Uncle Bobs Self Storage is teaming up with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers for the Uncle of the Year contest.

Fans of the Scrappers, a minor league baseball team in Ohio, can nominate their favorite uncle for the award until Aug. 15. Fans can complete a form at Mvscrappers.com or drop off their nomination at the Anthem Fan Assistance Center during any home game.

The winning uncle will receive a prize package from Uncle Bob's Self Storage and the Scrappers. The prize package includes a night in the Dawg House on the DRS Luxury Suite Level and a $35 Gift Certificate to the Scrappers Team Shop.

Uncle Bobs is owned by Sovran Self Storage Inc., a real estate investment trust that owns and manages 383 storage facilities in 24 states.

Charles Ray Wilson, the founder and principal of Self Storage Data Services (SSDS) and a recognized expert in the field of self-storage operating-performance data, has joined Cushman & Wakefield as a strategic partner in the companys Self Storage Industry Group (SSIG).

Wilson, whos internationally recognized Self Storage Performance Quarterly Report (SSPQ) tracks the quarterly performance of approximately 6,000 self-storage facilities in the nations 50 largest markets, will work closely with Cushman & Wakefield Senior Managing Director Chris Sonne and his team in delivering a fully integrated platform of services. Current subscribers to the SSPQ report, including prominent Wall Street analysts and major institutional investors, also receive the Monthly Rental Activity Report that tracks the rental demand on 1 million storage units nationwide.

Recognizing the need for independent third-party reporting on the industry, Wilson founded SSDS in 1992. It is currently the only comprehensive source for real-time performance benchmarking and research reports in the business. The companys data includes statistics on supply and demand, rental rates, occupancy levels, concessions and rental income. Its database includes proprietary information from private and publicly owned facilities, containing more than 50,000 facilities nationwide.

In a dynamic partnership designed to differentiate Cushman & Wakefield from its competitors, Rays unique service offerings will allow us to integrate the firms sophisticated Self Storage Appraisal Report template with the most robust self-storage database in the industry, said John Busi, executive vice president and head of Valuation and Advisory for Cushman & Wakefields Americas region. The combined product will provide clients with optimal industry intelligence drawing from SSDSs 20 years of historical and current industry, market and property-specific data.

Cushman & Wakefield is among the world's largest privately held commercial real estate services firms. Founded in 1917, it has 234 offices in 61 countries and more than 13,000 employees. The firm represents a diverse customer base ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies. Its Valuation & Advisory Division, which includes the SSIG, is one of the largest real estate valuation and consulting organizations in the world.

Construction contractors suffered from a new round of price increases for key materials in May but were largely unable to pass their costs along to customers, according to an analysis of producer price index figures released this week by the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC). Association officials said the ongoing cost squeezea result of sluggish demand for constructionthreatens to drive more construction employees and firms out of work unless public officials lower barriers to public and private investment.

New cost pressures bubbled up in May, even as prices moderated for a few items, said Ken Simonson, the associations chief economist. Meanwhile, contractors have largely held the line on their bids in order to win work while demand for construction remains tepid at best.

Simonson noted that the producer price index for all construction materials increased by 0.9 percent in May and 7.5 percent over the past 12 months. The year-over-year figure has accelerated steadily for the past four months. Meanwhile, the price of finished buildings was flat in May and rose only 1.8 percent or less over the past year, depending on building type.

Simonson said there were substantial price increases in May for wallboard and other gypsum products, which rose 4.3 percent from April; asphalt paving mixtures and blocks, 3.2 percent; aluminum mill shapes, 2.6 percent; construction plastics such as pipe and insulation, 1.8 percent; and steel mill products, 1.1 percent. He added that two other key materials had price declines for the month but were still far costlier than a year ago: diesel fuel, down 3.2 percent for the month but up 39.5 percent since May 2010, and copper and brass mill shapes, down 4.0 percent since April but up 17.0 percent year-over-year.

Federal spending on infrastructure is fading fast, while most private demand has yet to pick up, Simonson observed. As a result, contractors are being pinched by higher costs they cant roll into their bids, and many firms are at risk of closing their doors, which would add to the industrys already-high 16 percent unemployment rate.

Association officials said it is vital that Congress and the White House enact long-overdue infrastructure bills and repeal a law that will require all levels of government to begin withholding three percent of payments to contractors by 2013. Forcing contractors to earn less even as you slash the amount of work available for them to perform is not a good way to boost employment or revive the economy, said Stephen E. Sandherr, the associations chief executive officer.

The latest producer price index tables for construction can be viewed at www.agc.org/galleries/news/PPI-Tables-201105.pdf.

Strategic Storage Trust Inc., a publicly registered non-traded real estate investment trust targeting the self-storage market, acquired a portfolio of 11 properties for more than $44 million. The purchase totals approximately 6,300 units and 821,000 square feet. The facilities are in Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The sites will be rebranded under the SmartStop Self Storage trade name.

These properties will extend our growing brand from the Southeast, through the Mid-Atlantic and up to the Northeast, said H. Michael Schwartz, chairman and CEO. This vast portfolio also comes at a great value and increased economies of scale to Strategic Storage Trust and our stockholders.

Property details:

Georgia

• 201 Fulton Ct., Peachtree City: 670 units, 123,400 square feet
• 4257 Buford Dr., Buford: 520 units, 68,900 square feet
• 8337 Tara Blvd., Jonesboro: 730 units, 106,400 square feet
• 5484 Flakes Mill Road, Ellenwood: 300 units, 40,700 square feet
• 2619 Austell Road, Marietta: 480 units, 61,200 square feet

New Jersey

• 3600 Quakerbridge Road, Trenton: 660 units, 85,100 square feet

New York

• 75 Brookline Road, Ballston Spa: 690 units, 82,800 square feet

Pennsylvania

• 99 2nd Ave., Collegeville: 540 units, 58,400 square feet
• 4435 Skippack Pike, Skippack: 390 units, 56,300 square feet

Virginia

• 5219 Plank Road, Fredericksburg: 630 units, 59,600 square feet
• 520 W. Williamsburg Road, Sandston: 680 units, 78,100 square feet

All of these properties are in well-trafficked locations with favorable market dynamics, said Wayne Johnson, senior vice president of acquisitions.  We expect these locations to represent Strategic Storage Trust as the industrys best.

Since the launch of Strategic Storage Trust Inc. in 2008, the companys portfolio of wholly-owned properties has expanded to include 72 properties in 17 states and Canada.

Harbor Park Mini Warehouse, in Harbor Springs, Mich., recently sold to a local investment group, ARBKN LCC, for $2,665,000.

The 124,340-square-foot facility, 3389 M119/Harbor Petoskey Road, has 640 drive-up units. Its situated two miles north of Bay View and five miles from Harbor Springs with primary footage and access of 409 feet on M119/Harbor Petoskey Road. The property was originally constructed in 1975 and last renovated in 2001-02.

The facility was foreclosed by First Community Bank in July 2010. At that time, Pogoda Cos., a self-storage brokerage and property-management firm, was hired to oversee the property. Under Pogoda Management Co. the property was updated to meet industry standards including stringent financial controls, Internet and traditional marketing programs, reduction of delinquent tenants and the addition of renter insurance and U-Haul Truck Rental.

Additional capital expenditures will be completed including painting of all buildings, major paving work, a new gate system, a new digital sign, replacement of many doors, and conversion of a vacant industrial building to climate-controlled units. Additionally, the office and public restroom will be renovated to modern standards.

Self-storage companies are vying for market share in Russia, where the industry is a relatively new concept and consumer demand is steadily increasing. Notable players in the Russian self-storage market include KR Properties (City Box) and Red Box.

KR Properties, a developer of commercial real estate, opened its first self-storage facility in October 2010. The $3.2 million property is already fully rented, according to an article in The Moscow Times. Red Box was at 80 percent occupancy with its one Moscow facility as of this spring.

Vladimir Strigin, a project manager at City Box, said the company is seeing 15 percent monthly increase in demand. The average lease period is six months.

Former KR Properties chief executive Sergei Kalinin said that in terms of liquidity and return on investment, self-storage is significantly better than large warehouses.

City Box is planning a second and third facility to bring the companys total storage space to 6,000 square meters. Red Box recently opened another facility in Southeast Moscow.

According to the Times article, the investment return on self-storage in Russia is not more than eight to 10 years, usually about 4.5 years. The cost to develop a square meter of space is $400 to $800, and a 4-square-meter unit can rent for about $1,500 per year.

By Sheryl Connelly

The list is endless when it comes to marketing information portals and outlets. Radio, television, billboards, e-mail, text messaging, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Digg represent only the short list of venues you can use to attract and engage prospects and customers. In our technologically advanced society, consumers have access to any information they want, whenever they want it.

With so much information at our fingertips, it's no surprise that business marketing and advertising efforts are suffering. Look at your own e-mail inbox or postal mailbox and you can see why many of a company's marketing and advertising messages have been termed part of the growing noise.

How do you get above that noise and grow your database? Can you win the battle of the bulk so your prospects pay attention to you? What will prevent them from pressing the delete key, trashing that direct-mail postcard, or tuning you out? You need to send the right message to the right customer at the right time.

Hitting Your Target

It sounds overly simplistic, but most businesses continue to employ the best-guess solution when creating marketing messages and choosing with whom they advertise. Many come at it strictly from the business-owner view and talk at a target base of consumers. Most of the ad copy created tells the prospective customer all about the features and benefits of doing business at their self-storage facility. Im sure youve seen the ads with a photo and a bullet-point list. Most facility operators create ads like this because theyve been told its all in the numbers by the local-media sales rep.

Im not saying that features and benefits arent important, but what I challenge you to do is look at your self-storage business from the other side of the coin. Are you truly going to where your best prospects are, or are you leasing marketing breadth in hopes that a fraction of an avenues readership meets your ideal customer criteria? What is it your customer expects, wants and needs to hear from you?

Lets start with this: How do you know youre targeting the right demographic? Use the old adage of like attracts like. Take a look at your current customer base and determine their common traits. Some of the questions you may ask:  

• What geographic area (ZIP code) do most of our customers share?
• What kind of living situation do most of your storage customers have in common? This could include apartments, outgrowing a home, in transition, etc.
• What kinds of items are these people storing at our facility? Are they storing a car, boat, furniture, business items, band or athletic equipment, etc.?

  Cant get your hands on that information? Still don't know where to find new customers or what your prospects want to hear from you? Then ask. That's right, reach out to your current customers and ask for their details and opinions. Talk to them instead of at them. That is the influence of marketing, my friend. Knowing and giving the end user exactly what he wants, when he wants it.

  Unsure about the best way to gather information? Here are a few ways to get the knowledge you seek:
• In-person focus groups
• Customer-appreciation events
• Polls, surveys or open-ended questions on social-media networks
• Using your blog or Twitter feed as an information-gathering tool

  Consumer Compensation

  The price of information has changed. Just giving customers a newsletter in exchange for their insight and e-mail address isn't sufficient. Whatever you do to gather customer feedback, make it worth their while. Offering a "chance" at $100 for calling an 800 number and pressing buttons for 10 minutes really isn't the best way to garner honest opinions. Often, that invitation finds its way into the closest trashcan or stuffed in a pocket until laundry day.

  Instead, how about offering a percentage off their next months self-storage rental, or a free gift such as a mouse pad, coffee mug or other item with your self-storage logo? Even a small denomination gift card to a local eatery or gas station can be a great incentive.

  In the long run, identifying where to find your ideal customers and giving them the information they want helps you get above all that dreaded marketing noise. Taking a few calculated steps toward marketing savvy not only saves you precious advertising dollars, but can lead to satisfied customers, word-of-mouth referrals and great information. For the time and financially conscious business owner, that type of return on investment is priceless.

  Sheryl Connelly is CEO of Marketing Media Management, a boutique full-service online marketing agency specializing in using social media and digital content to help advertise and promote small businesses. For more information, visit www.managemmm.com.

Nevada Senate Bill 150 (SB150), a bill that revises the self-storage lien law in the state, was approved by Gov. Brian Sandoval On June 13 and will go into effect Oct. 1. Championed by the Nevada Self Storage Association (NVSSA) and national Self Storage Association (SSA), SB 150 creates the following positive changes for self-storage operators:

• If the delinquent tenant has an e-mail address on record at the self-storage facility, then the first lien notification must be delivered via e-mail as well as a form of verified mail. This will be less expensive than the previously required Certified Mail.
• If a delinquent tenant signs the Declaration in Opposition, it is the responsibility of the tenant, not the facility operator, to file suit within 21 days. The operator must wait 30 days to proceed with the lien.
• Operators are protected in situations involving abandoned property, including sensitive property such as pharmaceuticals and private records.
• If the self-storage rental agreement contains a limitation of value, stored property shall be deemed not to exceed that value.
• If rent on a motor-vehicle storage space goes unpaid for more than 60 days, the operator may have the motor vehicle towed from the property.

With the support and efforts of our membership, the SSA and our lobbyist, we were able to greatly improve the self-storage lien-law process for all operators in Nevada," said NVSSA President Travis Morrow. "While we had to make some compromises along the way, and werent able to pass all of the changes wed hoped to, we are still very pleased with what we were able to achieve and the benefits it brings to the entire self-storage industry throughout the state.

Detailed bill information can be found at www.leg.state.nv.us/Session/76th2011/Reports/history.cfm?ID=363.

Other states with newly approved or soon-to-be approved self-storage lien laws include Colorado, Illinois and Tennessee.

The BSC Group LLC, a commercial real estate financing advisor specializing in the self-storage industry, hired Casey McGrath as associate vice president. Working from the companys Chicago headquarters, McGrath will perform the financial underwriting and due diligence on behalf of the company's clients.

During his career, McGrath has participated in the underwriting and closing of more than $3 billion in commercial real estate transactions.

Casey brings a highly quantitative focus to the firm, and his strong background in real estate made him a natural fit, said Shawn Hill, a BSC Group principal.

McGrath worked with BSC Group Principals Hill and Devin Huber at Beacon Realty Capital for several years. He also worked at the California Center for Sustainable Energy and NuDyn Technologies Inc., where he modeled cash-flow projections for residential, commercial and utility-scale solar installations.

He earned a masters degree from the University of California San Diego and a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from The University of Wisconsin Madison, majoring in real estate and urban land economics.

 Caseys educational background and significant experience in commercial real estate and sustainable energy finance will allow him to have an immediate impact on the firm and its clients, Huber said. We are delighted to have Casey join The BSC Group.