johanna Long, and we can’t wait to have her and all the racing fans visit us,” said Greg Sepulveda, area manager for Uncle Bob’s. “Given all the activities and things to check out, this will be a fun and memorable event.”

Long currently competes in the NASCAR Nationwide series. She won the 2010 Snowball Derby and became the youngest female driver to compete in the NASCAR Nationwide series in 2012.

Uncle Bob’s Self Storage is owned by Sovran Self Storage Inc., a real estate investment trust that acquires and manages self-storage facilities. The company operates more than 500 facilities in 25 states, including nine in Pensacola.

Secure Self-Storage in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, recently completed its rooftop solar-panel installation. The 300-kilowatt system at 2605 Summerville Court was designed and installed by Endura Energy Project Corp. on behalf of panel developers Endura Energy Developments Inc. and SolarShare Co-op.

“Another successful project in partnership with Endura Energy gets us closer to achieving our mission overall, which is to speed Ontario’s transition toward a sustainable future, one where we have electricity that’s generated by sources that are non-polluting and safe,” said Mike Brigham, president of SolarShare, the long-term owner and operator of the system, according to a press release.

This is the second project commissioned in a portfolio of 2.7 megawatts in projects developed in partnership between Endura Energy Developments and SolarShare. The projects were made possible under the Ontario’s feed-in-tariff (FIT) program in which solar operators sell the power they generate under a fixed-price, 20-year contract. The portfolio, which comprises five rooftop projects across the Greater Toronto Area, is expected to be fully commissioned by early 2015.

“It has been a great feeling to commission our second of five rooftop-solar projects we were awarded under the FIT 2.1 program,” said Cameron Steinman, president of Endura Energy Project and director of Endura Energy Developments. “We have worked with many of these landlords since 2009, and it is exciting for all parties involved to see the systems generating electricity.”

Endura Energy Developments is jointly owned by an affiliate of Endura Energy Project, a solar-focused engineering, project-management and consulting company based in Toronto, and a subsidiary of Soventix Canada Inc., a global solar-development company headquartered in Germany. Endura Energy Developments and its owners have designed, consulted and developed a number of solar-photovoltaic projects across Ontario.

SolarShare is a nonprofit cooperative that enables Ontario residents to invest in community-based, solar-energy installations across the province. By offering bonds backed by large solar systems, the organization provides financial, environmental and social returns to its members, according to the release. SolarShare is a project of TREC Renewable Energy Co-operative, a nonprofit cooperative incorporated in 1998.

In addition to its Mississauga location, Secure Self-Storage has a facility in North York, Ontario, Canada.

Florida-based self-storage operator iStorage has acquired a Planet Self Storage facility in Burlington, N.J., for $2.97 million. The property at 555 Mitchell Ave. comprises 54,165 rentable square feet in 565 units and was about 70 percent occupied at the time of purchase, according to a press release from MJ Partners Real Estate Services, whose Self Storage Group brokered the deal.

The acquisition comes on the heels of iStorage securing a $50 million revolving line of credit in September as part of a total debt recapitalization. The company indicated it would use the money to fund expansion in addition to general working capital and replacing existing loans.

David E. Kohn, vice president of MJ Partners, represented the buyer and seller in the transaction. Headquartered in Chicago, MJ Partners is a full-service real estate brokerage and investment banking company specializing in commercial real estate, mortgage banking and consulting services. The company's clients include major financial institutions, private equity funds, real estate investment trusts, opportunity funds, insurance companies, pension-fund advisors, corporations, private developers and entrepreneurial businesses.

Planet Self Storage operates about 20 facilities in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

iStorage operates 60 self-storage facilities throughout Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

Strategic Storage Trust Inc., a publicly registered, non-traded real estate investment trust (REIT), has formally changed its name to SmartStop Self Storage Inc. The diversified real estate company focuses on self-storage acquisitions and development, as well as advisory and property-management services. It has been operating its storage locations under the SmartStop brand name for several years.

"We now have a fully integrated self-managed operations team of approximately 300 self-storage, investment and management professionals focused on increasing revenue, occupancy, net operating income and customer satisfaction," said H. Michael Schwartz, chairman and CEO. "This management team has been responsible for 11 quarters of consecutively increasing same-store revenue and net operating income growth."

SmartStop is a fully integrated, self-administered REIT that operates 136 properties in 17 states and Canada. It also serves as the sponsor, adviser and property manager for two recently launched self-storage REITs: Strategic Storage Trust II Inc. (SSTI-II) and Strategic Storage Growth Trust Inc. (SSGT). SSTI-II is a public, non-traded REIT specializing in “stabilized” self-storage properties, and SSGT is a private REIT focusing on the acquisition and development of self-storage properties, company officials said in a press release.

Geoffrey Smith, owner of G. J. Smith Inc., a landscaping company in Nantucket, Mass., has proposed to build an 18,500-square-foot self-storage facility off Greglen Avenue. Turnkey Storage would be the first major commercial development built on a 70-acre property owned by local developer Richmond Great Point Development LLC, using just over an acre of the land, according to the source.

Richmond worked with Valero & Sons Garden Center to develop a grocery store, Old South Marketplace, on Old South Road, which borders the larger property. The two companies are in the early stages of a 10-year redevelopment plan for the 70 acres of land that would include the self-storage facility.

Richmond purchased the land from Walter Glowacki in August 2013 for $30.6 million, according to the source. “Since the purchase was finalized, Richmond has been working with the town to rezone the area and further restrict its possible uses and maximum development density, creating a menu of new zoning classifications that are better suited to the future of Nantucket, and prevent overly dense residential subdivisions from being constructed,” according to information published on the Old South Marketplace website.

The majority of the 70 acres had been zoned for “dense and sometimes incompatible commercial and residential uses,” according to the website. The redevelopment plan includes an extensive cleanup of the property. The development company will also “rebuild and construct new commercial spaces for existing island businesses looking to expand, or for other entrepreneurs looking for space to launch new enterprises. For island businesses that currently have limited options for commercial or light-industrial space, the Richmond property will offer new economic opportunities in a convenient location.”

Smith, 37, has filed design plans for the storage facility with the town’s Historic District Commission and intends to present an application seeking parking and other waivers to the planning board in January, according to the source. He previously owned a self-storage facility in Nebraska but sold it to purchase his first home in Nantucket.

CubeSmart, a self-storage real estate investment trust (REIT), is in the process of acquiring 26 storage facilities from investment management firm Harrison Street Real Estate Capital LLC (HSRE) for $223 million. The REIT has closed on 22 of the properties, including five in the Chicago area, according to the source. Closings on the remaining four properties are expected to be completed in March 2015, according to New York-based Newmark Grubb Knight Frank Capital Markets (NGKF), the commercial real estate advisory firm that is brokering the deal.

The first tranche of 22 assets comprises 1.7 million square feet, with properties in California, Florida, Illinois, Nevada, New York, Ohio and Rhode Island. Ten of the properties were managed by CubeSmart, 10 by operator Morningstar Properties LLC and two were owned through a joint venture with StorQuest Self Storage, the operating brand of the William Warren Group, according to a NGKF press release. At least three of the Chicago facilities previously operated as United Storage, according to Internet searches.

Aaron Swerdlin, executive managing director of NGKF Capital Markets in Houston, and Kenneth Cox, senior managing director in Memphis, Tenn., arranged the deal. The two men are in charge of NGKF’s Self Storage Group and have led more than $5 billion in storage transactions in their careers, company officials said.

Last year, HSRE and Morningstar sold 43 storage properties to Public Storage Inc. for $315 million.

Founded in 2005, HSRE is a real estate private-equity firm with more than $7.3 billion in assets under management through commingled funds and public securities products. The commingled funds focus exclusively on the education, health-care and self-storage segments of the U.S. real estate market. The firm owns approximately $5.4 billion in real estate assets, including more than 33,000 self-storage units. Affiliate Harrison Street Securities LLC manages more than $760 million in REIT investments.

CubeSmart owns or manages 562 self-storage facilities across the United States and operates the CubeSmart Network, which consists of more than 800 additional self-storage facilities.

Self-storage operators around the world have kicked off holiday services and charity drives to benefit a variety of organizations. Here’s a summary of how they’re giving back to their communities so far in 2014. 

• Guardian Self Storage once again sponsored the Dutchess Outreach Susan DeKeukelaere Memorial Coat Drive in October, collecting donations of clean winter coats and jackets. About 8,000 were collected during last year’s campaign. Guardian is a family-owned company that opened its doors in Fishkill, N.Y., more than 25 years ago. It operates 13 facilities in Dutchess, Orange and Ulster counties. 
   
• Self-storage operator 1-800-Mini-Storage and PODS, a mobile-storage provider, is collecting coats for the Oakland County Sheriff's Office “Coats for the Cold” drive in Pontiac, Mich. 1-800-Mini-Storage is providing drop-off boxes at its facilities in Oak Park and Troy, Mich., while PODS offered use of its portable-storage units at several sites. The new and gently used coats will be distributed to those in need. The drive will also benefit the Oakland County Pet Adoption Center. For every donated coat, a $25 deduction will be taken off the pet-adoption fee, up to a maximum discount of $100.
   
• Access Self Storage of the United Kingdom is supporting several charities as part of its annual Christmas Charity Appeal. This year, the company launched a decoration-donation appeal to benefit Children’s Adventure Farm Trust in Bowdon, England; the children’s ward of Frimley Park Hospital in Basingstoke, England; and The Rowans Hospice in Waterlooville, England. The operator has set up donation boxes at several of its facilities to collect new or nearly new Christmas decorations such as trees, lights, baubles, bells and stockings. Access Self Storage operates more than 50 facilities in the U.K., with a large concentration in Greater London.
   
• San Diego Self Storage (SDSS) is again partnering with Rubio's Mexican restaurant for its 16th annual drive to benefit the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots. Collection began at all 18 SDSS facilities on Nov. 1 and runs through Dec. 19. Coupons for a free taco at any Rubio's San Diego location were offered to the first 50 donors at each facility. In addition, SDSS invited high school students to participate in the toy drive to earn community-service hours and contribute to the donation effort. The student who collects the most toys will win a Wi-Fi iPad Mini, valued of $299, as well as a $50 gift card from Rubio’s. Last year, SDSS helped collect more than 16,000 toys. Founded in 1972, SSDS is locally owned and operated.
   
• Westy Self Storage of Stamford, Conn., launched its annual “Operation Santa Donation Drive,” through which it collects and distributes winter coats and toys to underprivileged children. A kick-off event was held Nov. 17 at the company’s property at 80 Brownhouse Road. “Dear Santa” letters written by children were on display during the reception. Guests were encouraged to choose one or more letters and donate the items requested as well as provide a coat, mittens and hat. The drive runs through Dec. 12. Westy has participated in the program for nine years. The operator acts as a drop-off for donations, stores the items, and provides a truck to deliver the toys and clothes to Benjamin Franklin School/P.S. 55 in the Bronx.
   
• Westy Self Storage of Chatham, N.J., is supporting the “Santa Claus Shop,” which offers free holiday shopping for two days each year to more than 500 low-income families and senior citizens living in Berkeley Heights, New Providence and Summit, N.J. The operator has donated free use of a storage unit for one month as well as use of its facility and a driver for this year’s event on Dec. 3-4. Run by a volunteer organization affiliated with Summit Helping Its People, the Santa Claus Shop has been in operation for 48 years. This is Westy’s second year to be involved. Founded in 1990, Westy Self Storage is headquartered in Stamford, Conn. The company's portfolio of facilities spans Connecticut, New Jersey and New York.
   
• Storage 'R' Us, a self-storage company with six facilities in Oklahoma, is sponsoring a food drive this month to benefit community food banks. New customers who donate 15 cans of food will receive $10 off their month's rent at any Storage 'R' Us location. The company has facilities in Chickasha, Duncan, Lawton and Moore, Okla.
   
• Price Self Storage is providing “Elf Storage,” a free holiday gift-wrapping station, at its properties at 1110 W. Foothill Blvd. in Azusa, Calif., and 3951 Murphy Canyon Road in San Diego through Dec. 24. The stations provide rolls of holiday paper, tags, tape and bows that tenants can use to wrap their holiday gifts. Price Self Storage operates 13 properties in California in Inland Empire, Los Angeles, San Juan Capistrano, San Diego and Walnut Creek.