To thrive in today’s competitive, fast-growing self-storage market, facility owners must have the skills, knowledge and resources to protect and grow their investments. The Self-Storage Ownership 2019 Education DVD Package, which contains seven videos, offers expert insight into key areas of success for storage operations of all sizes. Filmed during the 2019 Inside Self-Storage World Expo in Las Vegas, the bundle includes the following seminars:

• Spending Money to Make Money: Reinvesting in Your Self-Storage Business
• From Data to Dollars: Revenue-Management Techniques for Self-Storage
• What’s Your M.O.? Writing Your Self-Storage Company Handbook
• What to Do When the Nightmare Comes True: Disaster Management in Self-Storage
• Empowering Your People: Creating a Gratifying Self-Storage Work Environment
• Performing Self-Storage Site Visits: How to Make Them Productive, Not Disruptive
• Get Pumped! Enhancing Self-Storage Facility Value Before You Sell

Additional discount DVD packages focus on building, investing, management, marketing and technology, while larger bundles provide even greater savings. Individual videos are also available. Visit the ISS Store for full product details. Sharpen your business acumen today!

FineView Marketing, an Austin, Texas-based marketing firm that serves the self-storage industry, has added Deborah Booker and Leslie Bradshaw to its team. They’ll be responsible for leading the company’s day-to-day marketing activities, managing client accounts and developing customized marketing programs for customers, according to a press release.

Booker has experience in real estate investing, historical-property revitalization and property management. Bradshaw’s expertise is in residential real estate, marketing and account management.

“I’m very excited to have the opportunity to grow with FineView Marketing by utilizing my digital marketing and real estate experience with this creative, innovative team,” Booker said.

“Having 15-plus years’ experience in real estate and account management, I’m looking forward to a new venture in which I can apply both my marketing and relationship building skills,” Bradshaw added.

“I am thrilled to welcome Deborah and Leslie to the marketing team,” said CEO and founder Christina Alvino. “Their related experience in real estate, marketing and account management will blend seamlessly with our customer-first approach to provide our clients with FineView’s highly successful marketing strategies. As we continue to evolve, offering new services and technologies to our valued customers, we will diligently pursue our mission of providing independently owned self-storage operators with personalized marketing strategies that clarify and elevate their brands.”

FineView is a boutique marketing agency catering to independently owned self-storage operators. It offers a range of products and services to assist clients in managing all aspects of their marketing strategies with tactics to attract customers and drive results, per the release.

     

Update 5/21/19 – With LB 289 stalled in the legislature, Nebraska lawmakers are pursuing an alternative approach by proposing a sales-tax amendment to LB 183, a bill that would make an adjustment in the valuation of agricultural land. The amendment is a scaled-down version of some of the provisions of LB 289 and would eliminate 28 sales-tax exemptions as a way to fund property-tax reductions, according to the source. Among the products and services subject to sales tax are candy, soft drinks, bottled water, motor-vehicle repair and self-storage unit rentals.

The secondary plan outlines about $100 million in property-tax relief compared to the $372 million comprehensive package under LB 289. The LB 183 amendment doesn’t include the half-cent increase to the state sales-tax rate or the hike in cigarette tax that are part of LB 289, the source reported.

Time is running out on the legislature to pass a property-tax relief measure this year. The current session will end on May 31, adjourning four days earlier than originally scheduled.

Similar to its efforts to defeat LB 289, the SSA is encouraging Nebraska self-storage operators to urge state senators to vote against LB 183. The sales-tax amendment was submitted on May 16 and is pending adoption.

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5/8/19 – Self-storage operators in Nebraska are being encouraged to fight a bill that would add sales tax to industry unit rentals. The state legislature will begin debate this week on Legislature Bill 289 (LB 289), which changes provisions relating to county assessor inspections of real property for property-tax purposes.

LB 289 was introduced in January. If passed, it would bring the largest tax increase in the state’s history, according to sources. In addition to increasing the sales-tax rate from 5.5 percent to 6 percent, the measure would impose new taxes on 20 services, including self-storage. It would also cut property-tax relief from the state in half, raise the cigarette tax by 36 cents and increase the tax for buying a house.

Revenue from LB 289 would increase state aid to K-12 schools by about $500 million, sources report. Taxes on self-storage rentals would generate $1.2 million.

Like most states, Nebraska doesn’t currently tax self-storage rentals. To express their concern regarding the bill, industry operators can contact their district senator. The national Self-Storage Association (SSA) has also created a customizable e-mail message for their use. The form is available by e-mailing Joe Doherty, the SSA’s senior vice president, legal and legislative counsel. The association announced its effort in an e-mail newsletter to members this week.

The bill faced overwhelming opposition from state residents when heard two weeks ago by the legislature’s revenue committee. Governor Pete Ricketts has also spoken against it.

“When debate on LB 289 starts, Nebraskans will feel a bit of déjà vu. The bill is premised on the notion that Nebraska can finally get property-tax relief if we raise a bunch of other taxes to lower property taxes. The truth is that this method has been tried and failed,” Ricketts wrote in his weekly column. The governor offered three proposals and said he’d work with senators to find a solution.

Proponents of the bill released estimates showing homeowners in seven areas would receive a property-tax reduction, even after paying the higher sales taxes. “It's not a tax increase,” said Senator Lou Ann Linehan, a sponsor. “For the vast majority of people, it's a tax decrease.”

Sources:
Hastings Tribune, Nebraska Senators Assured Another Chance to Debate Property Tax Relief
SSA Weekly Magazine 5/20/19, Nebraska Operators Encouraged to Speak Out Against Storage Bill
SSA Weekly Magazine 5/6/19, Nebraska Operators Encouraged to Speak Out Against Storage Bill
Office of Governor Pete Ricketts, Property Tax Déjà Vu
Omaha World Herald, Battle Lines Drawn as Nebraska Property Tax Debate Begins in Legislature

Update 5/21/19 – The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday denied the Goldwater Institute’s petition for justices to hear the political-contribution case involving 126 Self Storage and 1A Auto. The court refused the request without comment, according to the source.

The move effectively upholds the Massachusetts law. Because the case will not be heard, questions regarding the imbalance of restrictions on political contributions between for-profit businesses and nonprofits/unions could persist. In its ruling last year, the Massachusetts SJC didn’t resolve the discrepancy, saying the rules applying to nonprofit and union contributions were unclear, the source reported.

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12/13/18 – As expected, the Goldwater Institute has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the political-contribution case involving 126 Self Storage and 1A Auto. In its filing, the institute characterizes the restriction against businesses as an “unfair double standard” that provides an advantage to unions and labor groups, according to the source.

“These entities are not subject to any disclosure requirements or contribution limits as long as their contributions and independent expenditures in a given year do not exceed $15,000 or 10 percent of their revenues,” the petition states.

As a result, the Massachusetts law “violates the First Amendment’s guarantees of freedom of speech and freedom of association, the Fourteenth Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection of law, and analogous provisions of the Massachusetts Constitution,” the institute argued.

“For too long, Massachusetts and other states have used campaign-finance rules to tilt the political playing field to favor some groups and ideas over others. And, unfortunately, courts have mostly let them get away with it,” senior attorney Jacob Huebert said in a press release. “We’re asking the Supreme Court to take this case to end this unfairness and make sure states respect everyone’s equal right to participate in politics.”

It’s not clear when the Supreme Court will decide whether to hear the case.

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9/10/18 – The Massachusetts SJC unanimously upheld the state’s ban on corporate donations to political candidates yesterday, ruling against 126 Self Storage and 1A Auto. In the court’s opinion, the ban against corporate contributions doesn’t violate free speech and helps prevent "a serious threat of quid pro quo corruption," Gants wrote, noting that in the last 10 years, several Massachusetts politicians had been convicted of bribery-related crimes intended to benefit businesses.

"Both history and common sense have demonstrated that, when corporations make contributions to political candidates, there is a risk of corruption, both actual and perceived," Gants wrote in a 32-page decision.

Kane indicated 126 could appeal to try to escalate the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. “You can't treat people differently just because someone thinks that's the way it should be," Kane said during a conference call with reporters. "You have to treat us all the same. Corporations, businesses and unions aren't all that different. We all have officers and boards of directors and employees, or represent employees, etc. There's not that big a difference."

Manley said he would discuss the outcome with the plaintiffs but was willing to appeal to the nation’s highest court. "The same rules should apply all across the board, to both sides of the bargaining table; and what the SJC said today was that the U.S. Constitution and the Massachusetts Constitution allows the state to discriminate against groups based on their viewpoints and ban certain viewpoints from contributing to candidates," he told a source. "That, we think is unconstitutional. We think the U.S. Supreme Court has actually said the opposite, has said that that is unconstitutional, and it's my hope that the U.S. Supreme Court will weigh in and change the outcome in this case."

Though there was no dissenting opinion, justice Scott Kafker cast some doubt on the decision in a written, concurring opinion. "It is difficult to discern whether the basis for the statute's differential treatment of business corporations rests on grounds considered legitimate, illegitimate or a combination of both," Kafker wrote.

If the plaintiffs decide to appeal the decision, they would file before the end of the year, Manley said.

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3/7/18 – The SJC heard opening arguments yesterday from both sides of the political-contribution case involving 126 Self Storage and 1A Auto. Arguing on behalf of the companies, Manley told the court they believe corporations should be on equal footing with other entities to align with federal law, according to the source.

“I’m going to try to understand the world you’re asking us to create in Massachusetts,” Chief Justice Ralph Gants said during the hearing. “Under the law as you would have us apply it, a corporation, whether it be 126 [Self Storage] or GE or Raytheon, could essentially contribute to a PAC, which is devoted to a single candidate.”

Justice Scott Kafker asked assistant attorney general Julia Kobick how the corporate-contribution ban keeps corruption out of politics, noting that unions have acted dishonestly in the past. “We’ve got a history of bad guys on both sides. We have the old Teamster stuff from the Jimmy Hoffa era. We’ve got bad corporate behavior,” Kafker said. “Do we have a record that we’re going to be able to say: ‘Well, there’s more fear of corruption on the corporate side than there is on the union side?’”

Though Kobick conceded that “there is unquestionably a record,” she argued the ban had fulfilled its intent. “The commonwealth’s bar on corporate contributions remains as constitutionally sound as when the legislature enacted it 100 years ago to address the risk of quid pro quo corruption and its appearance,” Kobick said.

The SJC is simultaneously listening to arguments in a separate but related case on whether the state’s requirement that most voters be registered 20 days prior to an election is constitutional, the source reported.

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1/4/18 – The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is scheduled to hear oral arguments in March on the provision that allows unions to contribute to state political candidates but bars businesses from making political donations. The union allowance is 15 times the limit for individual contributions, according to the source.

Though superior court judge Paul Wilson ruled in favor of the Office of Campaign and Political Fairness in April, 126 Self Storage and 1A Auto appealed the decision in August and motioned to have the state supreme court review the case. Wilson said that, in his opinion, the distinction between labor and corporate political contributions “serves the anti-corruption interest,” which the state uses to justify the law. The state didn’t oppose the motion for SJC review, the source reported.

"There is no legitimate justification for allowing unions and non-profits to contribute thousands of dollars to candidates, parties and political committees, while completely banning any contributions from businesses," the plaintiffs wrote in their August brief.

The state is expected to issue a brief on Feb. 5.

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8/6/15 – Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Linda Giles heard arguments on Aug. 4 requesting an injunction to stop the state from enforcing the ban, which has existed since 1907. The judge hasn’t ruled yet, according to the source. "This is about fairness and equality," Manley said. The Goldwater Institute recently filed a similar suit in Kentucky.

Assistant Attorney General William Porter argued that issuing an injunction would have serious consequences. "The statute has been on the books for 108 years. It's a well-established campaign-finance scheme that seeks to protect the integrity of elections. Virtually overnight, it would be thrown into disarray,” he said in court.

The state’s ban, which is similar to one that exists in federal law and 20 other states, has been upheld by court precedent, according to Sullivan, who was represented by Attorney General Maura Healey's office. In a brief, Sullivan's lawyers argued an injunction, "would upset a long-established campaign finance system designed to ensure fair elections and, further, would allow unlimited corporate contributions in contravention of a decades-old prohibition."

After the hearing, Kane reiterated that he simply wants the same rights as unions. "My little company supposedly has more influence than the [American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations] or the Teamsters? It’s ludicrous,” Kane told the source. Out-of-state unions have more influence in the state than he does, he added.

Under current campaign-finance law, businesses aren’t permitted to contribute directly to candidates, while unions can donate up to $15,000 to a candidate. Businesses also can’t establish and fund political-action committees that donate to candidates, while unions can, the source reported.

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2/25/15 – A Massachusetts self-storage operator and auto-parts retailer are suing the state’s campaign-finance agency over a provision that allows unions to contribute up to $15,000 but bars businesses from making political donations. The Goldwater Institute, a conservative think tank based in Arizona, filed the suit on Tuesday in Suffolk Superior Court on behalf of 126 Self Storage Inc. in Ashland, Mass., and 1A Auto Inc. in Pepperell, Mass.

The lawsuit names Michael Sullivan, who heads the Office of Campaign and Political Finance, as defendant. In its filing, the Goldwater Institute argues that “businesses and unions are functionally equivalent organizations.”

“There is no legitimate justification for allowing unions to contribute thousands of dollars to candidates, parties and political committees, while completely banning any contributions from businesses,” the lawsuit states. “This lopsided ban on political contributions violates Plaintiffs’ rights of equal protection, free speech, and free association protected by the Massachusetts and United States constitutions.”

The plaintiff businesses are connected to the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance (MFA), a nonprofit conservative public-policy advocacy group. Rick Green, president of 1A Auto, is chairman, and Michael Kane, owner of 126 Self Storage, serves as clerk and director of the group, according to “The Lowell Sun.”

Kane typically supports fiscally conservative candidates but became frustrated with the individual donation limit of $1,000, he told the source. He wasn’t aware there were different donation limitations for businesses and unions until he was working at the MFA, he said.

“I don’t have the same voice, the same horse in the race, as my friends in the unions,” Kane told the “Boston Herald.” “It’s really about fairness and equity. We’re not asking for anything more.”

Steven Tolman, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, believes businesses have enough influence in elections without the donation provision. “It’s shocking that a right-wing funded group would want to come up in Massachusetts and challenge or try to make an argument that corporations don’t have enough political juice,” Tolman told the source. “It’s absolutely outrageous.”

Massachusetts is one of seven states that allow union donations but prohibit business contributions, according to Goldwater attorney James Manley.

New Sources:
Bloomberg, U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Bid to Let Businesses Donate to Candidates
U.S. Supreme Court, 1A Auto v. Sullivan, 18-733

Previous Sources: 
WND, Special Speech Rights Given Unions Facing Supreme Court Challenge
Goldwater Institute, Goldwater Asks U.S. Supreme Court to Level Campaign-Finance Playing Field
The Salem News, Court Upholds State Ban on Campaign Contributions From Corporations
Mass Live, SJC Upholds Massachusetts' Ban on Corporate Campaign Contributions
Boston Herald, SJC Hears Arguments on Voter Registration, Campaign Donations
Boston Herald, Bay State Sued Over Campaign Finance Law
MASS Live, 2 Businesses Fight State Ban on Campaign Contributions 
The Boston Globe, Group to Sue Campaign Finance Office Over Union Contributions
The Lowell Sun, Conservative Advocacy Group Sues State Over Campaign Law
Wicked Local Ashland, Think Tank Sues Mass. on Behalf of Ashland Small Business
Worcester Business Journal, Corporate Campaign Donations Case Heads to SJC

Live date: Thursday, June 27, 2019
Duration: Approximately one hour (includes audience Q&A)
Presenter: Terry Bagley, President of Smart Entry and Facility Automation, Janus International 
Registration: Click here to access the on-demand version.

It’s no secret that mobile devices play an increasingly important role in our lives and business operations. If you’re like most Americans, you likely spend several hours per day on your smart device! Mobile technology has changed the way consumers interact with each other and with businesses. That’s why it’s more important than ever to reach self-storage customers on their phone at every stage of the buying cycle. From marketing and advertising to rentals and payments to property access, we need to reach prospects and tenants where they are—their phone! In this webinar, we tackle the following:

• Consumer smart-phone behavior and how it impacts self-storage operators
• How to market and sell to prospective customers on their smart devices
• How smart phones and locks solve the final piece of the automated, online rental process
• How to monetize customer-facing mobile technology at your storage facility
• Considerations for implanting mobile technology at existing and new storage sites

About the presenter:

Terry Bagley is president of smart entry and facility automation at Janus International. He oversees the development and implementation of smart entry and security technology designed to help self-storage operators increase the value of their facilities and improve operation. He’s spent more than 16 years providing leading-edge tools to the industry.

Sponsored by:

Janus International is a global manufacturer and supplier of turnkey self-storage building solutions including roll-up and swing doors, hallway systems, and relocatable storage systems. It also has a rapidly growing technology division designed to help self-storage operators automate facility operation, improve security, and create a more convenient customer experience. Janus offers a full suite of smart-entry and access-control products, including Bluetooth smart locks, mobile entry and monitoring apps, and smart keypads. Headquartered in Temple, Ga., it operates out of eight U.S. locations and three in Europe.

Every spring during “March Madness,” nearly 100 million Americans tune in to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball tournament to cheer on their favorite teams. In the days leading up to the competition, roughly 40 million people complete approximately 70 million brackets, trying to predict which team will advance to the next round. Some take a sophisticated approach, relying on advanced analytics, while others use more arbitrary methods, making choices based on uniform colors, names or mascots, for example. Generally, those who depend on on research tend to outperform their cavalier counterparts.

The same is true in the world of self-storage development: Those who rely on quantifiable data and market research are generally more effective than those who ignore facts and figures. Owners and developers who use analysis to choose a building site have a much greater likelihood of finding one that’ll enjoy long-term success. While site selection remains an imperfect science in an ever-evolving development climate, following are some of the key factors to consider during the process.

From Macro to Micro

While there’s truth to the saying “All real estate is local,” most self-storage owners and developers prefer to pursue opportunities in large metros that are performing well on a regional level, and where population and employment growth are trending in the right direction. Once they identify a general area, they begin looking at more detailed features. These include site-specific factors and self-storage market-driven characteristics. Let’s look at both.

Site-Specific Factors

Traffic counts/visibility. Does the site have a retail-type location with excellent visibility, high traffic counts and direct ingress/egress? If not, the opportunity should likely receive a pass.

Physical characteristics. What are they? Does the property have suitable soils for new development? When possible, physically walk the site and invest in a geotechnical analysis, topography survey and wetlands analysis, when applicable, to determine how the site’s physical factors might affect construction costs. If a parcel is marketed at a price that’s too good to be true, there’s likely a reason—one that could cost you more in the long run.

Zoning restrictions. It’s important to understand how zoning could impact your project. You might discover there are major use restrictions or that self-storage is prohibited altogether. Further, understand floor-area-ratio and setback restrictions.

Environmental issues. Contact a local consultant to get a sense of whether any environmental issues are likely to be identified on the site. If there are any red flags, it’s prudent to investigate the impact before spending more time and money on the project.

Title. While title is often a relatively simple piece of the site-selection process, review a title commitment and ALTA survey to ensure there are no easements or ownership issues that would prevent the development from proceeding. If there, it’s best to address them early in the process.

Market-Driven Characteristics

Self-storage market characteristics are the major determinant in whether to pursue a site or move on to the next opportunity. Some important items of focus include:

Competitive supply. We’re talking about existing competition and upcoming planned or proposed projects. For the former, evaluate all facilities within a three-mile radius, including their size, quality, location and operator experience. For new supply, expand the search to approximately six miles. This can have a significant impact on the success of your project, as other new facilities could be in lease-up at the same time as yours. It’s critical to study future competition and understand how it could impact rental activity.

Existing square feet per capita. This is the tried-and-true metric of the self-storage development game. Though there are occasionally exceptions, if the addition of your project and all other viable planned/proposed projects will cause the square feet per capita to exceed the metro average, reconsider if storage is the highest and best use for the property. This simple test could save you from potential troubles and prevent overbuilding.

Demographics. Look at population growth, households, household formations (new starts), housing type and size, and median income to see how these factors could influence your project.

Self-storage development can feel like an uphill battle, and you may go back and forth on whether to move forward. In many ways, it’s like being an NCAA bracket participant coming to the portion of the form showing the highly unpredictable No. 8 vs. No. 9 matchup—deciding how to proceed can be tricky. However, if you take a step back and weigh the project using measurement tools and relying on market research, the decision should be clear and success more likely.

Jon Suddarth is vice president of real estate for The William Warren Group, a privately held real estate company that operates the StorQuest Self Storage brand across the United States. To learn more, visit www.williamwarren.com and www.storquest.com.

“Customer experience is the new marketing,” according to Steve Cannon, president and CEO of Mercedes Benz USA. For me personally, the most convenient business usually wins, but I’m not alone. Research and advisory firm Gartner claims as many as 89 percent of all companies are competing primarily on customer experience. If that’s true, how does your self-storage business stack up against the competition?

Here’s a hint: If customers have to wait for a response when they contact you, you have work to do. A minute feels a lot longer than it used to in this fast-paced, digital world, and most customers aren’t going to hang around. According to a customer-loyalty survey my company conducted, one in five consumers expects a response from a local business within five minutes.

You can’t afford to become an inconvenience to your current and prospective renters. Every interaction is an opportunity to impress and inform them. If you want to stay top-of-mind with customers, start with their phone!

Why SMS Is Superior

Texting not only helps you keep track of conversations with customers, it allows them to respond on their timeline. Text messages have the added benefit of being able to capture images, record video and even send appointment reminders. If you still aren’t convinced that texting is right for your business, here are seven statistics showing just how superior SMS really is.

Text messages have a 98 percent open rate, according to Mobile Marketing Watch. Maybe it’s the annoying notification bubbles, or perhaps smartphones are as addicting as they say. Either way, text messages have the highest open rate of any form of communication. The average for e-mail is just 21 percent, according to e-mail platform MailChimp. Whether you’re trying to collect payments or update contact info, your customer is nearly five times more likely to see your message via text.

On average, text messages contain less than 1 percent spam. If your phone chimes, buzzes, vibrates or rings, you generally answer it or at least look at it. Unlike e-mails and robo-phone calls, texting as a channel is 99 percent spam-free, which makes it hard to resist checking your phone when you hear the text alert.

Ninety percent of text messages are opened within three minutes of receipt, says mobile-marketing company Tatango. When was the last time you opened an e-mail within three minutes of receiving it? Not only do texts get opened, they get read, which means you’re not waiting for customers to clarify day-old messages or confirm appointments. Faster communication is more effective because it’s more recent.

Customer texting is 100 percent scalable. For lots of local business owners, calling a customer adds a personal touch that helps them feel like a friend. What if you could extend that touch to every single customer communication? With texting, you can talk to all tenants at scale without losing any of the sentiment.

Seventy-seven percent of Americans have smartphones. Your customers use their phones for everything. According to Google, 76 percent of people who search on their phone for something nearby visit a related business within a day, and 28 percent of those searches result in a purchase.

Seventy percent of smartphone owners who bought something in a store first turned to their devices for information, Google says. From dog-walkers to dinner, you can find just about anything online, so it’s not surprising that more and more people are using mobile devices to find and buy things they need. Whether your customers are looking for your website or following up on a storage rental, they’re likely to do it from their phone.

Ninety percent of today’s consumers prefer texting over other methods of communication. Phone calls go to voicemail, e-mails can go to spam, but text messages get attention. According to cloud-communications company twilio, 90 percent of consumers prefer texts because they don’t require an immediate interaction/response like a phone call. If that’s what they prefer, why would you send them anything else?

Your customers demand convenience. Becoming their obvious choice for self-storage requires you to know and anticipate their needs. They’re already texting, and your competitors aren’t far behind. Why wait to communicate with them on their terms?

Nate Tall is senior regional director of sales at Podium, a Utah-based startup that develops cloud-based software to help businesses modernize customer interactions, such as messaging and customer feedback, and improve their online reputations. Nate oversees more than a dozen sales professionals. A California native, he loves cheering on the Golden State Warriors almost as much as he loves introducing local business owners to his company. To reach him, e-mail [email protected].

Self-storage property-management firm Absolute Storage Management (ASM) has released its first-quarter 2019 operating results. At its 68 same-store managed facilities, ASM increased revenue by 3 percent and net operating income by 5.9 percent compared to the same period last year. Physical occupancy was 88.6 percent as of March 31, according to a press release.

“We are excited that our overall GPI [gross potential income] for the same-store property set has increased 3.2 percent year-over-year, and our expected income is up 4 percent,” said Jennifer Barnett, chief operating officer.

ASM gained three management contracts for existing self-storage facilities and four more for sites under construction during the quarter. The properties include two in Fayetteville, N.C.; Madison Self Storage in Shelbyville, Tenn.; Pensacola Storage in Pensacola, Fla.; StorGard Self Storage in Buford, Ga.; Tupelo Storage in Tupelo, Miss.; and Will-Stor Self Storage in Louisville, Ky.

Founded in 2002, ASM operates 122 properties in 14 states. Headquartered in Memphis, Tenn., it has regional offices in Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C.; Jackson, Miss.; and Nashville, Tenn.

Storelocal, a cooperative created by independent self-storage operators to offer member benefits with economies of scale, has signed a lease-to-transfer agreement with technology-development firm Tenant Inc. The partnership will allow Tenant Inc. to integrate its platform with Storelocal’s “Tenant” suite of services, including access control and mobile management, expanding the co-op’s move-in technology offerings to members, according to a press release.

Tenant Inc. launched this month offering the self-storage industry “a flexible, modern option” to integrate multiple technology-based marketing and operational components onto a single platform. The infrastructure is designed with an open API (application programming interface) to allow storage operators “to use components of their choice and conduct all business in one place and with ease,” the release stated.

“For the first time in our industry, self-storage has a development platform that delivers a seamless consumer experience and integrates all components of the business,” said Lance Watkins, CEO of both companies. “This takes the owner out of the mode of buying one technology after another and replaces a collection of disjointed components with an integrated system that works.”

The Tenant suite is powered by a global distribution system (GDS), similar to the integrated network used by the airline and hospitality industries. The suite includes components such as access control, digital signage, local search engine optimization, marketing websites, a mobile manager and paid search. “GDS is platform-agnostic software that processes data aggregated from many different sources," according to Jeremiah Jacks, chief technology officer at Storelocal.

Storelocal leverages the combined strength of its membership for services such as customer acquisition, financing, marketing and technology. The coop also owns online self-storage directories StorageFront.com and SelfStorageHounds.com. Its total membership includes more than 1,200 self-storage facilities through its owner-member companies.

Sources:
EIN News Desk, Storelocal Announces Lease-to-Transfer of Tenant Technology Suite to Tenant Inc.
EIN News Desk, Tenant Inc. Announces the Formation of a New Technology Company to Support the Self Storage Industry
Storelocal, Website