Registration is now open for the 2015 Inside Self-Storage World Expo, the industry’s largest conference and tradeshow. The event will take place April 6-9 at the Paris Hotel & Resort in Las Vegas. Created for self-storage owners, managers, developers, investors and suppliers, the annual expo comprises four days of education, exhibits and networking opportunities.

Early-bird registration rates, which provide a more than 25 percent discount on onsite prices for the Exhibit-Hall Package, Education Package and Premium Package, are available until Feb. 2. Discounted room rates of $159 per night are available through the Paris Hotel and subject to availability. Attendees are encouraged to make reservations early.

The 2015 event will offer 10 education tracks, six add-on workshops, several networking events and two days of product and service exhibits. Concurrent education includes 45 seminars covering development and construction, investment and finance, management, ownership, marketing, staffing, sales, add-on profit centers, risk management and international issues.

Attendees can choose from six immersive workshops, including two that are new to the show in 2015. A special workshop titled “Am I Breaking the Law?” will take place on April 6, and a Pricing Workshop will take place on April 9. Annual favorites include the Development Workshop, Legal Learning Live, Management Workshop and Owner/Operator Executive Workshop. Participants can purchase workshops individually or have their choice of two sessions by purchasing the Premium Package.

Scheduled networking opportunities include the Self-Storage Q&A, an evening cocktail reception, roundtable discussions and the Buyers & Sellers Meeting. These events are included with all registrations.

The exhibit hall will feature more than 120 suppliers representing all segments of the industry. The expo floor will be open 5:30-7:30 p.m. on April 7 and noon-5 p.m. on April 8.

Event details are available on the official show website at insideselfstorageworldexpo.com. A video summarizing event highlights can be viewed on Self-Storage TV.

Manhattan Mini Storage, which operates 17 self-storage facilities throughout New York City, is expanding its business services for commercial-storage customers. The company now offers outbound package shipping for DHL Express, FedEx and UPS; free shelves and hanging rods for use inside storage units; electricity on select unit sizes; and unlimited rides and priority reservations on the “Storage Taxi,” an oversized minivan that transports customers and their belongings to and from their storage space. Manhattan Mini also provides free WiFi, oversized loading docks and elevators, no-fee onsite parking, complimentary package acceptance, and onsite print, copy and fax services. 

“We feel like we’ve been the best-kept secret for many business owners and managers in Manhattan for years,” said Stacy Stuart, executive vice president of marketing and human resources for Edison Properties, Manhattan Mini’s parent company. “They use us for everything from file and records storage to inventory warehousing to storing supplies and equipment. So we’re really responding to the needs of our existing customers while also reaching out to new clients from New York’s business community. We want to let them know how much easier we can make running your business.”

The company also offers extended facility hours. “All [facilities] are open 365 days a year, many 24 hours a day. The rest have extended business hours, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. In a city like New York, where people work night and day, we’re ideally suited for business-storage clients,” she said.

Founded in 1978, Manhattan Mini Storage is part of the Edison Properties network of businesses. Edison also operates Edison ParkFast, a network of 40 garages and lots throughout Baltimore, New York City and Northeast New Jersey. Its other properties include workspace offices, executive offices and pre-built suites, The Hippodrome office building, and The Ludlow, a luxury residential high-rise on the Lower East Side.

Southern Self Storage has purchased Seagrove Beach Self Storage in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., and rebranded the facility under its operating name. The acquisition is the company’s second since it sold its 21-property portfolio to real estate investment trust Public Storage Inc. in 2013. The first acquisition, 4150 E. County Road 466 in Oxford, Fla., was made in February.

The new property at 4927 E. County Highway 30A features a three-story structure encompassing 65,540 square feet of storage space in 577 units. Built in 2006, the building features electronic access, freight elevators and a sprinkler system.

The property caters to 16 beach communities along a 26-mile stretch of Northwest Florida’s famed Emerald Coast, also known as Scenic 30A. The communities, including Grayton Beach, Seaside and Water Color, feature luxury beach houses, upscale dining and a variety of art galleries, according to a company press release.

Southern Self Storage plans to add a kiosk, online reservation and payment services, and other property upgrades.

Owners Peter Cowie and Robert McIntosh started the Southern Self Storage brand in Florida in 1985. The business partners also operate three Northern Self-Storage facilities in the Ontario, Canada, market.

Compass Self Storage LLC, a member of the Amsdell family of companies, has opened a facility in Oxford, Fla. The new development at 4477 E. County Road 466 comprises more than 84,000 net rentable square feet. It’s the 50th Compass location nationwide and the 13th in Florida.

The property is near The Villages, an active-adult, retirement community in Central Florida. The facility offers climate control, drive-up units, indoor parking, video cameras, electronic access, and a full line of moving and packing supplies. It will also offer truck rentals, according to a company press release.

"We are thrilled to open the doors on this brand new self-storage center to serve the moving and storage needs of this growing community,” said Todd Amsdell, president. “We are committed to providing an exceptional product and top-notch service to our new customers in the area."

Headquartered in Cleveland, the Amsdell Cos. draws its roots from the family-owned construction company founded in 1928. Since its inception, the company has been active in several billions of dollars of real estate ventures, with a primary focus on self-storage. It has owned and operated more than 500 storage centers under various trade names in more than 27 states. It currently owns and operates properties in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas.

U-Haul International Inc. is converting the former Economy Folding Box Corp. manufacturing plant in Bronzeville, Ill., to a self-storage facility. The 1.2-acre property at 2601 S. LaSalle St. is near two Chicago expresswaysInterstate 55 and Interstate 90/94—and consists of a single-story concrete building encompassing 159,413 square feet of space. It’s been rebranded as U-Haul Moving and Storage of Bronzeville.

The facility currently features a temporary showroom offering truck and trailer rentals, and moving supplies. Self-storage and U-Box moving and storage containers will soon be added. The showroom will also serve as a museum featuring product displays from U-Haul as well as the box manufacturer that formerly inhabited the building.

The opening of the Bronzeville store is being driven by U-Haul’s corporate sustainability initiatives, which support infill development to help local communities lower their carbon footprint, according to a company press release. U-Haul’s adaptive reuse of existing buildings eliminates the amount of energy and resources required for new-construction materials and helps local cities diminish their unwanted inventory of unused buildings, U-Haul officials said.

Established in 1945, U-Haul International Inc. has more than 40 million square feet of storage space at more than 1,000 owned and managed facilities throughout North America.

Self-storage operator PhilMor Real Estate Investments LLC has purchased two Connecticut self-storage facilities and will operate them under its Casey Storage Solutions brand name. The acquisitions are the company’s first in Connecticut and expand its storage-property portfolio to 11 locations in four Northeast states.

The property at 10 Hillside Road in Cromwell, Conn., previously operated as AAA Self Storage. The facility at 785 Sherman Ave. in Hamden, Conn., operated as Lock Tight Self Storage.

"We are very excited to add these Connecticut self-storage properties to our portfolio,” said Morgan Hanlon, co-founder and co-managing member. “These additions are very complimentary to our growing New England self-storage portfolio, and can help us leverage our multi-family acquisitions in these markets."

Both facilities will offer U-Haul truck and trailer rentals as well as a variety of moving equipment and supplies.

Eastern Bank of Boston provided debt financing for the Cromwell transaction, and PeoplesBank of Holyoke, Mass., provided financing for the Hamden acquisition.

Casey Storage Solutions operates 11 self-storage facilities comprising more than 610,000 square feet in more than 4,775 units. The properties are in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont.

PhilMor Real Estate Investments is a vertically integrated real estate investment company that develops, acquires, owns and operates commercial real estate primarily in the self-storage and multi-family sectors. Its self-storage portfolio is managed by Casey Property Management LLC.

Banner Storage Group LLC, a subsidiary of Banner Apartments LLC, recently purchased two sites in Miami on which it plans to develop self-storage facilities. Slated to open in fall 2015, the properties will be designed by Kenneth R. Carlson - Architect, P.A. of Deerfield Beach, Fla., and built by DC Construction Associates Inc. of Boca Raton, Fla.

The first site is a half-acre parcel with an existing 22,000-square-foot building that formerly housed Cubana de Television. The structure will be demolished and replaced with a seven-story, 102,000-square-foot building encompassing approximately 1,082 climate-controlled storage units. The property at the intersection of S.W. 8th Street and S.W. 22nd Avenue is at the confluence of the Coral Way, Little Havana and West Flagler neighborhoods.

The second site is a 1.29-acre parcel at 640 N.W. 133rd St. in North Miami, Fla., adjacent to Interstate 95. Banner plans to build a four-story, 99,000-square-foot self-storage building featuring 950 climate-controlled units.

Property amenities for both sites will include interior, climate-controlled loading/unloading areas, video cameras, motion sensors, free Wi-Fi, and a retail office.

“We are excited to enter the Miami market and look forward to growing Banner Storage’s portfolio in Southeast Florida. These compelling urban infill locations have high-density populations, strong traffic counts and easy accessibility. Coupled with the supply/demand imbalances that exist in each market, we anticipate these properties will lease up on a timely basis and produce strong operating performance and investment returns,” said John Nikolich, executive vice president. “We are also drawn to Miami’s strong economy with multiple growth drivers as well as the state’s financial strength and the business-friendly environment.”

Banner Storage Group was formed in July 2013 to diversify Banner Apartments’ real estate holdings outside of its multi-family focus. The company is led by Gary Delaney, president, and Nikolich, who have more than 35 years of combined experience in the development, acquisition, disposition and financing of self-storage properties, portfolios and real estate operating companies.

Banner Apartments is a real estate investment management business specializing in the ownership, development and management of multi-family properties. Banner was founded in 1989 and currently has ownership or management interest in more than 6,000 apartment units.

Safeguard Self Storage, which operates more than 70 facilities throughout the eastern states, recently purchased a parcel of land in Massapequa, N.Y., to build a new facility, the company’s 27th in the region. Safeguard currently has three additional facilities in various stages of development in the state.

“The New York area is the company’s most important market, and this purchase will build on the company’s efforts to increase its critical mass there,” said CEO Allan Sweet. “We have been building in New York for over a decade.”

The 61,825-square-foot facility will offer 766 storage units in various sizes. Amenities will include climate-controlled self-storage, drive-up loading areas, secured building access and video cameras.

“This store will be the company’s easternmost location in New York and will fill a real need in this densely populated area of Long Island where there are few other options for storage,” said Jim Goonan, senior vice president of development.

Founded in 1989 and headquartered in Atlanta, Safeguard Self operates facilities in Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. The company is owned and operated by Morgan Stanley’s Prime Property Fund.

Update 12/2/14 – The storage facility StoreSmart Self-Storage recently acquired in Melbourne, Fla., using approximately $3 million raised through crowdfunding, was purchased for $9.25 million. The facility comprises 112,030 square feet in 964 units, with an additional 8,800 square feet under construction.

The property consists of more than 10 acres leased from the Melbourne Airport Authority and is in an area poised for economic growth, according to brokers Adam Rathbun of SouthTrend Realty and Frost Weaver of Weaver Realty Group, who represented the seller, Apollo Storage, in the transaction. Rathbun and Weaver are partners in the Florida Commercial Brokers Network and represent the Argus Self Storage Sales Network in Florida.

Argus is a Denver-based network of real estate brokers who specialize in self-storage properties. Formed in 1994, the company has 36 broker affiliates covering nearly 40 markets.

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10/27/14 – StoreSmart Self-Storage, which owns a portfolio of more than 20 properties, has acquired a self-storage facility in Melbourne, Fla., using crowdfunding secured through Realty Mogul, an online marketplace that allows accredited investors to pool money online and buy shares of pre-vetted investment properties. Realty Mogul's institutional investors contributed more than $3 million in aggregate equity financing to help StoreSmart buy the property, company officials said in a press release. This is the second storage asset Realty Mogul has helped StoreSmart finance through crowdfunding.

The former Apollo Storage at 575 N. Apollo Blvd. comprises 112,030 square feet. StoreSmart will rebrand the facility in its name and plans to renovate the property before reselling it at the end of an anticipated holding period, according to the release. Investor distributions are projected to begin after the first full quarter of operations following the closing of the acquisition, officials said.

"Self-storage facilities continue to be a popular asset class for real estate crowdfunding because they consistently produce steady income to investors," said Jilliene Helman, CEO and founder of Realty Mogul. "Regardless of how the economy is doing, people will always need to store their stuff.”

Reliant Real Estate Management LLC, StoreSmart’s property-management company, conducted a market study and concluded the area around the property remains strong for self-storage, Helman said.

Built in 2006, the facility’s main traffic artery averages traffic counts of more than 21,000 vehicles per day, officials said. The property consists of nine buildings on more than 10 acres. The planned expansion will add an additional 8,800 square feet of storage space in 42 units.

"We are always aggressively seeking new investment opportunities," said Lewis G. Pollack, managing principal of StoreSmart.

StoreSmart operates 22 facilities in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Realty Mogul gives investors tools to browse investments, conduct due diligence, invest online and have 24/7 access to an investor dashboard that allows them to see how their investments are performing.