Storage.com, an online directory and provider of search engine optimization (SEO) packages for self-storage facilities, has launched a college-scholarship contest open to students across the nation. The company will award three $2,500 scholarships to applicants who submit the best essay and possibly even supporting video.

The contest is open to anyone who will be attending an accredited college or university this fall, including high school seniors and currently enrolled college students. Those students’ parents are also welcome to apply.

“Giving back to our many, many self-storage renters that have a need for self-storage in college was a key reason for building the annual Storage.com scholarship program,” said Bill Hipsher, CEO. “Going to college can be stressful on so many fronts, [with] logistics and financial aid being two major stresses. The Storage.com scholarship can alleviate some of the stress on both of those fronts.”

Applicants must submit a 250- to 400-word essay to be considered for the scholarship. They may also submit a one- to two-minute video to supplement their written piece. "The video supplement to the scholarship application is strongly encouraged," Hipsher said. " Technology makes adding a video to the submission so easy today. The video portion allows our judging panel with an opportunity to get to know a bit more about the applicants via video and not just the written word."

Essays submitted by current high school and college students must answer the question: “Given that you already have the necessities for college, if you could only take what fits into a backpack with you to college, what would you bring?” Submissions from parents and guardians must answer the question: “In a perfect world, when your child moves out for college, what are you going to do with their bedroom?”

A committee of reviewers made up of self-storage professionals will determine the top 20 essays from each of the applicant categories and pick the three winners after a second round of judging. During the process, essays and videos will be available for public review on Storage.com, with opportunities for social sharing, promotion and voting. Social votes may be used as a tiebreaker, giving the public a chance to weigh in on who they believe is most deserving, company officials said in a press release.

The application period will close on July 31, with winners being notified on Aug. 15. Additional details and requirements are available on the company’s website.

Storage.com was designed to help storage businesses compete more effectively in the online marketplace and allow potential customers to search for self-storage in their area, according to company officials. The website integrates with a facility’s property-management software. For those operating without such software, it offers inventory-management tools. It also delivers exclusive reservations to operators and provides an SEO package.

A self-storage conversion project has been proposed to fill a vacant retail building in South Bend, Ind. The proposed 120,000-square-foot facility would fill the former Steve & Barry’s store at 605 N. Hickory Road. The site was also previously a Target location.

The St. Joseph County Area Plan Commission will consider zoning-change requirements related to the project on May 20.

The facility would feature indoor units. “It'll be laid out so that it will be climate-controlled areas for people to store items,” said Michael Danch, president of Danch Harner & Associates, a local surveying, engineering and planning firm that is working with the Florida-based applicant. “Depending on what they want to do, some people don't want to go to just the typical mini-warehouse facility; they've got to have a climate-controlled facility, where the temperature stays constant and doesn't have an effect on a lot of the material or anything that they want to store.”

The existing building was built in 1970 and sits on a 10.61-acre lot, according to a real estate listing on LoopNet. The property was ordered into auction by the title-holding bank, according to the website.

By Mark Johnson

In today’s world of escalating utility costs, self-storage owners are looking for ways to decrease their energy usage or pay less for the energy used. Solar energy has emerged as a very viable way to do both. There’s a high degree of interest in solar and, at the same time, a common lack of understanding of how it works and how to reap the benefits. This short article will provide some answers.

How Does Solar Work?

Most people are aware of what a solar panel, or module, looks like: a black or black and silver rectangle about 39 by 66 inches. These modules are grouped into what are called "strings," each consisting of eight to 12 panels. The strings are combined and terminate in an inverter. The electricity that enters the inverter as DC (direct current) power exits the inverter as AC (alternating current) power and feeds into the utility system, called the grid.

The purpose of the solar module is to turn sunlight into electricity. The function of the inverter is to convert that electricity to AC power, which is used by the grid and your storage facility. AC power is used by your lights, computer and elevators, for example.

Sunlight is converted to electricity via solar cells, small, square-shaped panel semi-conductors made from silicon and other conductive materials in thin film layers. Sunlight is composed of miniscule particles called photons. When it strikes the silicon atoms of the solar cell, the photons transfer their energy to loose electrons, releasing them from the atoms.

But freeing up electrons is only half the work of a solar cell. It then groups these electrons into an electric current. This involves the creation of an electrical imbalance within the cell, which acts a bit like a slope down which the electrons will flow. This imbalance is made possible by the internal organization of silicon.

Silicon atoms are arranged in a tightly bound structure. By squeezing small quantities of other elements into this structure, two different types of silicon are created: n-type, which has spare electrons, and p-type, which is missing electrons and has “holes” in their place.

When these materials are placed side by side inside a solar cell, the n-type’s spare electrons jump over to fill the gaps in the p-type. The n-type becomes positively charged and the p-type becomes negatively charged, creating an electric field across the cell. Because silicon is a semi-conductor, it can act like an insulator, maintaining this imbalance. As the photons dislodge the electrons off the silicon atoms, this field drives them along in an orderly manner, providing the electric current required.

Is Solar Viable For Your Facility?

There are a number of factors that play into the success of a solar installation: current electrical usage, available space for modules, shade issues, building orientation and roof structure. A professional analysis will determine the optimum system size for the best possible financial return. This financial study is driven by the amount of electricity being used as well as the specific utility-rate tariff for the facility. It is done concurrent with the site analysis, which determines if the target system is compatible with the site restraints.

Self-storage facilities are typically good candidates for solar. The economics are usually favorable, and the roof area is generally not cluttered with a lot of mechanical equipment, allowing for an efficient installation.

How Does a Solar-Panel System Reduce Expenses?

There’s a common misconception that a solar-panel system directly powers the facility where it’s installed. In the vast majority of cases, this is not true. The system typically works in conjunction with the current utility, supplementing the power used from the “grid.”

A solar-panel system reduces your utility costs through a program called net energy metering (NEM), a special billing arrangement that provides credit to customers with solar photovoltaic systems for the full retail value of the electricity their system generates. Under NEM, a meter keeps track of how much electricity is consumed by the storage facility and the amount of excess electricity sent back into the electric utility grid.

A net energy meter keeps track of all the power your solar-panel system produces. Any energy you don’t use simultaneous with production will go back into the grid through the meter. At night or on cloudy days when your system is not producing more than your building needs, you’ll consume electricity from the grid as normal. Your utility company will bill you for the "net" consumption for any given billing period and provide you with a dollar credit toward any excess during a given period. You can carry your bill credit forward up to a year.

In many cases, the type of billing for the customer is based on the time of day the electricity is used and when it’s generated through the solar-panel system. This is commonly called "time of use" (TOU). During the peak hours of the day, typically 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in summer months, the cost per kilowatt hour is highest. Concurrently, the credit given during this peak time is the highest for solar generation. This peak period changes during the winter months, and rates and times are slightly different for each utility company.

The solar industry has made huge strides over the last 10 years, bringing this technology to the mainstream with a very reliable alternate source of energy for homes and businesses. The utilities and state agencies have worked diligently with the solar industry to create a way for the consumer to reduce electricity costs and hedge against the inevitable escalating utility rates. The self-storage industry is well-positioned to benefit from this cutting-edge technology, reducing energy expenses and feeding much-needed energy into the power grid.

Mark Johnson has been in the real estate development and construction industry for more than 30 years. He’s the director of sales and marketing for Baker Electric Solar, which he was instrumental in founding. The company is a division of Baker Electric Inc., an electric-contracting company in business in Southern California since 1938. For more information, call 877.543.8765 ; visit www.bakerelectricsolar.com.

The Storage Group (TSG), an Internet-marketing company serving the self-storage industry, has hired Jon Wyles as an account executive. Wyles has several years of experience in the U.K. self-storage market, including founding the Smart Storage Ltd. chain of facilities in 2004 and overseeing its expansion to five locations by 2007. He recently relocated with his family to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and owns the consulting firm Simply Storage Expert.

While managing director of Smart Storage, Wyles was a board member for the Self Storage Association of the United Kingdom from 2011 to 2013, including serving as vice chairman for a year. Prior to Smart Storage, Wyles was founder and managing director of Harrington Wyles Ltd., a commercial real estate consulting firm specializing in self-storage property management.

“We are thrilled to have Jon join us at The Storage Group,” said Steve Lucas, director of sales. “To have someone with his knowledge of the industry and Internet marketing is a huge plus for us. As we continue to move forward and grow, it is nice to have talented and enthusiastic people like Jon Wyles working with us.”

Based in Maitland, Fla., TSG provides online tools and marketing solutions to the self-storage industry. The company's customized services include mobile websites, website development, content management, search engine optimization, online rentals, pay-per-click marketing and transparent reporting/analysis.

A proposed self-storage development in Plymouth, Pa., received zoning approval from city council members on Monday despite protests from community members. With a 4-to-1 vote, the Plymouth Township Council also agreed to a zoning text amendment to allow self-storage in the limited industrial zone on a 7.8-acre parcel off Chemical Road.

More than 13 residents attended the meeting, with several voicing their concerns about the project. They questioned how customers would access the facility and whether self-storage was the best use for the site. In addition, resident Christina Scanlan presented council members with a petition signed by 14 residents against the zoning change.

This isn’t the first time residents objected to development of the parcel, which is bordered by Chemical, Shasta and King roads. They opposed the development of an 82-bed, four-story hotel when it was presented to the city in 2011. The Plymouth Zoning Hearing Board and Plymouth Planning Agency rejected the proposal in 2011. The decision was appealed that year by Prime Hotels Inc. to the Montgomery County Common Pleas Court in a land-use lawsuit. A revised proposal that relocated the hotel further from the residential homes was offered in 2012, but it also was rejected by the zoning board.

Plymouth Township Planner Ken Amey explained during the council meeting that uses other than self-storage could be permitted under the limited industrial district, but because the parcel has split zoning, a developer would need variances to develop the entire parcel. The text amendment approved by the council requires any building over 30 feet high to be at least 200 feet from a residential zone. If less than 30 feet high, it would need to be 100 feet away.

 

 

Sure Lock Mini Storage in Peoria, Ariz., recently sold for $4.3 million, or about $56.50 per square foot. Built in 1985, the property at 8780 W. Bell Road encompasses 76,200 square feet of storage space and includes 645 units.

The buyer was a limited liability company owned by Business Property Trust of Portland, Ore. The seller was New River Development Co. LLP in Wichita, Kan. The facility was 70 percent occupied at the time of the sale.

Bill Alter and Denise Nunez of Rein & Grossoehme Commercial Real Estate represented the buyer and seller in the transaction, which was their 129th self-storage closing. Founded in 1993, Rein & Grossoehme specializes in the sale of investment properties and retail, office and industrial leasing.

Singapore self-storage operator Lock+Store is planning to double its property portfolio in the near future, despite recent industry consolidation and forecasts for more contraction, according to the source. The company plans to expand its national footprint from four to eight facilities and is set to open its first asset outside of Singapore at the Temasya Industrial Park in the Glenmarie area of Selangor, a state of Malaysia.

The Malaysian facility is scheduled to open by September and will be comprised of 200 self-storage units ranging in size from 9 to 200 square feet. It will feature climate-controlled units, mixed-use space and wine storage.

"We aim to target the surrounding businesses as well, especially small and medium enterprises which tend to store their inventory at self-storage facilities to manage their operating costs," said Helen Ng, CEO of Lock+Store.

Inside Self-Storage (ISS) and Find Local Storage, a consortium of more than 25 self-storage owners who recently launched an online facility directory and lead-generation platform at findlocalstorage.com, have released a new whitepaper, “The Storage Owner Solution for Collaborative Lead Generation.” The free resource examines the growth and dominance of third-party lead aggregators in the industry and provides a case study on the rising cost of these national directory websites. It also provides tips to help operators better manage their brands and online lead acquisition.

Self-storage lead-aggregation websites typically provide prospective storage customers with an online marketplace where they can compare facility units, amenities, services and rates in a desired location. While many of these sites are often run by non-storage companies, Find Local Storage was launched last fall by a group of self-storage owners as a way to generate leads and obtain rentals directly without paying royalties to third-party aggregators.

The whitepaper also provides information on the company and its goal to decrease the cost of acquiring online customers. It can be downloaded from the ISS Resource Center at www.insideselfstorage.com/whitepapers. Other whitepapers may be downloaded through the same page.

The Find Local Storage consortium represents more than 2,000 facilities and is managed by online-marketing agency Go Local Interactive LLC, which offers services including business listings, search engine marketing and optimization, pay-per-call, social media, mobile, website development, and brand/review monitoring.

For nearly 25 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 ISS Store, and Self-Storage Talk, the industry’s largest online community.

Self-storage real estate investment trust Extra Space Storage Inc. is seeking approval to renovate its facility at 7540 McCormick Blvd. in Skokie, Ill. The company plans to demolish an existing single-storage building encompassing 5,045 square feet of storage space and add a new, two-story facility and office in its place.

The Skokie Plan Commission unanimously approved a special-use permit for the property last week. It recommended changing the zoning definition of a self-storage warehouse to include limited retail sales. Board members also determined 13 spaces would be needed.

The new structure will add 329 units to the property and include 3,309 square feet of storage space, 1,080 of which will be designated for the office and retail center. An existing onsite apartment will be removed.

The proposal includes relocating the facility’s vehicle parking to a new designated area. Tenants with oversized vehicles will be able to park along a fence on the south side of the property or near the detention pond on the southwest corner.

The renovation plan will now be submitted to the city’s Appearance Commission, and then the Village Board for final approval.

Sparkplug Capital LLC, a Boulder, Colo., company that operates the Red Dot Storage brand, recently purchased Kendall Point Self Storage in Oswego, Ill., for $2.8 million from a limited liability company. The 61,700-square-foot facility at 1960 Wiesbrook Road is on nearly 4 acres. Built in 2001, the property includes 13 single-story buildings and 425 units. Amenities include an onsite manager's office with retail center, security lighting, video cameras, electronically controlled access gate, chain-link perimeter fencing and drive-up units.

The buyer and seller were represented in the transaction by Sean M. Delaney, vice president of investments for the Chicago/Oak Brook office of Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services and a director of the firm’s National Self Storage Group.

Earlier this month, Sparkplug acquired Centerville Self Storage, a 47,650-square-foot facility in Woodstock, Ill. The company also operates one facility in Machesney Park, another in Rockford, Ill., and two in Yorkville, Ill.

Marcus & Millichap has more than 1,300 investment professionals in offices nationwide and closed more than 6,600 transactions last year. The company was founded in 1971.