By Russell Fike

Access denied! Depending on who receives this message, it can either be a source of great frustration or relief. A delinquent tenant will grimace, but when it comes to vandals, thieves or another unauthorized presence, self-storage operators breathe a sigh of relief when access is denied.

One of those items frequently taken for granted until its not working, the keypad is on the front lines of security and the cutting edge of technology. The access-control keypad does a lot more than open gates. From how it is used to how its viewed as part of a facility, the keypad has multi-faceted talent.

What is the first item a tenant interacts with at your storage facility? Before he gets to his unit, before he waves to a site manager, he enters his code into the access-gate keypad. The keypad is what tenants see first every time they visit your site.

Aesthetic Importance

The key to good marketing is to make an impression on the customer, so why be generic? Facilities are no longer limited to the use of cold, metallic keypads. These days, housings of aluminum, stainless steel and polycarbonate among other materials provide a choice in keypad appearance. Housings have also evolved beyond rectangular boxes.

Keypads can even feature a storage facilitys custom logo. Match that with personalized greetings on well-lit displays, and the keypad can be a friendly face that represents a business. Adding a pinhole camera in the keypad even allows you to see tenants faces.  

Durability

Like an injury-prone athlete with all the potential in the world, what good is a keypad that cant take a licking and keep on ticking? Perhaps no keypad works optimally when run over by a negligent tenant, but keypads are designed to withstand significant punishment, and where the keypad falls short, a strong warranty should kick in. Whats your warranty like? Leading security companies feature warranties upward of five years, with a few who even offer seven years of protection.

Anyone who said, Lightning never strikes the same place twice, didnt work in self-storage. In states like Florida where more than 1,500 people were killed or injured by lightning last year, metallic keypads are a sitting duck. To prevent lightning damage, keypads should be cleanly grounded per the manufacturer's specifications. Some use replaceable "super fuses" that can intercept a surge and safely redirect it to the ground. The super fuse acts as a money-saving martyrit takes the bullet when it comes to lightning.

The keypad should be not only strong of body, but sharp in mind. When a keypad is intelligent, it makes decisions internally. If the wiring to the office was cut, or the office was swallowed by the Earth (dont ask me how), some keypads can still make the decision whether to allow someone access to the property. Now thats independence!

Communication With Humans and Software

What good is a tough, good-looking keypad if it lacks communication skills? A great keypad nurtures communication with two-way speakers or pinhole cameras, thus bridging the gap between the self-storage site and tenant. However, keypad communication goes beyond human language. In fact, your management software and access-security systems talk to each other. While many gate systems will integrate with software, some companies offer management software and access-security systems designed to work in partnership.

When cell phones became a nearly obligatory possession, people found joy in identifying incoming callers. Great management software can do the same thing with your access control. When your software and security are intertwined by a common company, the keypad sends a real-time feed of incoming and outgoing tenants directly to your software program.

Youll never have to miss that tenant you were meaning to talk to, because your security system and software will tell you hes there. Or, avoid that grumpy tenant, as your pay-at-the-gate feature prevents an unpleasant exchange. Regardless of your management style or how interactive you care to be with your tenants, the keypad is customizable enough to cater to any approach.

Security

At its core, access control is about eliminating unauthorized presence. True, keys and locks are still a common form of access control, but a keypads customization gives it versatility. Self-storage access control is a matter of who, where and when. Who do you want on your grounds, when will they be allowed there, and where do you want them to go?

To begin, who, when and where can be customized. Assigned key codes can be programmed to allow tenants in at certain times, and proximity key fobs can be programmed in a similar way. For example, customizable time zones can limit a tenants access to office hours while employees are allowed 24 hours. You can have as many time zones as you want, so you may give a business 24-hour access, where another tenant only has access from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Perhaps another customer gets extended hours for a fee.

Keypads can also be used to design zone-specific access. If a tenant has a unit in building A, why should he have access to any other building? Anyone caught peeking over the shoulder of a tenant to steal an access code will be unable to run rampant when he finds the code doesnt work on most of the buildings. What if the codes for the gate and the buildings are different? Some hooligan could hop a fence to no avail, finding every building inaccessible.

Reaching even greater levels of security, a facility can place keypads on elevators or stairwells. Secure access at the front gate, the building entrance, and then the elevator might just persuade that paranoid tenant to believe theres enough security for the family heirlooms on floor three. Certain codes can allow access to only specific floors. Just because a tenant can get an elevator door to open doesnt mean he can travel to any floor he pleases.

Finally, consider security for the wine cellar, or that muscle car the wife said to get rid of when the kids were born. Storage units that house specialty or high-price items can offer exclusive security with a customizable keypad specifically assigned to a single unit or group of units.

From being aesthetically pleasing to dictating the movements of tenants and eradicating unwanted intruders, keypads are truly versatile. A staple in the technology of security, it continues to act faithfully in old roles while showing that it is useful in new ones. Who says you cant teach an old keypad new tricks?

Russell Fike is an account representative for QuikStor Security and Software, a company specializing in security and software in the self-storage industry since 1987. For more information, call 800.321.1987; visit www.quikstor.com.

Police are searching for burglars who stole guns and electronic equipment on April 12 from seven units at a Central Point, Ore., self-storage facility.

Table Rock Mini Storage on Table Rock Road fell victim as thieves broke through the perimeter fence and then used tools to cut the locks off several units. Other locks showed evidence the thieves were unsuccessful in trying to cut them.

The stolen guns are comprised of a Mauser rifle, a Remington Arms rifle, a Marlin rifle, a Remington shotgun, a Savage Arms rifle and a Bison revolver. The swiped electronic equipment includes a 50-inch Vizio television and a Hobart welder.

Table Rock Mini Storage advertises on its website an electronic security gate and computerized alarms on each unit. Crime Stoppers will pay a reward, sponsored by Stanley Security Solutions, up to $1,000 for information that leads to an arrest.

Central Point has a population of about 17,000 and is just north of Medford, Ore., in the southern part of the state.

On May 11, 1 p.m. ET, self-storage industry expert Tom Litton will present a free webinar on Effective Collections and Auctioning Techniques for facility managers and owners. The online seminar will provide strategies to help self-storage operators increase their recovery on past-due tenants, focusing on:

• 20 proven collection strategies that motivate the customer to pay or move out
• Innovative ways of contacting customers without spending hours making collection calls
• Five simple changes to dramatically improve auction recovery
• Marketing and advertising auctions via the Internet
• Auction strategies: Three-item rule, advance preview and bidding, absentee bidding, lot selling and more

Participation in the webinar requires a free online registration process, which can be completed at Ministoragemessenger.com/webinar.

Litton, president of Litton Property Management Inc., began his self-storage career during the industrys infancy and has managed more than 150 self-storage facilities in 11 states. In addition to currently managing or owning 21 commercial properties in California and Indiana, he fee manages and consults throughout Australia, Canada, England, France, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. Litton has conducted more than 150 seminars worldwide on self-storage operation, management, development and ownership. He is the author of Auditing Self-Storage: Preventing Employee Theft & Embezzlement and The Key to Success: How to Manage Self-Storage.

Litton will present live at the Inside Self-Storage World Expo in Tacoma, Wash., Oct. 4-6. The show will take place at the Hotel Murano and Greater Tacoma Convention & Trade Center. It will comprise four comprehensive tracks of educational seminars, multiple networking opportunities, product and service exhibits, and add-on intensive workshops. Show information can be found at www.insideselfstorageworldexpo.com.

SpareFoot, an online self-storage marketplace, has incorporated another self-storage Web property into its network. SelfStorageDeals.com, an aggregator of self-storage listings, is now using the SpareFoot Network, a database listing thousands of storage facilities nationwide. Its functionality helps consumers find, compare and reserve storage units online. SpareFoot is also managing conversion and search-engine optimization efforts for SelfStorageDeals.com.

SpareFoot began powering the site in November 2010, and it has since garnered significant increases in traffic and conversion, according to a company news release. The site was suffering a drop-off in traffic prior to the deal with SpareFoot. It now enjoys nearly 10,000 additional monthly visits over previous numbers. Matthew Watson, founder of SelfStorageDeals.com, said the partnership has exceeded expectations so far.

"We partnered with SpareFoot because their platform is the best in the industry at converting traffic. They provide a user-friendly experience for customers, while generating more tenants for our facility clients," Watson said. Our business is growing month over month, and they've been amazing partners to work with."

Storage operators are not required to pay a monthly fee to be listed on SpareFoots directory. Operators pay when a new tenant moves in after reserving a storage unit through a site in the network.

Led by CEO Chuck Gordon, SpareFoot is committed to making consumers search for storage as simple as possible, while developing a diverse suite of products that offer the most straightforward, effective online marketing solutions to self-storage operators.

SelfStorageDeals.com is a great addition to our growing list of partner sites. As their traffic continues to grow, facilities listed in the SpareFoot Network enjoy more exposure across the Web, Gordon said. Were excited about this chance to provide our thousands of facility clients with even more opportunities to generate new tenants online.

The U-Haul Co. of St. Louis and the U-Haul Co. of Memphis are offering 30 days of free storage and U-Box Portable Storage to all residents who have been affected by recent tornadoes and storms in the South.

With U-Box Portable Storage, customers pick up or U-Haul delivers the U-Boxes, customers fill them and then U-Haul stores them in their secure warehouse or delivers them to a location of the customers choice.

In addition to the 30-days-free self-storage assistance, people who need boxes can take advantage of the U-Haul Take a Box, Leave a Box Program. The program enables customers to return their reusable boxes and allows others to take them as needed for free. U-Haul encourages anyone who has any type of reusable box to drop it off at the nearest U-Haul location and allow another family to reuse the box, instead of throwing the reusable box into the recycling bin.

Families needing more information about the 30-days-free self-storage assistance program should contact the following offices:   

·        U-Haul Co. of St. Louis, 800.562.9035

·        U-Haul Co. of Memphis, 800.782.5446  

These tornadoes and storms have caused a tremendous amount of damage to the many communities we serve, said Steven Langford, president, U-Haul Co. of St. Louis. I hope this effort will help provide assistance to families that need support. We will continue to help our friends and neighbors in this time of need.

SMD Software Inc., producer of SiteLink facility-management software for self-storage and portable-storage operations, has expanded its existing partnership with the Storage Business Owners Alliance by allowing its software to integrate with SBOAs tenant-insurance program and credit-card processing partner. The integration is available at no additional cost to SiteLink users.

SiteLink now integrates directly with Sage Payment Solutions gateway to process credit cards at self-storage locations and through facility websites. In addition, SiteLinks built-in insurance module allows self-storage owners to set up custom plans for SBOA tenant insurance, keeping 50 percent more of the administration fees and automatically transmitting insurance-sales data to the SBOA.

Established in 1996, SMD has more than 9,000 software installations worldwide.

The SBOA enables small to mid-sized self-storage operations to enjoy the benefits of bulk buying power. The group has grown to include more than 1,000 member facilities and 30 vendor partners. Members pay an annual membership fee to save on items such as packing and moving supplies, marketing services, payroll services, UPS shipping and more.

This month, Access Self Storage, a self-storage operator in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, donated 30 bags containing hundreds of clothing items to Soul's Harbor, a local homeless shelter. The donation resulted from two sources: a clothing drive held around Christmas, and unsold clothing items from a garage-sale fundraiser for the Chapel Choir of the First Baptist Church of Dallas.

Soul's Harbor's occupants support themselves and their temporary home while undergoing treatment programs for alcohol and substance abuse. At the end of a six-week combination of programs, occupants stay for an additional four weeks rent-free to begin saving for a permanent home. The shelter has been open for more than 50 years.

We love what theyre doing, said facility owner Doug Hunt. Its not just shelter; its a place that gives people their life back. Were going to keep doing what we can to help.

Access Self Storage and Truck Rental has six locations. The operation's website features a "Community" tab, which highlights contests, events and outreach.

American Buildings Co. (ABC), a Eufaula, Ala.-based manufacturer and supplier of pre-engineered metal building systems, received trademark registration for panels coated in SmartKote paint. Roof and wall panels coated with SmartKote reflect solar rays more effectively and reduce the amount of heat absorbed into the respective building, according to the company.

We strive to provide the best to our clients, and SmartKote is the best in cool coatings, saving businesses thousands of dollars in annual cooling costs, said Wes Brooker, marketing and development manager.

SmartKote is the paint coating applied to metal panels that are used to create the roof and walls of metal-building systems. To be considered cool, SmartKote panels must have a solar reflectance of at least 25 percent. Cool-metal roofs coated with the PVDF (Polyvinylidene Flouride) can reduce energy consumption by up to 40 percent as part of a total system design. Its PVDF resin makes it transparent to ultraviolet light and reflects the heat to keep it cool. SmartKote panels are also 100 percent recyclable, have increased fire-resistance, and maintain color over years of exposure to the sun and elements.

These panels actually strengthen a buildings durability by enabling it to withstand UV rays that usually drive up cooling costs, making it energy efficient, as well as, cost efficient, said Brooker.

By John Carlisle

According to 2010 U.S. Census data, the Raleigh-Cary, N.C., metropolitan area ranked first among the 50 largest in the country for growth over the past 10 years. The city of Raleigh proper swelled to a population of more than 400,000. Similarly, CNN Money reported Raleigh-area homebuilding remained strong, with a 16 percent growth in new permits in 2010an anomaly to the nationwide downturn in construction and real estate. Add all these factors to the large nearby Falls Lake and Jordan Lake, and metro Raleigh seems like a great place for a new self-storage venture, especially one offering boat and RV storage.

Enter Storage Central. Now open on the eastern fringe of Raleigh, the facility is next to a major highway (U.S. 264) and just east of Interstate 440, locally known as the beltline. Its in the middle of the regions suburban development, providing a solid base for potential self-storage customers.

The 58,000-square-foot facility features 112 climate-controlled units, 37 traditional units, and 22 fully enclosed and 12 partially enclosed boat- and RV-storage spaces. After a planned second phase of expansion, the facility will grow to more than 150,000 square feet. But this construction success isnt without a back story of overcoming adversity and wading through challenges, particularly with city approvals.

Conquering Challenges

Site planning began in early 2008 by Sam Sabri, CEO of BETCO Inc., a manufacturer of metal self-storage buildings and components, and Steve Gray, president of Colfax, N.C.-based Gray Building and Construction, a real estate developer and builder. Though the area they were building was already zoned to allow self-storage, Gray had enough experience to know that few building plans are executed without hiccups.

The first hurdle was somewhat expected and came early in the process, as the city denied a permit to build a sewer-dump station. With RV storage integral to the business plan, a sewer-dump station was crucial if the facility wanted to cater to RV customers. After meeting with our engineers and the city of Raleigh's utility director, we were able to work out a plan to satisfy the city and still meet our own criteria, Gray explains.

The next challenge was a complete curveball. As Gray and his team were tracking approvals, they came within one signature of sewing up all their plans. Then came the news. The city unexpectedly decided to re-classify one of our buildings as an indoor-parking garage, Gray says.

The parking-garage designation was saddled to the fully enclosed boat- and RV-storage spaces. The designation triggered two necessary but costly and structurally challenging changes to the design. First, the building would need a sprinkler systemincluding the associated infrastructurefor fire safety. Second, an exhaust-ventilation system would have to circulate air in and out of each unit in the building.

The exhaust system standards we were required to install are not generic by nature, Gray explains. Therefore, we had to custom-design the system to specifically meet our needs.

Another challenge was the 22,000-square-foot retention pond, designed with an underground drainage system, covered by Bermuda sod and made from a specially blended mix of soil that filters and cleans water. Funding the pond and keeping it in line with regulations proved expensive.

The [cost of] the pond itself is all in addition to the nutrient buy down fees imposed by the government, Gray says. We probably have more than $150,000 in the pond if you include everythingdesign, fees, construction, landscaping and certification.

For investors and builders about to undergo a construction project, Gray has several suggestions to make the process as smooth as possible. Listen to your advisers who are familiar with the boards and commissions youre going to face. Whatever you think it will cost, you're wrong, it will cost more and take longer, he says. Construction and development will never be any easier than it was yesterday.

Construction Timeline

• May 2008:  Investors start investigating the site; preliminary site design and layout begins.
• October 2008: Purchase agreement signed.
• November 2008: Site layout and design is honed and finalized.
• April 2009: Construction plans sent to the city for approval.
• August 2009: City unexpectedly classifies building as parking garage, withdraws approvals.
• October 2009: Builders and owner receive approval from the city.
• January 2010: Builders begin clearing the site.
• March 2010: Grading and underground infrastructure work begins.
• May to October 2010: Foundation is poured and steel framing erected. Mechanical and masonry work completed. Asphalt paving, gates, fencing and landscaping are installed.
• December 2010: Final certificates of occupancy and approvals are received.