By Randy A. Smith

No, this isn't a treatise on religion in self-storage, it's a short discourse on the prevailing marketing philosophies in our industry. In the ongoing debate about the effectiveness of certain types of marketing in this business, I listen between the lines to ascertain the assumptions people have when it comes to marketing self-storage. Almost everyone falls clearly into one of three camps. To borrow some theological terms, I call them the atheist marketer, the agnostic marketer and the believing marketer.

The Atheist Marketer

The atheist marketer is someone who doesnt believe in marketing. His philosophy is, If you build it, they will find it and rent it. So why should I waste a bunch of money advertising it? Thankfully, this is a very small group, and we all see the error in this way of thinking. I wont spend any time debating this mindset.

The Agnostic Marketer

By far the largest camp is that of the agnostic marketers. This is the most dangerous camp to be in. Whereas the atheist marketer doesnt believe in marketing, the agnostic marketer doesnt care where his marketing message appears or how customers find himonly that they do. The agnostic marketers main (if not only) consideration is cost-effectiveness. If it generates a rental at an acceptable cost, then hell do it.

Herein lies the danger. These marketers are not giving thought to their ways. Theyre pursuing a philosophy that in essence says, If it feels good, generates a rental at a good price, do it! This is a shortsighted outlook. There is no pause to consider the long-term implications of certain choices by the agnostic marketer.

Let me give you two examples, one wild and the other very close to home. Lets say youd consider adding skywriting to your marketing mix if it would produce rentals at an acceptable acquisition cost. You call the local Sky-Writers-R-Us and find it will guarantee 10 rentals for a $500 investment (two hours of time sky-writing your facility name over your city). You think, $500 for 10 rentals equals $50 an acquisition Ill do it!

You sign up, and the next day is a beautifully sunny, cloudless Saturday with thousands of people outside. The plane takes off and fills the sky with your facilitys name and phone number. It also manages to write move-in special. Everyone in town has their eyes glued to the sky. Youre at the office expecting calls and they start rolling in.

But wait, now there's an angry voice on the other end. Whats that theyre saying? Destroying the environment carbon footprint irresponsible air pollution ? Its hard to discern all of the conversation due to the quantity of expletives. Then you get another angry call, and another and another. At the end of the day, you did manage to get those 10 rentals, but you also offended three quarters of the towns population because your only consideration was cost-effectiveness.

Had you stopped to consider your ways and looked at the long-term implications of this marketing channel, you would have come to the realization that it was a horrible idea. You would have deduced that you live in an area with a lot of environmentally conscious people. But being an agnostic marketer that considers only cost, you missed the not so obvious and created a huge problem for yourself.

Of course, this is a wild example, so let me bring it closer to home. Many self-storage operators say they use online aggregators because they provide rentals at an acceptable cost. Well, step back for a moment and consider the type of renter you get and what the long-term implication will be if thousands of your fellow self-storage operators adopt this mindset. Do aggregator rentals stay as long as other tenants? Have you checked? Aggregators say their customers arent mainly looking for best price, but their pay-per-click ads with headings like Cheap Units say otherwise.

Patronization of aggregators by facility operators gives credibility to aggregators in the mind of the consumer and further conditions them to use them in the future. Since aggregators market with a cheap/discount price message, they also condition consumers to make price the main consideration on storage-unit selection, commoditizing our product even further, which hurts everyone in the long run. Not to mention youre basically funding your competitor to compete against you online and driving up your own online-marketing costs. The agnostic marketer who follows this path should consider his ways and think through the long-term implications.

The Believing Marketer

The believing marketer believes in marketing and sees the world in black and white, not shades of gray. Adopting a core set of sound business principles, he believes theres a right and wrong way to market self-storage. Hed never dance with the devil or sell his soul just to get a few more rentals. He thinks through the long-term consequences of his actions and doesnt use cost as the only consideration.

Unlike agnostic marketers, believing marketers care about their message, where it appears and how its perceived. They market their facilities with an eye toward the future, not with campaigns of cost-effective convenience. Believing marketers know you cannot escape the universal principle of "whatsoever you sow, that will you also reap." They choose to build their own brand to own their own marketing, not simply farm it out to another.

Let me bring this marketing sermon to a close by saying I have faith that you can succeed in building a business without compromising sound marketing principles. Dont adopt a dont care" approach to marketing. Dont sell your soul to a third-party entity just because it might be cost-effective. Believe in your brand. Believe in your business. Believe the good newsthat you can free yourself from marketing sins. Become a believing marketer today!

Randy A. Smith is director of operations for Another Closet Self-Storage in McAllen, Texas. The company operates seven facilities in Texas. To reach him, e-mail [email protected].

The newly created Ohio Self Storage Association, which began last year as a charter organization of the national Self Storage Association (SSA), is working with a lobbyist to update the states current self-storage lien law. Rep. Jim Butler (R-Dayton) has agreed to attach self-storage-related language to House Bill 247 (HB 247), a bill originally designed to establish a new process for collecting unpaid debts owed to state courts.

According to this weeks SSA newsletter, The Monday Morning Globe, the revisions to Ohio's self-storage lien process are similar to those that have been lobbied for and successfully implemented in several other states, including changing the delinquency-notification method to include means other than certified mail. However, the changes and self-storage-related language have not yet been inserted into the bill, which can be tracked at www.legislature.state.oh.us/search.cfm. Interested parties should type "247" into the field and select "House" and "129th General Assembly.

The measure has already passed the House and is currently being considered in the Senate. If passed in the Senate, the bill with the new language can be approved through amendments in the House, a common legislative option in many states. Ohio's legislative session runs through the end of the year.

The current Ohio self-storage lien statute can be read in its entirety at www.insideselfstorage.com/lien-laws.aspx.

According to the SSA, Ohio has the fourth largest number of self-storage facilities in the country. Ohio also has a self-storage sales tax, which the state enacted in 2003.

Centershift Inc., a provider of self-storage management software, successfully achieved a Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements (SSAE) 16 Type II report after an audit of internal controls by the firm Grant Thornton. The report verifies that the companys control objectives and activities surrounding financial transactions meet the standards developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

The SSAE 16 audit requires intensive documentation of the companys process controls and a physical audit by a third-party organization of those controls," said Terry Bagley, president and CEO of Centershift Inc. "An audit must be performed each year for the SSAE 16 Type II report to be issued.

SSAE 16 is an attestation standard put forth by the Auditing Standards Board (ASB) of the AICPA that addresses engagements undertaken by a service auditor for reporting on organizational controls, such as information technology and related processes. SSAE 16 effectively replaces Statement on Auditing Standards (SAS) No. 70 for service auditor's reporting periods ending on or after June 15, 2011.

Two types of SSAE 16 reports are to issued, Type I and Type II. An SSAE 16 Type I outlines the procedures, policies and controls necessary to ensure effective performance at a single point in time. Type II is an independent audit of these procedures, policies, and controls to verify and validate that the organization isactually following them over an extended period.

Grant Thornton is an internationally recognized public-accounting firm.

Based in Salt Lake City, Centershift provides Internet-based rental-management and point-of-sale software solutions for the self-storage industry. Its clients include real estate investment trusts and ownership/management organizations of all sizes. The companys Store Enterprise and Advantage applications were designed for integration with websites, call centers, web aggregators, iPhones, centralized mail services, corporate offices and other business systems.

California self-storage provider A-1 Self Storage is providing monetary support to The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center of San Diego, a 12.4-acre center for family support, education, recreation and cultural arts. Made possible by a generous gift from the late philanthropist Joan Kroc, the facility is open to members and the general public. It serves residents of East San Diego, La Mesa and Lemon Grove, Calif., with a variety of programs for individuals of all ages.

The center provides activities such as tutoring, hockey and performance-arts theatre for the community. According to KrocCenter.org, the center "provides opportunities that facilitate positive, life-changing experiences through: art, athletics, personal development, spiritual discovery and community service."

The experience of the Salvation Army Kroc Center is unforgettable, said Brian Caster, president and CEO of A-1 Self Storage. The comprehensive variation of sports gives positive and engaging quality time with an enthusiastic staff.

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.

A self-storage owner in El Dorado Hills, Calif., is battling his lender over the foreclosure of his facility.

Although Don Smith said hes filed for bankruptcy protection and has continued to make payments ordered by the bankruptcy judge, U.S. Bank is moving forward with foreclosure proceedings against the 404-unit Sundance Self Storage.

In a statement to CBS13, the lending institution stated foreclosure was the last resort for both parties involved. It stated reasonable efforts to collect the loan have failed. In addition, the statement said the bankruptcy court has permitted the bank to move forward with foreclosure.

Smith has retaliated by filing a lawsuit to stop the foreclosure.  He said the business has already lost about 40 customers due to the ongoing legal battle.

The four U.S.-based self-storage real estate investment trusts (REIT)CubeSmart, Extra Space Storage Inc., Public Storage Inc. and Sovran Self Storage Inc.have released financial statements for the quarter that ended March 31. In general, all of the REITs are experiencing growth in key areas compared with the first quarter of 2011.

CubeSmart

CubeSmart's total revenue increased $11.4 million, and total property operating expenses increased $2.5 million, as compared with the first quarter of 2011. The company reported a funds from operations (FFO) per share of $0.16 and also reported a 7.4 percent increase compared with the first quarter of 2011 in same-store net operating income (NOI) at its 339 facilities. The company attributes this to 2.7 percent growth in overall revenue and a 4.3 percent decrease in property operating expenses.

The operation gained 190 basis points in physical occupancy compared with the same period in 2011. The same-store physical occupancy as of March 31 was 78.7 percent, compared with 76.8 percent for the same quarter of last year.

The company also closed on $86.4 million in acquisitions during the quarter. This includes one facility in Houston and one facility in Atlanta for a combined $12 million, as well as four former Storage Deluxe facilities for $74.4 million. Two facilities remain before CubeSmart's $560 million Storage Deluxe acquisition is complete. (Original story: "CubeSmart Announces $560M Acquisition of Storage Deluxe.")

CubeSmart revealed a net loss attributable to the company's common shareholders of $5.3 million or 4 cents per common share. However, on Feb. 21, the company declared a dividend of 8 cents per common share. The dividend was paid on April 16 to common shareholders of record on April 5.

Extra Space Storage Inc.

Same-store revenue increased by 6.3 percent and NOI rose by 10.8 percent compared to the same period in 2011.

FFO was 33 cents per diluted share, including lease-up dilution of 1 cent per share and additional interest expense of 1 cent per share associated with the prepayment of debt, resulting in 32 percent growth compared to the same period in 2011.

Same-store occupancy grew by 340 basis points to 87.1 percent at March 31, compared to 83.7 percent as of March 31.

The company acquired two properties for $15.5 million and opened one development property.

Extra Space paid a quarterly dividend of $0.20 per share.

Public Storage Inc.

Revenue for same-store facilities increased 4.8 percent or $17.4 million in the quarter, as compared to the same period in 2011, primarily because of a 0.6 percent increase in average occupancy and a 4.1 percent increase in realized annual rent per occupied square foot. Cost of operations for the same-store facilities increased by 1.9 percent, or $2.4 million in the quarter as compared to the same period in 2011.

FFO was $1.35 per diluted common share, compared to $1.48 for the same period in 2011, representing a decrease of 13 cents.

NOI for same-store facilities increased 6.3 percent or $15 million in the quarter, as compared to the same period in 2011.

During the quarter, the company acquired six self-storage properties in California, Florida (two), Massachusetts, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, for approximately $42 million. During March, the company acquired the remaining interests in three consolidated partnerships for approximately $19.9 million, plus the assumption of their share of existing debt totaling $4.8 million.

The company declared a regular common quarterly dividend of $1.10 per common share. It also declared dividends with respect to various series of preferred shares. All the dividends are payable on June 28 to shareholders of record as of June 13.

Sovran Self Storage Inc. (Uncle Bob's Self Storage)

Total revenue increased 15.2 percent over last year's first quarter, while property operating costs increased 6.8 percent, resulting in an NOI increase of 20.3 percent.

FFO for the quarter were 75 cents per fully diluted common share, compared to 62 cents for the same period last year.

Net income available to common shareholders for the first quarter of 2012 was $11.1 million or 39 cents per fully dilated share. For the same period in 2011, net income available to common shareholders was $8.3 million, or 30 cents per fully diluted common share.

Average overall occupancy was 81.8 percent with units renting for an average of $10.49 per square foot.

The company paid dividends of 45 cents per common share.

By Jim Ponti

This year marks 18 years of consecutive growth for wine consumption in the United States, so its no wonder wine storage has become a hot commodity. Like the wine industry, self-storage has evolved in many ways over the years. Not only are the details, designs, operation and aesthetics more calculated, the services being offered by many facilities have expanded.

In many affluent urban markets, self-storage facilities have either added wine storage or included it within their original construction design. Traditional self-storage and wine storage have proven to be a good marriage, and the basic self-storage operational design caters to wine storage with little additional personnel services or operating expenses. If you're interested in combining wine storage with your existing or future self-storage development, consider the following important aspects: market feasibility, facility design and legal considerations.

Determining Your Target Market

There are mainly two reasons for the inclusion of wine storage in a traditional self-storage facility. First, the monthly revenue per square foot of floor area can be exponentially higher than typical climate-controlled storage. Second, it broadens the market appeal and quality perception of a facility while bringing another market segment through the doors. Both are great reasons to consider wine storage, providing your facility is in this specific demographic landscape.

While there are fairly specific parameters that can be analyzed to determine the feasibility and design/unit mix of a typical self-storage facility, determining market demand for wine storage is generally much more subjective. A detailed list of considerations could be the topic of another full article on this subject.

Generally speaking, its preferable to have a market that represents the top 20 percent to 30 percent income bracket that lives within a 20-minute drive of the facility. In addition, you must analyze income and professional variables, construction details of relevant housing units, and drive times to your specific location. For example, multi-story, higher-density ownership markets are always preferable in that housing costs on a per-square-foot basis are generally well above regional averages, and available interior space is usually very limited. Also, very few of these properties will include any type of building or associated wine-storage areas.

In some markets, newer high-end housing  subdivisions will include well-designed and fairly large wine-storage areas or at least an option for the same within the basement. Certain areas have drive times that vary significantly depending on the time of day or day of the week. Surveys of nearby competitor wine-storage businesses, metro wine clubs and wine retailers can also provide significant insight into an area market. In so many words, many wine collectors have shared with me the same sentiment: Regardless of the wine-storage area that you build for yourself, your collection will always outgrow that space.  That's good news for the wine-storage industry.

Rather than jumping in the deep end of the pool, many self-storage owners choose to test the water and add their wine storage in phases. In existing facilities, an initial area should be earmarked along with an anticipated adjacent area for future phases. Reconfiguring standard storage areas into wine storage can be accomplished fairly easily for those whose market demands more space. For new construction, its much simpler to accommodate the initial and anticipated phases from the onset. Size steps are usually dictated by available equipment capacity or available conversion space.

Wine-Storage Design

Regardless of the market demand for wine storage, no one will rent your wine space without the most basic amenities. This list includes:

• A properly insulated and designed perimeter that will prevent air movement and condensation
• A multi-tiered, high-level security system
• A properly designed and consistent moisture and temperature-control system (package or custom designed)
• A temperature- and moisture-level logging system
• 24-hour access via a safe, dedicated after-hours entrance

Its best to have dual or redundant temperature- and humidity-control systems so a mechanical backup is always available. Emergency power backup should also be placed very high on the priority list. A truly marketable facility will have all of the above. Remember, even minor variations in temperature can reduce the value of a bottle of wine significantly.

Just as curb appeal matters when renting self-storage units, the interior finish of your wine-storage area should conjure a positive image. With a variety of building choices, take into account your own preferences and the perceived standards of the local market.

Wine lockers can be constructed of many materials, from exotic woods to standard self-storage interior products. A happy medium between wood and steel can be found in a popular product now on the marketFrench oak wood-grain embossed steel. With an oak-like façade, this system costs slightly more than the plain white metal-locker systems, but has the look of the more high-end custom-wood locker systems. This system is also designed to the facility owners specifications and interior dimensions. A variety of locker sizes can be accommodated, including single-, double- and triple-stacked.

Many facilities also include some type of common room that can be used by wine-storage tenants for small gatherings, tastings and meetings. Plan to include wireless Internet access and a wall-mounted TV/monitor that can used as a PC display.

As a final construction detail, try to avoid or minimize halogen and natural lighting in the wine-storage area itself. In addition to the heat from operation, halogen bulbs emit virtually the full spectrum of light, including infrared and ultraviolet. The infrared wavelength will increase the heat load of the area, and the ultraviolet wavelength can damage the wine.

Legal Considerations

Most state self-storage associations offer thorough rental contracts that can be adapted by facility operators in their state. Many are now adding language that will cover ancillary services such as wine storage. The liabilities associated with wine storage need to be addressed within your rental agreement.

Scott Zucker, an industry attorney with the law firm Weissman Zucker Euster Morochnik PC of Atlanta,  suggests that most contracts that address wine storage will include language similar to the following. But be sure to contact your legal representative before moving forward, as the language requirements varies by state.

Non-liability of owner. Owner shall not be liable for damages or injury to persons or property resulting from failure to keep the wine storage unit or facility under repair, or due to neglect of Occupant or other wine storage occupants or by any other person or entity. No representations are herein made that the leased unit or facility is fire, flood, mechanical failure or theft proof. In the event that Occupant shall request that Owner hold wine deliveries until Occupant can secure and store said deliveries, the Occupant likewise agrees to hold Owner harmless from any claims arising from the loss or damage to said deliveries.

Power to space. Electricity such as presently exists shall be furnished to the facility. Owner does not guarantee or warrant that the temperature of the facility will remain constant, only that the Owner will endeavor to limit temperature extremes in the facility through air conditioning and heating devices. However, should power be interrupted to the facility, Occupant hereby releases Owner from any loss or damage to the wine stored at the facility arising from said loss of electricity or power.

Meeting Customers Needs

Self-storage and wine-storage customers are looking for a conveniently located and properly managed facility where their belongings will be safe and the interior environment will preserve their stored goods. But the wine collector is looking for a little more. The self-storage customer will carefully scrutinize the pricing and then consider the list of facility amenities. The wine-storage customer, on the other hand, will analyze the amenities, and if the facility has what is necessary, he will generally pay the price. This money is no object mindset is more than welcome to todays facility manager.

The facility owner and manager will need to be more active with local wine retailers, collectors and associations to spread the word about this unique service. If your operation and personnel are at service and quality minimums, you can expect a much slower leaseup and limited success in most markets. Just like self-storage, facilities that have the right mix of price (generally the highest), product and people are and always will be the market leaders. With proper measures, wine storage can bring a significant level of revenue to your storage facility.

Jim Ponti is the central region sales manager for Janus International, a supplier of self-storage doors and building components. The Temple, Ga.-based company provides a full line of self-storage doors, hallway components, portable storage and mezzanine systems. For more information, call 770.562.2850; visit www.janusintl.com.

By Hayden Harrison

There are times in the self-storage industry that can brighten a day or make someone want to scream, but theres rarely a dull moment. The nature of this business creates stories, says Marcy Gerhart, owner of Second Attic in Bessemer, Ala. In fact, there are enough odd, amusing and interesting stories to fill a book, which is exactly what Gerhart did.

Our American Stuff, which Gerhart recently self-published, relays all the wacky stories shes come across during her time at Second Attic. She describes the book as the flip side of Storage Wars because its what happens behind the units being auctioned. The book includes short tales on everything from renters running moving trucks into her buildings, finding expensive paintings, a mad hatter-type, and a wife who hid her husbands workout equipment in storage and then failed to pay the rent because he cheated.

Memorable experiences, good or bad, turn into great stories to tell in hindsight; but how a self-storage operator reacts during an unusual situation has in important impact on the outcome. Knowing how to handle odd situations with aplomb can help eliminate a little of the shock, and help you find solutions more efficiently. 

Interesting Finds

Almost every self-storage owner or manager has had a strange or interesting find inside a tenants unit, either when a door was up, sounds came from it, or it went to auction. Handling situations like this can be difficult or expensive, especially if whats inside is a wild animal.

Mel Holsinger, president of Tucson, Ariz.-based Professional Self Storage Management, shares that many years ago, one of his managers was walking around the property conducting a unit inventory when he heard a growl coming from a unit. The door wasnt latched, so he started to open it when low and behold, there was a pet tiger chained to the wall, Holsinger says.

Frightened, the manager called the tenant to remove the tiger immediately or else the authorities would be called. If it's something illegal, we call the authorities, Holsinger says. If it's something thats just strange, we'll usually give the benefit of the doubt and call the tenant first.

Unfortunately, when odd items are discovered, the tenants are sometimes long gone and no where to be found. After a relief manager failed to sufficiently qualify a customer at a facility managed by Universal Management Co., the man was allowed to rent a 10-by-20 unit, which he filled with onions. He then abandoned the unit and the onions rotted, costing thousands of dollars in cleanup, says company president Anne Ballard.

Another unit spoiler, Ballard says, is renters filling units with old tires and leaving thema very expensive cleanup if the tenant stops paying. No one wants to buy old tires at an auction, and they cant be thrown away at a dump, so theres no way to get someone to take care of them without spending a lot of money. Its important to ask What will you be storing? and make sure it is a qualified use, Ballard says.

A Sense of Danger

Self-storage tenants will sometimes do things that will cause others to question their sanity. Whether theyre always batty or anger has made them compromise their common sense, it's important that a self-storage operator can handle these customers. Unfortunately, it's sometimes part of the job.

If [something] tweaks anything in your consciousness and makes you wonder, then there is probably reason to suspect, and you should probably investigate it, says Gina Six Kudo, general manager of Cochrane Road Self-Storage in Morgan Hill, Calif. Sometimes though, a manager may not sense that something is amiss, and the tenant's weirdness emerges later.

One of Kudo's coworkers rented a unit to a man who "looked like hed crawled out of the mountains, she says, adding that he wasnt particularly creepy, nor was he over friendly. After filling his unit, he vanished, and his unit was eventually scheduled for lien sale. A few days before the auction, the tenant came to get his stuff but was refused access because he was in default. It was then he began to act bizarre.

Kudo called the police for a civilian standby. They asked the man if they could search his car and unit and were granted permission. Afterward, they told Kudo she should allow him to get his stuff and leave, and if she ever saw his car around the property again, she should call 911. It turns out they had found dangerous equipment in his vehicle and unit, which, combined with a few missing pieces, could be used for making bombs. After discussing the situation with her attorney, it was decided that Kudo should let the man remove his goods.

Deciding when its an appropriate time to call the police for help can be tricky, Kudo says. You don't call the cops all the time because then it's like Chicken Little, The sky is falling,' But when there is a threat of harm to a person, I don't even care about property ... Bash a door in. But if there is any chance of any human being hurt, then you better have already hit the speed dial button for 911.

Storage Affairs

One situation that leaves many facility operators not only uncomfortable but questioning whether to continue renting to a particular tenant is when the facility is being used as a trysting place. In reality, these occurrences violate most facilities no inhabiting rule. While operators have debated the issue on the Self-Storage Talk online community, theres really no hard and fast rule about how to handle tenants having affairs in units, so operators must have their own guidelines.

Ballard relates the story of an affair that happened at a Los Angeles facility her company managed. A pharmaceutical representative was spotted on camera entering her unit with a man. Employees knocked on the door and told the couple occupancy was against the facilitys rule. They also discovered the couple had a cot in the unit and even candlesa huge facility violation. The tenant was asked to vacate her unit. We lost a valuable customer, but you dont want that kind of customer, Ballard says.

Kudo has also come across a few affairs. Once, after a tenant failed to pay rent, she came to an agreement with him to settle his fees and remove his belongings from the unit rather than go to auction. He told her his ex-girlfriend was coming to help. Although the girlfriend soon arrived, the man seemed to be taking a long time to pack up.

Kudo decided to see what the hold up was. The unit door was open, and there was a moving truck in front of the unit, which was on the main aisle. When Kudo walked around the side of the truck, she turned 50 shades of red when she spotted the mans naked backside. Stepping back around the truck, she yelled at him to get off her property that very minute.

Not All Bad

Because everyone enjoys the wacky stories, the feel-good ones dont get as much notice as they should, and neither do the good tenants. Nice ones care, ask about your life, and miss you when youre not around, Kudo says. They dont get the recognition they deserve.

One couple in South Carolina even married at a self-storage facility because they thought it was beautiful. They took wedding pictures all around the property, including in front of the wine-cellar door, Ballard says.

Some tenants even go out of their way to help one another. One of Kudo's customers left a message about boxes that had been left outside a unit. The door was open and no one seemed to be around. When Kudo went to check, she found a woman lying on the floor passed out. Because a concerned tenant made that call, the woman received the medical attention she needed. Telling your customers to let you know if anything seems off is a good way to prevent bad situations from becoming bigger problems.

Due to problems, people and unexpected situations, a day can go from great to boring to crazy to scary in a matter of seconds while working in self-storage. The most important thing to keep in mind is no matter what happens, take care of yourself first and foremost, Kudo advises.

Houston-area self-storage operator Amazing Spaces Storage Centers celebrated the grand opening of its fourth store with a party on April 20 and a $1,660 gift to Shriners Hospitals for Children. The six-story, 150,000-square-foot property at 2412 W. Holcombe Blvd., offers individual alarmed units from 5 by 5 feet to 15 by 30 feet. located near Houstons Medical Center, which houses a Shriners Hospital.

Leading up to the event, the company partnered with Shriners Hospitals for Children to raise awareness and funds. Amazing Spaces gave 10 percent of gross sales to the hospital for the first 30 days after the new facility's grand opening. For the last four years, Amazing Spaces has been raising funds for the Shriners Hospital in Galveston through a partnership with the Texas Self Storage Association's Starfish Campaign.

It just made perfect sense to partner again with Shriners Hospital because the charity has been a part of our philanthropy project for the last four years, said Kathy Tautenhahn, vice president of Amazing Spaces. Many of our team members recently went on a tour of the hospital to see how our donation would be used. Shriners mission is two-fold: to care for children regardless of ability to pay, and to give back to the community by training orthopedic surgeons across the nation. The tour was very inspiring to all team members.

During the Amazing Spaces grand opening event, more than 100 attendees from the community and local businesses enjoyed food, wine and the chance to win several door prizes. They also had the opportunity to tour the facility, which includes a customer conference room with Wi-Fi and video conferencing, a retail area offering moving supplies, wine storage and truck rental.

Open since 1998, Amazing Spaces currently operates four locations in Greater Houston. The properties provide self-storage, RV and boat storage, wine storage, packing and moving supplies, and Penske truck rentals. Amazing Spaces Franchising LLC also offers franchise opportunities to qualified applicants.