Dallas-based XPS Solutions, a provider of customer-management technology and Web solutions for the self-storage industry, has expanded its executive management team with the addition of Laura Mauldin as vice president of operations and new-business development. Mauldin will be responsible for the company’s call-center operation as well as the new vertical and special-project inside-sales teams. She will report directly to company president and CEO John Traver. 
 
Mauldin has more than 20 years of operational and sales-executive management experience. She most recently worked as a general manager for Revo America, where she recruited, developed, and managed sales and technical support for the warehouse, procurement, IT, e-commerce, marketing, product-management and finance departments. Prior to that, she was director of contact-center operations for Honeywell Inc.
 
Michael Roberts, vice president of business development, will continue to head up the XPS self-storage strategic-business unit. Hesham Tabbach, vice president of information technology, will continue to head up the IT team.
 
The XPS suite of products captures and tracks new leads and lead sources, and receives payment transactions through the use of its call center, Web platform and IVR (interactive voice response) tools. The company provides reservation technology to nearly 1,000 self-storage facilities in the United States and Canada.

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Extra Space Storage Inc., a self-storage real estate investment trust, released the company’s second-quarter dividend for 2010. The quarterly dividend of $0.10 per share on the common stock of the company is payable on June 30, 2010 to stockholders of record at the close of business on June 15, 2010.

Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Extra Space Storage Inc. owns or operates 786 self-storage properties in 33 states and Washington, D.C.

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New statistics from the FBI show the Crime-Free Program in Wichita Falls, Texas, is making a difference.

The Wichita Falls Police Department first began offering a three-hour free class for apartment communities, then expanded the program to self-storage facility owners and managers, and hotel/motel owners. The program shows ways to be more aware of and reduce illegal or unsafe activity on their property.

The data for Wichita Falls shows violent crimes are down, and property crimes are down by an even greater degree—by 1,362 cases. The city’s figures seem to correspond with the national statistics, which shows declines in violent crimes and property crimes from 2008 to 2009.

As part of the program, police will periodically drive through a self-storage property, and dogs will be brought in to sniff the site for drugs. The program outlines qualifications for participating facilities, such as keeping certain gate hours, using a special type of lock, and having a lock-check program in place. 

According to WFPD, self-storage businesses provide a unique target for criminals because many items of value are stored there. Additionally, criminal conduct can go unnoticed due to low traffic in the area. The class provides solutions to many of these problems. The International Crime Free Association has found self-storage businesses can reduce their calls for service by as much as 60 percent, WFPD said.

The police department plans to extend the Crime Free philosophy into other sectors as well.

Source:  Times Record News,  Violent Crimes Down in the City

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Self-Storage Talk: Scariest Thing That's Ever Happened at Your Facility

Police in Augusta, Maine, are investigating the burglary of at least 13 units at a self-storage facility between May 18-21.

The police are working with other law enforcement agencies in the state who are also investigating burglaries at local self-storage facilities within the same time frame to determine if there’s a connection, said Augusta police Sgt. Matthew Clark.

All of the burglarized units were locked. Police declined to say what’s been stolen, or the value of the items. They also declined to say whether surveillance video was collected, but said they do have some leads.

Source:  Kennebec Journal,  Police Probe 13 Self-Storage Break-Ins

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When discussing the prospect of using solar energy at a self-storage site, most facility operators understand that it saves money. Where it gets complicated lies in understanding how it saves money.

This article explains the benefits of installing a solar-energy system in self-storage, helping owners determine if the choice is right for their operation. The benefits relate not only the technology itself, but to the way a facility operator pays for electricity, a facility’s connection with the utility, and the local and national incentives designed to encourage the adoption of solar energy. 

The Basics

To understand what’s involved in a solar installation, you must first know how the system works. It’s made up of three basic components: the solar panels (modules), one or more inverters (depending on system design), and the racking system used to mount the panels.

The panels collect sunlight and create direct current (DC). The DC is transported to the inverter, where it’s converted to alternating current (AC). The electricity grid and everything attached to it operates on AC, which is transported to the facility’s main service panel and distributed to provide power wherever needed. 

Power Charges

To better understand how solar energy benefits a commercial customer like a self-storage facility, you need to know how the utility companies charge for power. In most cases, the utility issues a demand charge and a kilowatt-hour (kWh) charge. The charge for the amount of power a customer needs at any point in time is called a demand charge. The utility will also charge for how much of that power the customer uses over time—a kWh charge.

Using solar panels will not reduce the amount of power a self-storage facility needs at any point, but it will reduce the number of kW hours purchased from the utility company. In the case of self-storage, the kWh charges can be a significant portion of facility’s bill, sometimes as much as 75 percent. This high proportion of kWh charges allows solar energy to have a significant positive impact on the bottom line. 

Net Energy Metering

Net energy metering (NEM) is absolutely vital for solar to be an effective energy solution. NEM is a system that allows a utility customer to use the utility grid like a battery to “bank” kW hours when they’re not being used. Essentially, it allows the customer’s meter to run backward and build credit with the utility company. When the customer starts drawing again from the utility, it will first use its credit prior to incurring new charges.

NEM is widely used and, in some cases, mandated by state government. In fact, there are only three states that do not have some form of NEM available.

Being able to build credit with the utility allows a self-storage facility to mitigate its electric bill through solar power, even though the sun isn’t out all the time. When installing a solar array, a contractor will account for the ability to use NEM and design a system that produces more power than the facility needs at any one time to take advantage of banking kW hours.

The goal of the contractor’s design is to produce enough kW hours during the day so the facility can rely on banked hours when the sun is down. Since banked hours can carry forward from month to month, this cycle can be used to offset lower winter production with high summer production.

Incentives

There are several incentives on the state and federal level that make the installation of a solar array an appealing option. Currently, the most effective incentive is a 30 percent tax credit or grant available to all U.S. commercial customers. Through this program, companies installing a solar-energy system can receive a tax credit or grant payment for 30 percent of the cost of the system.

In addition, commercial customers have the ability to use accelerated depreciation to write off the cost of the installation. The IRS has categorized solar equipment as having a five-year useable life, when in fact it is 25 years. This allows businesses to use a five-year accelerated depreciation on the installation.

State incentives can vary greatly depending on your location and utility service territory. Your solar contractor should be able to explain the incentives for your state and how they apply to your proposed system. A great resource for information about various state programs is dsireusa.org.

How solar works as a viable energy solution isn’t just tied to the technology. There are several other factors that have a direct affect on how well it will work for your facility. The more incentives available in your area, the quicker the system will pay for itself. By being aware of what’s needed beyond the technology, you can be prepared to work with a qualified installer to find a renewable energy solution that works with your company’s goals.

Bob Burson is the director of business development for DL Energy, an energy-efficiency and solar-integration company that provides custom-energy solutions for the commercial industry. For more information, call 661.310.7245; visit www.dlenergy.net.

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A tenant at an Ocala, Fla., self-storage facility who complained about mice damaging his property was storing marijuana in the unit.

Salomon Penaloza-Benitez logged a complaint with the manager at Southern Self Storage. But when she told him she would take care of the problem, the tenant told her not to worry about it.

Ocala Police Department found 18 pounds of marijuana in clear vacuum-sealed bags inside backpacks in the unit. Penaloza-Benitez was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana more than 20 grams with the intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia.

While walking the property, a manager at the facility noticed a green leafy substance inside a unit. She called police who found a substantial amount of a green leafy substance in front of a unit. A search warrant was issued, and the substance was tested and was confirmed to be marijuana.

Penaloza-Benitez had rented the storage unit since March.

Source:  Ocala.com,   Man Complaining About Mice Later Charged with Drug Possession

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The U-Haul Company of Southern Washington expanded the U-Haul network of self-storage locations with the grand opening of the North Auburn U-Haul Center. The facility has 612 storage units with more than 36,950 square feet of storage.

U-Haul will celebrate the opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday. The mayor and other local dignitaries will attend. A barbecue lunch and tour of the North Auburn Center will be held after the ceremony.

“We are pleased to be expanding our presence in Auburn, and look forward to continuing our long-standing relationships with local communities throughout Southern Washington," said Kim Merow, president, U-Haul Company of Southern Washington.

The building, purchased by U-Haul in 2008, was retrofitted and redesigned with the company’s sustainable focus in mind. Lighting was changed to sustainable lighting and a self-storage reuse center was built to provide customers with a location to donate unwanted, gently used household goods, furniture, sporting equipment and clothing for other customers to take for free. 

The facility will sell a variety of environmentally friendly packing supplies including boxes made out of recyclable materials, 100 percent biodegradable packing peanuts and moving pads made from recycled denim.

Also on site will be a Take a Box/Leave a Box display, which allows customers or anyone in the community to leave moving boxes or unwanted electronics boxes for another customer to reuse for free, instead of throwing them away or recycling them. This facility also has available a propane tank that will provide alternative fuel for vehicles and propane for barbecue grills.

Since 1989, AMERCO Real Estate Co., an affiliate of U-Haul International Inc., has been responsible for providing real estate services to AMERCO subsidiaries that include more than 1,350 U-Haul moving and storage centers throughout the United States and Canada.

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San Diego Self Storage is participating in Operation Caregiver, a nationwide program that provides relief to troops stationed in remote locations with primitive conditions, by serving as a location for Caregiver Kit assembly and donating free use a storage unit at its Sorrento Mesa, Calif., facility to store the kits until they are dispatched.
 
Some military personnel reside in foxholes, tents, vehicles or unoccupied structures with no air conditioning or heat and often without access to basic hygiene or comfort items. Operation Caregiver delivers kits that include letters of encouragement as well as toiletry and snack items such as powdered drink mixes, hard candy, Gold Bond dusting powder, shaving gel, razors, toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss, sunblock and lip balm. The kits are mailed to command-level authorities who distribute the supplies to those who need them most.

Operation Caregiver is operated under the Victory Fund of the Nice Guys non-profit organization.Founded in 1972, San Diego Self Storage is one of the largest self-storage providers in San Diego County, with a network of 15 local facilities and additional sites in Los Angles and Orange Counties.

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Jack McClanahan, owner of Storage 105 in Conroe, Texas, is helping dozens of veterans visit the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.

McClanahan became involved in the Montgomery County, Texas, chapter of the Honor Flight Network, a national nonprofit organization, after meeting the organization’s founder, Brenda Beaven, at a rotary gathering in 2008.

McClanahan began hosting once-a-week gatherings at his facility for WWII veterans, then became more involved with the local branch of the nonprofit, Lone Star Honor Flight, serving as a co-director and guardian on the trips. The organization covers all expenses including air fare for veterans to travel to Washington D.C., to see the World War II memorial.

The veterans also visit the memorials and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, witness the changing of the guards at Arlington National Cemetery, have lunch and then fly home. Beaven launched the program in 2008.

There are about 2,500 World War II veterans living in Montgomery County, according to Beaven.
 
Source: The Courier,  Mission Accomplished 

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Carolina Self Storage sold a 425-unit, 29,200-square-foot self-storage facility in Bellingham, Wash., for $2.2 million. The Seattle office of Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services listed the property on behalf of an undisclosed developer. Built in 2004, the property is situated on 2.33 acres and comprised of seven separate buildings.
 
The facility is fully fenced with electronic gate access and individual unit alarms. Approximately 45 percent of the units are climate-controlled. The facility includes an on-site manager’s apartment and is currently managed by a third-party management company.

Source: GlobeSt.com, Children's Hospital Buys Two-Story Medical Office

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