Don Temple, a self-storage industry pioneer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who is credited with opening the first self-storage facility in Los Angeles County in 1968, died on March 15 of heart failure. Temple had been hospitalized since Jan. 30 after suffering a heart attack. He was 85.

Temple is also credited with building the nations first ground-up, multi-story storage facility and was the co-founder and first chairman of Bancap Self Storage Group Inc., a self-storage brokerage with more than $900 million in completed sales transactions. He owned or partnered in nine facilities in his self-storage career, including three at the time of his death under the name Don Temple U-Store & Lock. Two of the locations are in Long Beach, Calif., with the third in Lakewood, Calif. Combined, the facilities offer 1,400 indoor and outdoor storage units.

Temple was inducted into the national Self Storage Associations (SSA) Hall of Fame in 2009.

Born on Aug. 19, 1927, in Morris, Kan., Temple launched his entrepreneurial career at the age of 14, owning a business with his father in which he delivered blocks of ice and sold re-varnished oak iceboxes. He served in the U.S. Merchant Marines for three years and spent two years in the Navy during the Korean War.

Outside of self-storage circles, Temple was well-known in Long Beach for his philanthropy and business dealings, including ownership of The Grand Event Center and a shopping center. His first local business was a service station, garage and towing business.

He is a self-made man," his wife, Marlene Temple, told the Long Beach Press-Telegram. "He came from a very meager start, and he amassed his empire by being an ethical and hardworking man."

Temple served on the board of directors for Community Hospital Long Beach, where in 1996 he helped establish its Don and Ruth Temple Family Cancer Treatment Center in memory of his first wife. Together with Marlene, the Temples also donated time and money to many local charities and community projects. The couple received numerous honors for their community contributions.

In addition to his business interests, Temple was an avid pilot, owning 32 planes during his lifetime. He participated in the 1992 Around-the-World Air Rally, flying his own twin-engine Cessna while raising money for Community Hospital.

Temple is survived by his wife, two daughters, a granddaughter and a great granddaughter. A memorial service celebrating his life will be held on April 6 at 2 p.m. at The Grand Event Center. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to the SSA Foundation Scholarship program or the Don and Ruth Temple Family Cancer Treatment Center.

A planned self-storage facility by California operator A-1 Self Storage will be built on a historical site in San Capistrano, Calif. The property was once owned by John Don Juan Forster, who was one of the states largest landowners during the mid-1800s. A-1 is waiting for final city approval on a historical plaque before beginning construction.

"It has been verified on our title report that the Forster family and his heirs had cattle-grazing rights granted to them on this specific parcel of real estate that we're developing," said Robert Ball, project manager for San Diego-based Caster Properties, which owns A-1 Self Storage.

The planned 75,000-square-foot self-storage facility at 33000 Valle Road was approved by the planning commission in January 2009, but officials required that it adhere to the citys Historic Depiction Program. The citys Cultural Heritage Commission considered a proposed plaque during a meeting last week and is scheduled to vote on a final design with revisions on April 23.

A-1 Self Storage has 17 locations in the San Diego County area and more than 40 locations statewide. It is the self-storage division of the Caster Cos., a third-generation, family-owned company headquartered in Southern California since 1959. Caster Cos. develops and manages A-1 Self Storage, A-1 Car Storage and other commercial properties in California. Its portfolio includes more than 4 million square feet of real estate.

Greater numbers of self-storage operators are contributing to charitable events and organizations as a means of giving back to their communities, connecting with customers and establishing a philanthropic corporate mission. While many seek out local opportunities, others are getting on board with national programs that allow them to donate funds through pre-organized events and contribution structures.

One option is the "One for the Troops" fundraising program established by Wounded Warrior Outdoors, a non-profit organization that provides combat-wounded service members with therapeutic outdoor adventures across North America. A new online image gallery published by Inside Self-Storage provides details about WWO, the program it has established in conjunction with self-storage industry leaders, and how facility operators can get involved.

The image gallery, "Wounded Warrior Outdoors Invites Self-Storage Operators to Participate in 'One for the Troops,'" can be viewed at www.insideselfstorage.com/galleries/2013/03/wounded-warrior-outdoors.aspx.

For more than 20 years, ISS has provided informational resources for the self-storage industry. Its educational offerings include ISS magazine, the annual Inside Self-Storage World Expo in Las Vegas, an extensive website, the Self-Storage Training Institute, the ISS Store, and Self-Storage Talk, the industrys largest online community.

The California Self Storage Association (CSSA) is now offering a fully customizable employment-manual template to help self-storage operators avoid employment lawsuits. Written specifically for the CSSA by labor and employment specialist Lisa Barnett Sween of Lewis Brisboe Bisgaard & Smith LLP, the manual was designed to help the association's owner members communicate information about working conditions, employee benefits and company policies to new and current employees in a manner that is conducive to personal and professional growth. The guide will be updated annually, with updates provided free of charge to members in good standing.

This manual is available to current CSSA owner members for $299. Similarly drafted items can cost upward of $1500 to $10,000, according to a CSSA announcement. "Our hope is that by offering our members a model for creating current and reliable forms, we will be able to provide California operators a degree of protection from unnecessary legal disputes," the announcement read.

In addition, the CSSA will be hosing two-hour classes with Barnett Sween, giving members the opportunity to ask questions and learn how to further protect themselves. Only one class will be available in Northern and Southern California, and seating is limited. Attendance will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, and advanced registration will be required. Event dates and locations will be announced soon through the CSSA online events calendar.

CSSA owner membership must be current to purchase the employment manual. The product will not be available to associate or vendor-level members. A user agreement must be executed upon purchase of the manual, and the CSSA cannot be held liable for issues resulting from the customization of the manuals.

The manual can be purchased by visiting www.californiaselfstorage.org and choosing "Employment Manual" from the Benefits drop-down menu on the top navigation bar.

The CSSA will be exhibiting this week in booth No. 224 at the Inside Self-Storage World Expo in Las Vegas. Attendees can learn more about the association and take advantage of discounted event registrations.