After almost 25 years of practicing law, Scott I. Zucker has joined the ranks of other seasoned lawyers whove turned their legal writing skills into the world of fiction writing. Zucker, who specializes in self-storage law, has written his first book, Chain of Custody. In addition, hes donating proceeds from book sales to Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University.

In Chain of Custody, lead character Matt Taggart is a hard-working young associate attorney at a prestigious Washington, D.C., litigation firm. Hes married with a 1-year-old daughter. Matt's day-to-day life is unremarkable until his father, a U.S. Senator, is killed in a small-plane crash, leading him to question if his fathers death was a suicide or homicide?

Assisted by a woman investigator from the National Transportation and Safety Board, Matt begins his quest to learn the cause of his father's death. During his investigation, he finds himself drawn into the corrupt world of defense contractors and the inner-workings of the Pentagon. As Matt gets closer to the answer, he must balance the work of his law firm, the ethical dilemmas of defending a large pharmaceutical company in a wrongful-death case, and his feelings for his wife as he becomes emotionally closer to the woman in which hes sharing his adventure.

Writing a fiction book was something I always wanted to do, Zucker said. I wanted to tell a story in the context of the law, but that had some adventure, mystery and intrigue. It was fun to write and I hope people enjoy the story and the characters.

The book also offers a nod to Zuckers day job as a self-storage attorney. For my friends in the self-storage industry, theyll even find something about a delinquent self-storage unit, he said.

Zucker originally had the book published with the goal of giving a few copies to friends and family. But when it became available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble, he realized he had the opportunity to help a charity, the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University. Im hoping that the interest in the book will lead to donations for the amazing cancer research and treatment that is happening at Winship and will help raise much needed funds, he said.

Zucker is a partner in the Atlanta-based law firm Weissmann Zucker Euster Morochnik, P.C. Hes a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, and the George Washington University School of Law. He and his wife Melanie have two children, Drew and Jack.

Published by Authorhouse Publishing, Chain of Custody, is available at Amazon.com and BN.com. Donations can also be made directly to Winship Cancer Institute via http://winshipcancer.emory.edu.

Parkline Inc., a nationwide supplier of metal buildings for self-storage and other industries, recently recapitalized in partnership with Summit Park, a private investment firm. The transaction, which closed on April 24, will provide Parkline with additional capital to support its growth initiatives.

In particular, Parkline is interested in establishing a new assembly facility west of the Mississippi River. The company is evaluating several potential locations. "There is significant demand for our pre-erected structures from electric-utility and energy customers in the western U.S., and we believe that we can serve their needs more efficiently from a satellite location," said Ron Dawson, vice president of sales.

In addition, Parkline has successfully provided integrated control houses to a number of electric-utility customers and intends to expand its capabilities in this area. "Many of our customers are seeking a single-source solution for their control-house requirements, and we intend to expand our capabilities to support their needs," Dawson said. These capabilities may be developed internally, through partnerships or through strategic acquisitions. 

Established in 1973, Parkline provides industrial metal buildings for various end markets such as self-storage, wastewater treatment, electrical utility, wind energy, oil and gas transmission and distribution, and telecommunications. Each building can be erected at the customer's site or fully assembled at the Parkline facility in Eleanor, W.V.

Based in Charlotte, N.C., Summit Park is a private investment firm with experience across a wide range of industries. It focuses on companies with a track record of consistent financial performance and the potential to realize substantial, profitable growth in the future.

Champion Self Storage in Schererville, Ind., will host a garage and vendor sale May 19 to raise funds for a local childrens cancer charity. Admission is open to the public for a $1.50 per person donation.

Proceeds from the annual event, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1104 W. Lincoln Highway, will be donated to Northwest Indiana Cancer Kids Foundation (NICK). The charity provides assistance to families in the community affected by pediatric cancer.

The event will also include an appearance by the mascot from Chick-fil-A, balloons, a clown and face painter, and dance performances featuring dancers from The Dance Factory studio. In addition, local businesses have donated prizes for a raffle. Nearby restaurants such as Cold Stone Creamery and Ciao Bella Ristorante will also be on hand to provide food.

Event participants must reserve a storage unit and rent tables to display their items. Any profit made from the items sold belongs to the participants. The deadline to sign up is May 9.

Bankhead Self Storage in Weatherford, Texas, recently sold in an all-cash transaction between two private investors. Sellers Jim and Barbara Owens developed the 38,115-square-foot facility, which is currently 91 percent occupied, in 2004. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Features of the facility include tilt-wall construction, steel framing, screw-down metal roofs, a concrete foundation and asphalt driveways. The property also is equipped with an onsite residence, personalized gated entry and video surveillance.

Brandon Karr, a self-storage investment specialist for real estate investment firm Marcus & Millichaps Fort Worth office, brokered the sale. Seven offers were made on the property, and the sale closed within 30 days. Marcus & Millichap is one of the largest investment real estate brokerage firms in the nation, with more than 1,300 real estate specialists in more than 70 offices.

Bankhead Self Storage has units ranging from 50 to 300 square feet and is located one block from Interstate 20.

U.K. self-storage operator Big Yellow Group PLC has entered into a new £100 million (about $162 million) 15-year loan with Aviva Commercial Finance Limited, secured over a portfolio of 15 wholly owned self-storage facilities valued in February, at £242.1 million (about $392.7 million). The annual fixed interest rate on the loan is 4.9 percent.

The loan was deployed to repay and cancel £100 million of the group's core bank debt facility, reducing it to £225 million (about $365 million), of which £190 million (about $308 million) is drawn. This facility will expires in September 2013 and is secured on the remainder of the group's self-storage centers. The repayment and cancellation has been disproportionately applied against German commercial banker HSH Nordbank's commitment, which has been reduced from £150 million (about $243.3 million) to about to £65 million (about $105.4 million).

The group has cancelled £100 million of interest-rate derivatives at a cost of £9.2 million (about $14.9 million). In addition to the Aviva fixed-rate loan, there is a residual £90 million (about $146 million) interest-rate swap in the core bank debt facility at 2.99 percent interest plus margin to September 2015. The remaining £100 million of the core bank debt will be paid at floating rates plus margin. As a result, Big Yellow has repaid £100 million of bank debt, which was costing 4.8 percent per year, with the new loan. The Group's proforma average cost of debt remains at 3.7 percent.

The loan amortizes to £60 million (about $97.3 million) over the course of the 15 years, consistent with the group's medium-term debt reduction strategy. The debt service is payable monthly based on fixed annual amounts. The loans outstanding on the fifth anniversary will be £89.8 million (about $145.7 million); £76.7 million (about $124.4 million) on the 10th anniversary, with £60 million set to expire in April 2027.

"We are delighted to have arranged this new loan with Aviva, which provides a stable core of long-term financing for the group from a new debt provider to the business," said John Trotman, chief financial officer of Big Yellow. "We will now enter into discussions with our banking group, who continues to be supportive, with a view to refinancing the core bank debt facility in the current year." 
 
Big Yellow also completed the sale of its facility in Blackheath, London, to Hexagon Housing Association Ltd. for £4.5 million (about $7.3 million). In addition, the company has exchanged contracts on the sale of the surplus one acre site adjacent to its new flagship Chiswick, London, store for £4.8 million (about $7.7 million), with completion expected in July. The Premier Inn hotel the group is developing in Richmond, London, is due for completion this summer, with further proceeds to be received on the sale of the building of £7.4 million (about $12 million). On March 31, the group spent £2.8 million (about $4.5 million) to complete the development.

Sheriff's investigators on Saturday recovered the recently stolen Lamborghini of celebrity chef Guy Fieri, the host of Food Network shows such as "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives," in a self-storage unit at CSI Mini Storage in Richmond, Calif.

The 2008 Lamborghini Gallardo turned up because authorities were executing a search warrant on the unit of Max Michael Wade, 17, of San Rafael, Calif. Wade, who will be charged as an adult, was arrested Saturday on suspicion of shooting into an occupied car earlier this month in Mill Valley, Calif.

The car had been missing since March 8, when it was swiped from a car distributor's garage in San Francisco. Police said the thief rappelled from the roof of the building, entered through a window, then drove away in the car, which is valued at more than $200,000.

Also in the unit, Marin County Sheriff's investigators found a black motorcycle that matched the description from the shooting. The shooter was reportedly riding a black motorcycle when he shot into the occupied car on April 13. Authories also discovered various weapons and surveillance technology.

CSI Mini Storage has two Bay Area locations in Richmond and Alameda.

Authorities in Utah found self-storage tenants living in at least five units at A-1 Access Storage in South Salt Lake after conducting a raid last month at the standalone facility.

Police and health officials found "a makeshift bedroom with food, clothing and other living accessories" in one unit, according to a search warrant released last week. The raid revealed unsafe and unsanitary living conditions, including human waste being stored in bottles.

The tenants were evicted, although authorities did not know how many people were living in the units.

A-1 Storage manager Christie Andrews said she called police after finding a 3-year-old baby living in one unit. She believes the homeless families had likely been living in the units for up to six months.

"I would kick them out, and then an hour later they were there," she told the Deseret News, adding that it was difficult to detect their presence because they would secretly lock themselves inside the units.

Advocates for Utah's homeless said encountering people living in self-storage units is rare. However, storage-unit rent is significantly lower than apartments or rooms. In Utah, a 10-foot by 10-foot unit rents for about $80 a month.

Cory Milligan, manager of 13th South Self Storage in Salt Lake City, told the newspaper finding an apartment or room is difficult for those with bad credit, and until the economy improves, instances of people living in storage units will probably occur more frequently.