Self-storage veteran Richard (Rick) Jeffery Yonis, president of Sentry Self Storage and past-president of the Florida Self Storage Association (FSSA), passed away peacefully at his home in Grapevine, Texas, on Nov. 14 after a fight with sarcoma, a rare kind of cancer. He was 61.

A Celebration of Life is scheduled for Nov. 24 at 3 p.m. at Bluebonnet Hills Memorial Park in Colleyville, Texas. The event will be sports-themed to reflect Yonis’ passion for New England teams. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be sent to Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center in Dallas. Online condolences can be made at www.bluebonnethillsfuneralhome.com. A second memorial has been tentatively scheduled for Dec. 2 in Danvers, Mass.

Yonis is survived by his wife, Robin; children Caitlin Lewis, and David and Joshua Yonis; stepson Stephen Davis; father Joseph Yonis; brother Steven Yonis; sister Susan Wilens; and several grandchildren and great grandchildren, according to his obituary.

Yonis was born April 17, 1957, in Lynn, Mass., to Joe and Joyce Yonis. He graduated from Masconomet High School in Boxford, Mass., in 1975. He was passionate about sports, coaching baseball and soccer. His favorite teams included the Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics, Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots. He attended spring training for the Sox every March in Fort Myers, Fla., and several NFL Super Bowls and MLB World Series games, the obit stated.

Yonis was a generous, witty and dedicated individual who loved a challenge, no matter what it was, and was passionate about helping others by sharing and teaching his knowledge, family and friends said.

He served as president of the FSSA from 2007 to 2010, and was division vice president at Storage USA for 13 years prior to joining Sentry, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Headquartered in Coral Springs, Fla., Sentry manages more than 30 properties in several states, and works with 14 ownership groups.

Sources:
Dallas News, Richard Jeffery Yonis
Facebook, Florida Self Storage Association

StorageMart, which operates more than 200 self-storage properties across Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States, is expanding two locations in Lee’s Summit, Mo. Once complete, the projects will add 135,000 net rentable square feet in nearly 1,400 climate-controlled units to the company’s portfolio, according to a press release. StorageMart also operates a third facility in the city at 465 S.E. Oldham Parkway.

The expansion plans include 75,000 square feet for the property at 24610 E. U.S. Highway 50 and 60,000 square feet for the site at 3920 S. State Route 291. Both sites include indoor loading bays, motion-censored lighting, perimeter fencing, keypad access, and video cameras.

These projects represent only a portion of the company’s growing footprint in Metro Kansas City, in which it operates more than 30 locations. Since 2016, StorageMart has added 66,000 square feet of storage to the area. In addition, three new developments totaling 146,000 square feet are slated for completion by 2020 throughout Greater Kansas City, the release stated.

“The Lee's Summit submarket is a key area of focus for our Greater Kansas City investment strategy,” said Alex Burnam, head of real estate acquisitions and development. “This additional square footage will serve to increase StorageMart's already dominant market share within Lee's Summit and Greater Kansas City, allowing us to continue providing best-in-class storage solutions for our customers throughout the area.”

Founded in 1999 and based in Columbia, Mo., StorageMart is privately owned and operated by the Burnam Family, which has been in the storage industry for three generations. Its portfolio consists of more than 12 million square feet of storage. It serves more than 75,000 self-storage customers, and operates in Chinese, English, Punjabi, Quebecois French and Spanish.

Source:
StorageMart, StorageMart to Add 135,000 Square Feet of Climate Controlled Storage in Lee's Summit, MO By First Quarter Of 2020

Update 11/21/18 – Yardi has released a new “National Self Storage Report” examining the impact of self-storage supply nationwide. The six-page report compiles data from more than 2,000 properties in the supply pipeline and 339 “abandoned” facilities, according to a press release.

Storage demand remains high in cities experiencing strong population growth, including Nashville, Tenn., and Portland, Ore. In addition, “Millennials, drawn by high-paying employment, and students attending local colleges and universities have fueled new construction in Seattle and Boston, a historically underpenetrated market,” the release stated.

Overall, street rates for 10-by-10 traditional units fell 4.9 percent in October compared to a year ago, “as new deliveries continued to brake rent growth.” By comparison, rental rates for 10-by-10 climate-controlled units fell 2.9 percent.

On the development front, facilities either under construction or in the planning stages accounted for 9.6 percent of the national inventory last month, a 10-basis-point increase over September.

The report is available in PDF format as a free download from the Yardi Matrix website.

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6/13/18 – Yardi Systems Inc., which provides management software for self-storage and other types of real estate, has released a “National Self Storage Report” through its Yardi Matrix self-storage data-services platform examining the impact of self-storage supply across the United States. The six-page report includes information on development projects and rental rates for 31 markets.

New-supply activity is heaviest in “fast-growing” and “historically underdeveloped” urban markets, according to data collected from more than 2,100 tracked properties in the development pipeline. Areas with the strongest influx of new supply are Boston, Denver, Nashville, Tenn.; Portland, Ore.; and Raleigh-Durham, N.C., according to a press release.

Several California markets have the lowest percentage of new supply either under construction or in the planning stages due to “significant barriers” to entry, Yardi officials said. Areas particularly impacted include the Inland Empire, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

New development coupled with slowing economic drivers have slowed rental-rate growth, which fell 2 percent nationally in April after growing as much as 5 percent last fall, according to the report. Hot rental markets include Las Vegas, Phoenix and Seattle, which achieved average rate increases of 5 percent to 10 percent year over year.

The report is available in PDF format as a free download from the Yardi Matrix website.

Yardi Matrix tracks self-storage development activity and rental-rate data in more than 130 markets nationwide.

Yardi Systems develops and supports software for the management of property and real estate investments. Its suite of programs includes accounting, ancillary processes, operations and services with portfolio-wide business intelligence and platform-wide mobility. Based in Santa Barbara, Calif., and founded in 1984, the company serves clients worldwide from offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and North America.

Sources:
PR Newswire, U.S. Self Storage Demand Rises on Population and Employment Gains, Yardi Matrix Reports
PR Newswire, Yardi Matrix Provides a Self Storage Snapshot
Yardi Matrix, Research and Publications

The people you choose to manage your self-storage facility will make the difference between a highly successful operation and a mediocre or failing one. Though finding the perfect staff isn’t always easy, knowing where to locate good candidates and what do once you bring them on board is paramount. Here are some “hacks” for successful hiring and onboarding.

Finding Candidates

There are many employment websites that can be excellent sources for qualified management candidates, such as CareerBuilder, Craigslist, Indeed, Monster, WorkingCouples and Zip Recruiter. Other resources include self-storage trade magazines, professional placement services and the Self-Storage Talk online community. You can also ask for referrals from your current managers or other facility owners and operators.

Choosing and Matching Applicants

Wherever you advertise your position, be prepared to receive responses from people who don't seem qualified—or even willing to read thoroughly! You might clearly state that you’re seeking an experienced self-storage manager, but some will think they can talk their way into the job. If you have a resident position, you’ll likely be contacted by inexperienced applicants attracted to the “free housing.”

Be prepared to weed through a lot of resumes. Getting people to respond may be the easiest part of your search. Interviewing and matching the right manager to each facility isn’t as simple.

Anyone can be on his best behavior for an hour, which is why it’s important to interview preferred candidates more than once. If an applicant is employed at a facility close to you, consider visiting. Just keep in mind that most managers seek new employment confidentially. You don’t want to jeopardize someone’s current position by showing up unannounced and revealing who you are.

When interviewing, aim to uncover each candidate’s talents and match his traits to the position you’re trying to fill. Don’t make assumptions about a person’s skills based on his gender, age, etc. For example, you can’t presume women are better on the phone or men are better at maintenance tasks. Everyone has unique strengths and interests. Some candidates will be more outgoing than others; some will be natural marketers or salespeople. Look at the gifts of the individual and consider assigning job responsibilities that best suit each person.

Conducting Due Diligence

Once you’ve narrowed the list to the best possible candidates, check their references. That means speaking with past supervisors or owners, not tenants, co-workers, friends or relatives who would never speak ill of them. Keep in mind, though, that some large companies won’t verify anything more than employment dates and job title.

If a candidate is currently employed as a self-storage manager, have someone phone-shop him to evaluate his customer-service skills. You want to ensure the person you hire answers the phone in a timely and professional manner and sets an appointment to visit the facility. In short, he should try to close the sale.

Next, dig deeper into your candidate. There are numerous companies that specialize in background checks, personality testing, drug testing and credit reports. You can find them online or ask other owners for a recommendation.

Signing Paperwork

Once you’ve done your due diligence and decided to hire, have the new staff member sign a letter of employment. The letter should spell out the manager's job duties, pay and bonus structure, and any goals you expect him to achieve. This puts you both on the same page regarding expectations.

Some storage facilities are still being built with a manager’s apartment. If your new hire will live on site, he should sign an apartment lease that stipulates the grounds for housing, for example:

• The manager will live in the apartment rent-free as long as he is employed at the facility.
• The manager will have X days to vacate once employment ends.
• The apartment can be used only as a residence for the manager and can’t be sublet.
• The manager is responsible for any damage to the property, whether from himself, a pet, a family member, etc.

Most states are “employment at will,” which means you can give notice of termination to your manager—or he to you—at any time. The lease will come in handy if you terminate, the manager refuses to vacate, and you have to go through the eviction process. Though it won’t necessarily stop him from “squatting,” it’ll make it easier to evict him and reclaim your apartment.

Orienting and Training

Give your new hire a formal orientation. This is the time to discuss company rules. It’s critical to have a clear, concise policies-and-procedures manual customized to suit your company philosophy. Go over it with the manager. Discuss job duties and responsibilities, chain of command, etc. Again, make sure you’re both on the same page.

The next step is training, which should cover facility and corporate forms, your rental agreement, phone techniques, facility tours, site maintenance, sales and marketing, computer programs, and processes for collections and lien sales, just to name a few key items. If your new hire is inexperienced in self-storage, you’ll need to spend a minimum of 10 days to get him up to speed. If he has industry experience, your training time may be less.

If possible, conduct training away from the hustle and bustle of the facility office, even if that means setting up a table and chairs in a vacant unit. It doesn’t matter if a manager has been in the industry for 25 years or this is his first trek into the business. All staff needs to be trained and, in some cases, re-trained. Just because an employee has years of experience doesn’t mean he’ll automatically perform tasks the way you want them done. Training is an essential part of success; it’s the little things that set your staff apart from the competition!

Even your relief managers need to be trained. Don’t think of them as simply holding down the fort while the manager is away. If trained thoroughly and properly, these employees should be ready to move into a full-time position when you acquire or build your next project.

Finally, it’s imperative to give your management team the tools they need to do their jobs effectively. These include maintenance supplies and equipment, an organized office, easy-to-use software, and more.

Communicating

Open communication is another important element of successful staffing. As a team, you and your employees should be able to discuss any positive or negative aspect of the job.

One suggestion is to have the manager call in his daily deposits to your office. While you can track the income through your management software, establishing a daily call gives you the opportunity to discuss other issues such as marketing, maintenance, problem tenants, etc., without making the manager feeling like he’s being micromanaged or stripped of authority to make day-to-day decisions.

Define your expectations! Most people aren’t mind-readers. If you aren’t happy with someone’s job performance, tell him what you require. Visit your facility regularly or hire an outside company to conduct semi-annual or yearly audits. Let your managers know up front that there will be regular facility inspections so there aren’t any surprises.

It’s also important to include manager input when designing marketing or maintenance programs, creating annual budgets, implementing rate increases, etc. Empower your team. You hired and trained them, now let them manage! If you don’t trust their judgment, you likely made the wrong choice in hiring. If you come to that conclusion, terminate employment; allow them to find a suitable position elsewhere and yourself to get the right people for your operation.

Evolving

Things can change rapidly in the self-storage industry. It’s important to evolve with the times and stay up-to-date on trends and developments including lien laws, marketing techniques, and systems for improving productivity. Managers need to be trained on new systems or have refresher courses. As part of their professional development, provide subscriptions to industry magazines and send them to storage seminars and conferences.

You don’t have to be a genius or own a crystal ball to have a successful storage facility. By following these basic hiring and training philosophies and implementing clear-cut policies and procedures, you should be able to match your staff to your business goals and philosophies. Give your managers the tools to be successful, pay them well, reward them with obtainable bonus programs and pat them on the back for a job well done. Let them know you appreciate having them as part of your team and acknowledge the role they play in the success of your business.

Pamela Alton is the owner of Mini-Management Services, which has been placing self-storage managers in positions all over the United States since 1991. She also offers staff training, operational consulting, and facility audits and inspections. For more information, call 321.890.2245; e-mail [email protected]; visit www.mini-management.com.

When it comes to your self-storage career, it’s important to overcome challenges, gain valuable experience and develop professionally. Having the know-how and confidence to make informed decisions, pitch new ideas and understand your market are just a few things to be thankful for this season.

To help facility managers and owners grow and improve, we’re kicking off our Black Friday sale a little early this year. Today through Dec. 3, we’re offering steep discounts on three of our most popular 2018 DVD packages. Each offers nine education sessions—that’s more than seven hours of instruction and insight on issues of day-to-day management, ownership and marketing. Dig in and feast on the following!

• Self-Storage Management 2018 Education DVD Package: Get insight to revenue, customer service, occupancy, legal issues, online auctions, profit centers, rate increases and more.
• Self-Storage Ownership 2018 Education DVD Package: Learn about operational strategy, best practices, staffing, company culture, facility data, property value, insurance, auditing and more.
• Self-Storage Marketing 2018 Education DVD Package: Discover the ins and outs of online search, data, digital strategies, mobile, website design, customer reviews, community outreach and more.

Follow the linked titles or visit the ISS Store for full product details. Whether you’re buying for yourself or another self-storage professional in your life, contributing to someone’s success is the gift that keeps on giving.

Update 11/20/18 – Real estate developer Daniel Blanchard of 459 Broadway has acquired the 46,193-square-foot Drescher Paper Box building after securing approvals for a special-use permit and a zoning variance for his self-storage project. Blanchard purchased the 1.9-acre site for $797,000. The $1 million conversion will include more than 200 climate-controlled units on three floors, according to the source.

Founded in 1867, Drescher is downsizing and looking to relocate, the source reported.

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3/21/18 – A development company is seeking zoning approval to turn a former warehouse in Buffalo, N.Y., into a self-storage facility. 459 Broadway LLC is under contract to purchase the property at 459-467 Broadway from Drescher Paper Box Inc. The zoning board of appeals will consider the project tomorrow, according to the source.

If the project is approved, the developer plans to add large windows and 200 climate-controlled units to the 25,000-square-foot first floor, as well as transform one of the truck entrances at the front of the building into the office entrance. The facility would offer mailboxes for rent, and sell moving, office and packing supplies.

In its application, 459 Broadway stated the changes for the building would be “highly desirable for the character of the neighborhood, and will become a contributing factor to the continued revitalization of this stretch of Broadway, in particular due to the addition of a retail element to the property,” the source reported.

The building is currently being used for manufacturing, and warehouse and inventory storage, the source reported. Drescher Paper Box produces jigsaw puzzles, game boards and setup boxes. It has been in business for more than 140 years.

Source:
The Buffalo News, Investor Buys Drescher Paper Box Building for Conversion to Self-Storage
Buffalo Rising, Self-Storage Proposed for 459 Broadway

 

Update 11/20/18 – PTI has integrated with Automatit through the PTI CORE platform, giving self-storage operators the ability to view their digital-marketing metrics in the same CORE dashboard they use for access control. The integration provides real-time monitoring of online unit reservations and cost per reservation. It also covers paid-search metrics, phone calls generated by marketing promotions and site-level Web-traffic information, according to a press release.

“Tenants are using the convenience of online reservations at increasing rates. The Automatit integration into the PTI CORE platform creates another essential element of the end-to-end solution that operators desire,” Young said. “Operators now have the opportunity to substantially reduce customer acquisition costs while gaining more valuable insights that enhance their operational efficiencies.”

“I am excited to bring digital-marketing metrics to the PTI CORE platform,” added Baird. “This integration will help owners manage their facility and monitor digital-marketing data in one easy-to-use interface. Our customers have shared that monitoring these meaningful metrics helps them make better operational decisions.”

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10/18/18 – PTI Security Systems, a provider of access-control and security solutions for the self-storage industry, has acquired Web-design and marketing-services firm Automatit Inc. PTI pursued the deal to enhance its CORE IoT (Internet of Things) cloud platform and accelerate its delivery of end-to-end solutions designed to help storage operators improve the customer experience and operational efficiency, according to a press release.

“PTI and Automatit share a simple business philosophy. Everything we do starts with the customer. Our shared goal is to help bring our customers’ visions to life through innovative technology solutions,” said Franklin Young, CEO of PTI. “We could not be more impressed with the passion of the Automatit team and their long-standing commitment to customer service and product innovation.”

“We are very excited to be a part of the PTI team, and we share PTI’s vision of building a world class end-to-end technology solution,” added Christopher Baird, CEO of Automatit.

Founded in 2001, Automatit will continue to operate under its own brand, the release stated. Based in Tucson, it specializes in marketing services, search engine optimization and Web design for self-storage.

PTI manufactures technology-enabled security solutions. Its product line includes access-control hardware and software, wired and wireless door alarms, and mobile-access solutions. The company has installed more than 37,000 systems in 30-plus countries. It operates through two U.S. locations as well as distributors in Asia, Australia and Europe.

Andover Properties LLC, which operates the Storage King USA self-storage brand, has acquired Ace Storage in Polk City, Fla. It’s the company’s 13th purchase in the state and its latest transaction under a partnership with Angelo, Gordon & Co., a privately held investment adviser dedicated to alternative investing, according to a press release.

The property at 330 Commonwealth Ave. N. comprises 62,000 net rentable square feet of drive-up storage on more than 16 acres. Andover plans to add a 30,000-square-foot, climate-controlled building as well as covered vehicle storage, according to Michael Wachsman, director of acquisitions.

“We purchased the asset at a very attractive basis. The area around the property has experienced historically strong population growth, which is expected to continue. And most of Polk City is in an opportunity zone, which should spur further development,” said Brian Cohen, president.

In September, Andover acquired a three-property portfolio in Gulfport and Ocean Springs, Miss. Together, the facilities comprise more than 112,000 square feet of storage space in 700 traditional and vehicle-storage units.

Founded in 2003 and based in New York City, Andover owns and operates 31 self-storage facilities in nine states, totaling more than 2.2 million rentable square feet of storage space in 15,700 units. The firm focuses on the acquisition, development and management of industrial, retail and self-storage facilities, primarily in the North and Southeast.

 

The Garfield Township, Mich., Board of Trustees unanimously rejected a zoning change last week that would have paved the way for U-Haul International Inc. to convert a vacant Kmart store into self-storage. U-Haul had planned a $10 million project that would have offered climate-controlled storage and truck rentals in the 90,000-square-foot space, according to the source.

The applicant was Schostak Bros. & Co., which owns the Kmart parcel and is one of three property owners within the Cherryland Center. Part of the trustees’ reasoning for turning down the zoning request was that it would have applied to the entire planned shopping district, which also includes the Grand Traverse Mall and a Meijer retail store. The board didn’t want to set a precedent that could allow self-storage in those retail spaces, the source reported.

Several staff members and trustees noted that self-storage is an allowable use in the township’s industrial districts where numerous parcels are available for development. The planning commission also had recommended against the proposal.

The board’s contention that self-storage isn’t a good fit in a retail center didn’t sit well with Jonathan Gilmore, president of the U-Haul Co. of Western Michigan. “This is something that we’ve done many times successfully,” Gilmore told the board. “We blend into a retail environment. That’s where we work. We don’t operate in the shadows. We don’t operate in industrial areas. It’s not what works for us. It’s not what brought us to be a Fortune 500 company.”

Some neighboring businesses spoke in favor of the U-Haul project. “We see it as a complementary enterprise to not only our business, but also our competitors’ business up and down Garfield,” said Bill Marsh Jr., owner of Bill Marsh Auto.

Though Schostak argued that turning away the U-Haul proposal could mean the Kmart shell and other empty stores in the center will remain empty for a long time, trustee Steve Duell noted the board had recently overhauled the zoning rules for mall properties to encourage other desirable uses. Zoning now allows bars and nightclubs, drive-through services, entertainment centers, hotels, and multi-family housing developments into shopping districts.

“I think we need to give these [zoning changes] a chance for developers because this just came implemented in,” Duell said during the meeting. “I think this is going to explode by what we’ve done in favor of the [planned shopping] districts.”

Established in 1945, U-Haul owns more than 55 million square feet of storage space. The company’s corporate sustainability initiatives, which support infill development to help local communities lower their carbon footprint, has led to dozens of conversion projects in recent years.

Source:
The Ticker, Township Rejects U-Haul for Cherryland Center