While most self-storage operators invest time in planning and executing a search engine marketing strategy (both paid search and free traffic), many are still on the sidelines when it comes to social media. They don’t know where to start or understand how to measure the value. The following framework will help you get started and accurately measure results, no matter how lean your team may be.

Start With Your Profiles

The core of your effort is the actual profiles on the social media platforms. Initially, focus on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. If you have a little extra time, you may want to invest in Instagram as well.

From a structure standpoint, it’s best to have social profiles for your parent brand as well as for each individual storage facility. At our company, we manage profiles for our parent brand, Smart Self Storage; however, we also have individual profiles for each of our nine properties. For example, Los Angeles Self Storage has its own Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Instagram profiles.

You may be thinking, why do I need all these? Can’t it be overwhelming if I have a large portfolio? Today, digital marketing is more local than ever. My strategy is hyper-local and content-driven. I like to have a very local persona online, with content that’s indigenous in nature. Our customers greatly benefit from our local presence.

Put another way, self-storage is about as local of a business as one can find. Our typical customer radius is three to five miles. Digital marketing is simply an online extension of our brand. We need to be just as locally minded online as we are in person, adding exceptional value for our customers.

When you craft your social media profiles, think of them as distributed versions of your website. Each should be just as beautiful and built out. Upload a variety of photos. Truly explain your business, including selling points and contact details. More than anything, make sure your profiles are “on brand” and consistent with the look and feel of your website.

Here’s a bonus tip: Include video. For example, we use a local drone video from our Mount Hermon Road Self Storage facility on the property’s website and Facebook page.

Crafting great profiles can be time-consuming, and it’s an iterative process. I like to have a team member focus on improving the look and feel of one or two profiles each week. I’m not talking about the actual content being posted, just the “bones,” which includes the photos, videos, business facts and calls to action.

Deliver Valuable Content

Now that your profiles have been carefully crafted, the fun begins! What’s the purpose of social media in the self-storage industry? It’s about building lasting connections with your community, and driving people to your amazing facility while bringing value to people’s lives. Value can come in a variety of fashions: helpful news, a funny picture that puts a smile on someone’s face, tangible storage tips, coupons and discounts, and other relevant content.

As you start deploying posts to your profiles, always ask yourself if the information you’re sharing adds value for readers. Remember, these are an extension of your business. The content and tone should mirror your live operation.

Here are some great ideas for social media content:

• Photos of your facility and local community
• Fun facts about your business (what makes you special)
• Videos showcasing your property
• Helpful tips related to storage, such as packing guides
• Seasonal wishes, ideas and tips related to major holidays
• Links to articles, blogs and helpful pages on your website
• Links to other businesses in the area, particularly ones you love
• Links to helpful blogs posts and videos about organized living
• Infographics that describe how to get the most from self-storage
• Coupons and discounts (possibly exclusives for your social media audience)

You’ll be producing a lot of content. We manage more than 30 social media profiles for our portfolio, and all are updated daily. How do we consistently share valuable information at such scale? It comes down to a combination of human insight—brainstorming and planning an in-depth content calendar—paired with smart technology.

Bolster Your Marketing Team

Let’s say you’re like me and you have a lean team. Time and resources are limited, but you don’t want to compromise on your marketing. In fact, you want world-class, category-leading results. Following are my two strategies for driving incredible success.

First, tap into the global freelance community. Crafting social media updates, especially good ones, takes time and focus. Greatness starts within, since you and your employees know your business the best. However, once you have your program running, it’s time to look for help, to delegate. Did you know there are platforms out there, such as Upwork, through which you can hire freelancers from around the world? Consider finding one who can write on your behalf.

When choosing a freelancer, keep these tips in mind:

• If your facility is in Canada or the United States, prioritize candidates who are native English speakers. While they may be more expensive, the investment is often worthwhile.
• Ask for writing samples.
• Find candidates who’ve used self-storage and understand your business at a fundamental level. Those with a passion for moving, packing and organizing are great.
• Check reviews to see if others have had a positive experience with your candidates.
• Determine how much you’re willing to pay before starting conversations.
• Find freelancers who are comfortable uploading their content to an online platform.
• Make sure your freelancer is writing original content solely for your use.

Second, leverage platforms to queue up content. Self-storage operators are sometimes intimidated by social media due to the challenges of scale and time prioritization. It’s difficult to log into dozens of accounts daily.

However, there are platforms to solve these challenges. For example, Buffer, a software application designed to manage social media use, allows you to upload all your content to a central location—no more logging into multiple accounts. And you can queue up posts for deployment over time. You can literally invest a single day’s work and line up an entire month of updates, which the platform will automatically deploy on a set schedule.

Here are some important tips for leveraging platforms:

• If you have a freelancer upload his content directly into your social media management platform, make sure he uploads it in “review mode.” That way, you can approve and edit each post before it goes live.
• Chunk your time. Working on social media every day can be distracting. I like to allocate one or two days per month. While my freelancer is working on updates regularly, I’ll only review and approve them every few weeks.
• Consistently give your freelancer feedback. Make it collaborative so you’re always raising the bar.
• If you have managers who are particularly great social media, loop them into your process. Allow them to post updates in your platform, and give them the opportunity to share feedback with your freelancer.

Build Your Audience

You now have a thriving, hyper-local, content-driven social media program. You’re deploying local updates across your profiles every day. Often, this is enough to build an audience, especially if your updates include relevant hash tags, which are keywords that help consumers find your content on social media networks. If you build great content, they’ll come.

That said, let’s say you want to grow your audience even more. Here are a few simple tips:

• Link to your social media profiles from your website. For example, consider featuring badges in your footer. In addition to driving a larger fan base, they can add credibility to your business. Your website visitors will notice your incredible social media presence and follow you!
• Mention your social media presence to customers. Ask them to follow you for the latest updates, coupons and information.
• Follow and engage local businesses. The purpose of social media is to support your community. Is there a specific restaurant you love? Then support it on social media. Most of the time, the business will thank you and reciprocate. (Note: This type of work is manual and typically performed in the social media accounts themselves, so I leverage this strategy less frequently.)

Measure Results

Now you have beautifully crafted social media profiles, a thriving content strategy, and a growing base of fans and followers. You’ve likely invested your own time, your team’s time and money. It’s time to measure your results!

For small and mid-sized self-storage operators, measuring the value of social media campaigns is often an intimidating and confusing part of the process. Here are some methodologies that’ll quickly get you across the finish line.

First and foremost, you need to understand how much traffic you’re generating from your social media efforts. There are two easy ways to do this:

• Use Google Analytics. If you have Google’s free Web-analytics platform installed on your website, you can easily see dashboards that display your traffic from social media.
• Use Buffer. This software comes with an analytics suite that shows the specific clicks being generated from every social media post.

Second, you want to understand the value of each click. Do you advertise on Google AdWords, Google’s paid advertising platform? If not, I suggest running some small, test campaigns. You’ll quickly see the cost of driving clicks to your website.

Third, you want to multiply net incremental traffic from social media by the average cost per-click. Once you’ve done so, you’ve backed into the dollar value created! Does this amount surpass the cost of your time, your team’s time and platform/freelancing cost? In my experience, it typically does.

Get Started!

It’s my hope that everyone reading this article finds encouragement. While social media is a process and takes time to unfold, it’s such a scrappy way for self-storage operators of all sizes to generate incremental website traffic that turns into business, all while adding great value to the community!

Over time, as your social media practice becomes really polished, you’ll even start noticing your profiles ranking in search engines for queries related to your facility. This is the ultimate measurement of a successful campaign, and the tipping point when even more business will be generated via your new channels. It’s this moment that search engines themselves have decided that your social media provides incredible value to others.

Ian Lopuch is a business and marketing executive and general manager with deep roots in technology. He’s also an investor with a lifelong obsession for cash flow. As a partner at Carlo Development LLC, the company behind Smart Self Storage, Lopuch’s responsibilities span marketing and growth, commercial real estate development, technology, and executive leadership. Prior to joining Carlo, he held leadership positions at some of Silicon Valley’s fastest growing startups. To reach him, call 650.241.9124; e-mail [email protected]; visit www.smartselfstorage.com. 

Orange Self Storage will open next month in North Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. The three-story facility will contain 110 indoor units and 685 “safe lockers,” according to Sesha Babu, general manager. It’ll also feature a retail store that sells moving and packing supplies, electronic access, and video cameras. Customers will have access to online billpay.

The facility is the first of several self-storage locations the company plans to develop in the country. Additional sites are planned for Central and South Bengaluru as well as for Koregaon Park, a suburb of Pune, Maharashtra, according to a press release.

Orange Self Storage was established in 2016 by Nitesh Group, a diversified firm with interests in agriculture, hotels, real estate, and water and waste services. It was founded by Nitesh Shetty, a first-generation entrepreneur, and employs more than 1,000 people.

Source:

Business World, Orange Self Storage Is All Set To Serve Bengaluru

 

Self-storage fees may be small, but they add up to something big: additional revenue for your business and increased accountability on behalf of tenants. While your facility’s main source of income should be unit rentals, little “extras” can make a real difference, especially in counterbalancing delinquencies and unexpected maintenance needs.

To be clear, I’m not talking about getting greedy and sneaking in hidden fees for the sake of making money. I’m talking about charging fees that protect your storage facility and valued customers. Here’s why and how to charge fees, and which ones to collect.

Why Charge Fees?

If you’ve dealt with a bank, hotel or just about any other business, you’ve likely experienced fees you weren’t happy about. The problem with the way many companies charge fees is how they go about it—they sneak them in. But not all fees are buried. In fact, if your storage facility charges fees the right way, your tenants should never be caught off guard.

Be clear about which fees you charge and why during the leasing, lien and move-out process. It’s important to be transparent, not only because it makes you an honest business owner, but because your facility has the right to collect fees for specific items. You’re doing it to protect your company in the event of a late payment, or an abandoned or damaged unit. Some fees also protect tenants, incentivizing them to stay current on rent or clean their unit when moving out.

Now, let’s look at which fees you should charge and how much they might be. Keep in mind you don’t have to use every one. Also, the actual amount may depend on self-storage laws in your state and what fees are currently being charged by competing facilities in your market.

Late Fee

This is one of the most common types of fees. A late fee is often dictated by state-specific laws, so check your statute when determining the amount. Even if you live in a state without relevant laws, it’s wise to follow the protocol of a nearby state in an effort to be fair and reasonable.

Late fees are typically 20 percent of the monthly rent, and “late” typically refers to a period of 30 days or more. So, if a tenant hasn’t paid his rent of $100 in more than a month, the late fee would be $20. Explain late fees to your new tenants during the lease signing so they know what to expect if they miss a payment.

Lien Fee

You might think late fees and lien fees are the same since they’re both associated with the lien process. Lien fees, however, are charged to tenants who don’t pay rent, don’t pay late fees and are, therefore, in possession of a storage unit that’s about to go to auction.

Lien fees are designed to recoup the money your facility spends during the lien process. This might include hiring an auctioneer, placing an ad in the newspaper and printing notices. To determine how much to charge, tally the expenses you’ve incurred. Itemize the total and provide the tenant with the breakdown of costs upon request. Be aware, however, that a tenant who’s already delinquent on a storage unit may not be willing to pay lien fees, so this may be a loss you recoup through the auction itself.

Administration Fee

An administration (admin) fee—a nonrefundable fee charged up front when a lease is signed—might be the most controversial of self-storage fees. To tenants, it may look like a random charge tacked on for the simple task of filing a piece of paper.

You can avoid disgruntled tenants by justifying your admin fee. Add in some item like a key fob or lock so they feel like they’re getting something in exchange for this charge. As an added measure, keep this fee low, between $10 and $15. You may also waive this fee if a tenant is willing to sign up for auto-pay.

Security Deposit

Unlike an admin fee, a security deposit is refundable. A tenant pays this up front and gets it back upon move-out, assuming the storage unit is in good condition. This incentivizes him to pay rent on time, honor his move-out date and refrain from abandoning items.

Many tenants often forget they even paid a security deposit, so this little bit of cash comes as a nice surprise. They’ll leave your facility smiling and more likely to write a positive review online.

A security deposit should be higher, though not substantially, than an admin fee, maybe between $20 and $40. You might even consider rolling the cost of a the deposit into the admin fee.

Cleaning Fee

Every self-storage operator has been there … You enter newly vacant storage unit only to discover trash, abandoned possessions and a whole lot of grime. This is where the cleaning fee comes in.

If you’ve charged a security deposit, a cleaning fee is often redundant. However, if a tenant has left behind a truly big mess, you may consider charging a cleaning fee on top of any admin fee or deposit. This should typically be about the same amount as a security deposit (around $30), but you can certainly charge more if you’re dealing with a real disaster.

Lock-Cutting Fee

If you had a nickel for every time a tenant locked his storage unit and lost the key, well, you’d probably be set to retire. Earn those nickels for real by charging a lock-cutting fee.

The amount you charge will depend on several factors including the value of the lock, whether you’ll be supplying a new one, the equipment used to cut it and the difficulty involved in removing it. The fee should be in the $10 to $30 range. You may even give the tenant a deal by offering to lump in the cost of a new lock with the fee.

How to Charge Fees

Avoid discrimination by being strict and consistent with your policies. It doesn’t matter how much you like or dislike a tenant. You can’t waive a late fee for a friend or charge a higher admin fee to a difficult customer. Define your rules and stick to them. That said, be kind when administering a fee. A tenant who routinely loses the keys to his lock isn’t trying to make your life harder. Be gracious when charging the lock cutting-fee, and he’ll be much happier to pay it.

Always emphasize why you’re charging each fee, and do your business a favor by mentioning any fees you don’t charge. Are you the only storage facility in town that doesn’t charge an admin fee? Is your security deposit the lowest in the area? Use that information to advertise your facility and retain tenants.

No matter what fees you charge, do it with the mindset of protecting your business and giving customers a better self-storage experience. You may be surprised by how quickly those little fees can add up, and how much good you can do by rolling them back into your operation.

Krista Diamond is a staff writer for StorageFront, which allows customers to custom search and compare thousands of self-storage facilities. She’s a graduate of the University of New Hampshire and lives in Las Vegas. When she isn't writing about storage, she’s climbing mountains in the desert. For more information, visit www.storagefront.com. 

ThomasTown Builders Inc., which operates 18 self-storage facilities in Northern California, received zoning approval last week to build a new location in an unincorporated area in Napa, Calif. The planning commission determined the development won’t “hurt the local views” during its Feb. 7 meeting, according to the source.

The 7-acre property along Devlin Road, near Sheehy Court, is in the airport-industrial area and adjacent to California State Route 29. The four buildings included in the plan would comprise 105,099 square feet of storage space and feature multiple heights, stone veneers and a tower. The property will also be landscaped.

“That way when you’re driving down Highway 29, it’s appealing to the eye. It’s not just a self-storage facility,” said Ryan Smith, president.

The commission approved another storage project for the region last fall. The facility on Pueblo Avenue will contain nine single-story buildings comprising more than 44,000 square feet in 369 units.

“In my opinion, [the ThomasTown project] raises the bar in terms of architectural quality and the sensitivity of the vision from Highway 29, which is the entrance to our city,” said commissioner Terry Scott.

The commissioners also agreed the area was the right place for a storage facility. “This is precisely what this area is meant to hold and the development we’re interested in seeing in this zone. Clearly this is something that is needed,” said commissioner Jeri Hansen.

Based in Auburn, Calif., ThomasTown Builders recently completed a project in Morgan Hill, Calif., according to the source.

Source:

Napa Valley Register, Unincorporated Napa to Get Self-Storage Facility and Cell Tower

Live auctions can be exciting, loud and fun, but they’re also a must for self-storage operators who need to manage abandoned units and delinquent accounts. Because lien sales are a necessity, governed by state statutes, you must take certain measures to ensure their success. Here’s a brief how-to on hosting live events.

Follow the Law

The most important step is to follow your state’s lien law. To stay current, consider joining your state or national self-storage association. These organizations provide members with updated information when lien-law changes occur.

Most states provide a step-by-step process outlining when you can deny unit access to tenants, charge late fees, send past-due letters, advertise the auction and sell the contents of the unit. Several have recently updated their statutes, allowing operators to send documents to tenants via “verified mail,” which is cheaper than Certified Mail. Check the most recent version of your state law to see if it has been updated.

Scheduling

Once all your legal ducks are in a row, it’s time to schedule your event. Week days are best for live auctions, with mid-morning to early afternoon being the optimal window. Of course, this assumes cooperative weather. It’s often beneficial to wait until you have multiple delinquent units before hosting a sale, as bidders are more likely to drive to your facility if there are several units on which to bid.

During the height of the reality TV show “Storage Wars,” drawing a buyer pool wasn’t a problem. Large crowds were common, which created headaches from parking (lack of), litter and overall disruption to daily business. Now that the craze has calmed, auctions are reverting to lower attendance numbers. In fact, it’s sometimes hard to attract the three unrelated bidders required to have a “commercially viable auction.”

Attracting Buyers

The auction industry has a saying: “It only takes two people to have an auction.” The problem is they have to be the right two. Both have to want to buy the same items. Since most units up for bid don’t contain attractive items to advertise, you have to attract buyers any way you can.

Every auctioneer knows the key to a successful sale is a large crowd of motivated buyers. The best way to draw one is to advertise. You need to think beyond the traditional newspaper classified ads and venture online:

• Allow bidders to sign up to receive auction information through your website.
• Post a calendar on your website showing the days and times for each upcoming event. In addition to drawing interest from buyers, this will help with your search engine optimization, something all storage operators need.
• Venture onto social media platforms. Include photos of unit contents, as images catch the most attention on these sites.
• Look for popular websites unique to your town or state. Many localities have online marketplaces and community boards that can help provide exposure.
• Some online-auction websites will even allow you to advertise live events to their bidders. In these instances, you can usually post on a dedicated calendar. Marketing on these sites can grow your bidder base immensely because it provides exposure to people from all over the country.

Another sound strategy is to collect the names and e-mail addresses of buyers who attend or ask about your auctions. Send them announcements and reminders about upcoming auctions and include pictures. During the height of “Storage Wars,” people would call our facilities every day asking when we were going to host our next auction. Those calls made up about half of all our incoming calls, and the list of names grew to more than 250 bidders in one market alone.

Keep in mind that advertising your auction is a mandatory requirement of many state lien laws, which may dictate where you must post ads as well as how many days prior to the sale. For public notices, include the date, time and location. You may also want to hint at what you’re selling in case people are on the hunt for specific items.

Hosting the Event

While attending auction school, I learned some valuable strategies on how to structure and manage the sale. On auction day, start with one of your better units to engage the crowd and get the money rolling. Spaces containing furniture, tools and contractor equipment typically draw high interest. Also, save a great unit for the end to conclude the event on a good note.

Someone must lead the auction, whether it’s you or an auctioneer. The three most important things to keep in mind when hiring a third party are cost, scheduling and attendance. Auctioneers may charge a flat fee, a percentage of each unit sold or both. Do the math to minimize the impact this cut will have on your collections. Schedule the auctioneer as early as possible to ensure he’s available when you need him. Many auctioneers have a fan base that follows them to all the events they host. If you don’t have a well-established bidder pool, hiring someone popular can be beneficial.

Most storage operators insist that winning bidders clean out their units within 24 hours, though arrangements are sometimes made to allow more time. A deposit is usually required from all winners, and then returned once the manager has verified the unit is completely clean. Deposit amounts may vary, but make sure potential buyers understand these terms up front.

To ensure people keep attending your auctions, supply water on hot days or provide coffee and donuts if your event is in the morning. Following these basic tips should attract more bidders and create more profitable sales.

Lonnie Bickford has developed and owned five Appletree Storage facilities in Greater Baton Rouge, La., and is a board member of the Louisiana Self Storage Association, where he’s worked closely with the national Self Storage Association to make changes to the state’s lien law. He’s also the founder of StorageAuctions.com, a provider of online self-storage auction services. For more information, phone 866.944.8530; e-mail [email protected]; visit www.storageauctions.com. 

The Ridgefield, Conn., Planning and Zoning Commission approved a mixed-use overlay zone for a three-story building at 35 Old Quarry Road that will house apartments and self-storage. Developer Steve Zemo intends to reserve the ground level for Ridgefield Storage Center, which will comprise 10,000 square feet of climate-controlled storage space. Sixteen two-bedroom apartments will fill the top two floors, with five designated as affordable housing, according to the source. The project is scheduled to be complete this summer.

The development is expected to include a rooftop solar-panel system that will provide energy to all common areas. Energy-saving appliances will be installed in all apartments, the source reported.

“We are excited about taking our previously approved building and modifying the second floor for five affordable units and three market-rate units,” Zemo told the commission. “The affordable housing component coupled with the energy-efficient design, with solar panels providing the bulk of the common-area energy usage, gives us a socially responsible building we are proud to be developing.”

Source
Ridgefield’s HamletHub, Socially Responsible Building at 35 Old Quarry Road to Offer Apartment Style Living and Self Storage Units

Update 2/9/18 – The Holly Springs City Council discussed the conditional-use permit requested by Gracie for its self-storage project on Monday, but didn’t vote on the application. As part of the development, Gracie would contribute $250,000 to the city toward phase two of a street-widening project on Holly Springs Parkway and donate up to 15 feet of road right-of-way, according to the source.

The city engineer has also requested the installation of a deceleration lane and a left turn lane to minimize traffic impact, Moon told the council. The timeline for the widening project won’t conflict with the storage development.

The council could make a final decision on the permit during its meeting on Feb. 22.

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 1/18/18 –  New York-based real estate developer Gracie Development LLC received initial permission last week to build a self-storage facility in Holly Springs, Ga. The planning and zoning commission unanimously approved a conditional-use permit for the property and the project will be considered by the city council tonight. If approved, the facility is expected to open between June and September, according to the source.

Bounded by Holly Springs Parkway and Rabbit Hill Road, the site will comprise two, two-story structures containing up to 90,000 square feet of climate-controlled storage space. It’ll also include covered vehicle parking, according to Nancy Moon, community development director.

The city staff recommended approving the project with some stipulations, such as the installation of environmentally friendly lighting. Gracie will also coordinate with the team on the landscaping, and will be required to pay for improvements during the Holly Springs Parkway widening project, Moon said.

Prior to the vote, several commission members voiced concerns about the site’s security and asked if perimeter fencing would be added in the future. Representatives for the developer noted a fence wouldn’t be needed because the units will be accessed from inside the buildings. Customers would have 24-hour access using a passcode, the source reported.

“With all indoor climate-control, all of this will be secured in the building itself,” a representative said. “You can’t get into the building without the proper codes and the proper keys, and things like that. So, actually, accessing the property, we don’t perceive needing any type of a fencing around the building itself.”

Sources:
Cherokee Tribune and Ledger-News, Council Discusses Holly Springs Parkway Self-Storage Business

Cherokee Tribune and Ledger-News, Commission Approves Plans for Self-Storage Business on Holly Springs Parkway

Update 2/8/18 – Public Storage announced the two winners of its “Organization Transformation” video contest. Mary Rose, a manager at a company facility in New Hope, Minn., won in the employee category, while a Chapmansboro, Tenn., woman named Lauren (last name not disclosed) won in the “fan” category.

Rose’s inspiration came after a recent encounter with a customer. Her entry, which garnered 2,678 views, shows her coaching a tenant on how packing supplies can help clean up a messy laundry room. “I love my job, and I love helping people get organized,” said Rose, who admits her own laundry room is a catchall for clutter. “I want to show how customers can get the most out of their space.”

The video from Lauren, a former thespian who also posts videos on YouTube, demonstrates how to inexpensively organize a makeup drawer with storage baskets. The entry received 1,309 views. “I hoard my makeup, like it’s a problem,” she said. “My New Year’s Resolution was to clean everything out. So, when I saw the contest, it was a good opportunity to sit down and do it.”

Lauren admits it takes her an hour and half to get ready, but “getting organized has made doing my makeup a lot faster.” Since making the video, she has also decluttered her kitchen and closets with the help of her husband.

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1/30/18 – Public Storage Inc., a self-storage real estate investment trust (REIT), has announced the six finalists of its “Organization Transformation” video contest in which cash prizes of $2,500 will be awarded in two categories. Entrants were asked to share their best organization tips or before-and-after projects. Available on the company’s YouTube channel, the videos include three created by employees and three from the general public. Winners will be selected by 9 a.m. EST on Feb. 1, based on number of views.

Public Storage launched the contest on Dec. 29 and accepted entries via its Facebook page through Jan. 22. Submissions were required to be less than two minutes long and contain original content, including music. The finalists include a guy reorganizing his “man cave,” a young woman’s decluttering, and an employee who helps a customer get organized.

Once the winners are announced, Public Storage plans to release additional entries on its video channel, according to a press release.

The REIT awarded four winners with cash prizes in two contests last year. Last fall, the “Sing to Win” music-video contest invited company employees, customers and fans to create original submissions focused self-storage, moving, and related products and tasks. In December, the “Holiday Stories” video contest called upon employees and the general public to create entries focused on the creator’s favorite holiday.

Based in Glendale, Calif., Public Storage has interests in 2,358 self-storage facilities in 38 states, with approximately 156 million net rentable square feet. Operating under the Shurgard brand name, the company also has 220 facilities in seven European countries, with approximately 12 million net rentable square feet.

Sources:

Business Wire, Public Storage Announces Finalists for its Organization Transformation Video Contest

Business Wire, Public Storage Launches Organization Video Contest

Public Storage, Public Storage Announces Organization Transformation Video Contest Winners

 

Closetbox Inc., a startup business specializing in valet self-storage services, has hired Sean Sutherland as director of engineering to help the company strengthen its focus on technology and efficiency. The appointment follows similar recent hires of “seasoned startup professionals,” according to a press release. Recent appointments include Travis Henry as head of marketing and Barb Stevens as chief operating officer.

Sutherland previously held engineering leadership roles with Harris Corp., Pearson and ReadyTalk. His career has included managing domestic teams as well as those in Asia and Europe. He most recently has focused on “developing local teams and fostering progressive engineering cultures to drive teams to higher levels of autonomy,” the release stated.

Closetbox recently raised $7.3 million in a recent Series-A funding round. The company has grown the number of its service markets from 24 at the end of 2015 to a footprint of 88 markets in 38 states and Washington, D.C. It added 10 new markets last month.

It differs from some other valet-storage operators by allowing customers to reserve a set amount of storage space in addition to storing items by the box. Customer belongings are stored in climate-controlled warehouses. The company has also sought to work with traditional self-storage operators. It has reportedly leveraged “excess capacity on 4,000 moving trucks and storage facilities nationwide.”

Headquartered in Greenwood Village, Colo., Closetbox uses an online platform that allows customers to schedule free item pickup, print barcodes to affix to boxes and oversized belongings, keep track of items using a private dashboard, and schedule delivery of items home. It has 206 locations.

Source

PRWeb, Self-storage Disruptor Closetbox Welcomes Sean Sutherland as Director of Engineering

Dan and Laura Dotson, best known as the featured auctioneers on the A&E reality television series “Storage Wars,” have launched Storageauctions.net, a database of online self-storage auctions. Facility operators can list their lien sales for free, while buyers can search for free and sign up for alerts. The website connects more than 300,000 subscribers with more than 58,000 U.S. storage facilities, according to a press release.

The site gives sellers access to dashboard tools, including an “Automatic Lien Generator,” which was built to “help decrease sellers’ risk, while moving toward a more streamlined selling process,” the release stated. It also offers a library of self-storage lien laws by state.

Buyers can view a complete list of available auctions, make an open search, or browse by city or state. Registered users can also sign up to be alerted by e-mail when an auction is posted by a storage facility that’s within 15 to 250 miles of their home city, state or ZIP code.

The couple set up the website as a “thank you” to the industry, the release stated. "I know how hard and difficult these live auctions are,” said Dan Dotson. “I know how much trouble the [facility] managers go through dealing with these unclaimed lockers and auctions; but when managers have to sell, they need an easy and legal way to do it."

Though he’s made a career from live auctioneering, Dotson believes onsite auctions have their drawbacks for storage operators, while online sales often draw more potential buyers. “Live auctions have their downfalls. People leave messes, leave cigarette butts, have caused fires,” he said. “Sometimes there's no parking, and crowds can often drive paying storage customers away."

The Dotsons expanded the website for their auction company, American Auctioneers, to include online auctions in 2015; but Storageauctions.net is a separate entity.

Dan Dotson founded American Auctioneers in 1983 as a Riverdale, Calif., auction house specializing in collectibles, dolls, furniture and pottery. He met Laura in 1996, and the couple later expanded the company to handle self-storage auctions, business liquidations, estate sales, foreclosures and other sales. Since 1996, the company has grown from handling 250 auctions per year to more than 2,500 appraisals and auctions, according to its website.

Sources:
PRWeb, “Storage Wars” Stars Dan and Laura Dotson Give Back to Storage Community with Free Resource for Sellers

Storageauctions.net, Website