Guardian Storage, which operates 16 self-storage facilities in Colorado and Pennsylvania, has been named the 2014 Independent Business of the Year by the Superior, Colo., Chamber of Commerce. The award was presented on June 3 by “The Daily Camera,” a community news source.

The accolade is intended for a business of 25 employees or fewer that has been successful and active in the Superior community. Guardian Storage was praised for its investment in the city and for achieving success through a proven commitment to customer service, according to a company press release.

Since opening its Superior location in February 2013, Guardian Storage has been a member of the chamber of commerce and has sponsored a variety of activities, including car washes, pet-adoption days, and free document-shredding and electronic-recycling events. The self-storage operator has also sponsored family-friendly community events including the annual Chili Fest and 4th of July Festival.

“Since we first broke ground on our Superior facility, we have been embraced with open arms by the business community and residents,” said Kevin Cohen, director of business development. “Superior is a vibrant and thriving town, and it has been a pleasure to build relationships not just with our customers, but with the entire community. We look forward to many more years of service and success in Superior and throughout the Denver-metro area.”

The Guardian facility at 1555 76th St. encompasses 80,000 square feet of storage space and about 700 units. Amenities include individual door alarms, an intercom system, video cameras, a conference room and business center, free Wi-Fi, free use of the facility’s moving truck, and tenant-package acceptance.

“This company has a very strong philosophy in how it interacts with its customers. Every manager goes through an internal professional-development program to ensure employees give customers all the attention, service and respect they deserve to navigate through all of life’s transitions,” said Christine Labozan, retail advertising director for “The Daily Camera.” “This business believes that giving away the little things such as coffee, water, Wi-Fi, their moving truck and conference room makes a big difference.”

Founded in 1987, Guardian Storage owns or manages 12 self-storage facilities in Greater Pittsburgh and four in the Denver-metro area, with a total of approximately 1 million square feet of storage space and more than 10,000 units.

By Kay Miller Temple

Tick-tock-look-at-the-clock. Are you kept awake at night thinking how the next sensitive-data breach might affect your self-storage business? Target, Neiman Marcus, Heartbleed, Internet Explorer—who's next? Fortunately, the industry's management-software companies offer many features that will help you protect tenants' information and your business.

Self-storage software companies are keen on meeting Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS). These requirements, included in any discussion of credit card data security, are created by the PCI Security Standards Council, which introduces new goals every three years. This is the timeframe to accommodate updates and deploy new security approaches.

Password: Password

Passwords are one of the most vulnerable points of software, mainly due to the unbelievable number of global users that still use the word "password" as their password. Passwords are key to limiting access to data, but only if they're strong, not shared and changed frequently. Essentially, passwords are a way to augment data security.

"Configuring software to cause current passwords to expire and new passwords to be assigned after a specified number of days can also be complimented by lockouts after a specific number of failed attempts," says David Essman, director of marketing for Sentinel Systems Corp., a provider of self-storage software and security products.

Encryption and Tokenization

Partnered with PCI DSS in conversations about personal data security are "encryption" and "tokenization." Both offer ways to provide data protection. Complicated mathematics aside, encryption is the process of translating data into a code, making it more difficult for unauthorized users to read. Tokenization takes sensitive data and replaces it with a surrogate value. In addition, information goes back to company software to be stored and used for subsequent payments.

"This means if someone were to access your data, they would only have useless reference numbers that can't be used anywhere else," says Steve Weinstein, business development consultant and security specialist for QuikStor Security & Software, a provider of security and software products. "This puts the responsibility of PCI compliance and credit card data security in the hands of the experts: the credit card companies themselves."

Layer Upon Layer

As hackers try to whack their way to sensitive data treasures, software companies add layers of cyber hurdles. Multiple firewalls offer protection. Sometimes hackers get in only to find the treasure chest is empty and a facility's software doesn't even store the data.

Another security layer can be data encryption specifically at the database level, says Mark Smith, senior vice president of product strategy for software provider Centershift Inc. "This ensures that even if the data were to fall into the wrong hands, it would be virtually impossible to decrypt the data and derive any value from it."

Testing security layers may also be a good idea to beat hackers at their own game. Markus Hecker, chief operating officer for SMD Software Inc., the manufacturer of SiteLink management software, says "one approach is hiring outside corporations to conduct penetration testing."

Data-Security Amplification

In addition to security layers, software can subvert hackers by avoiding certain encryption systems like OpenSSL, the target of the recent Heartbleed vulnerability. Additional software components can be implemented at the facility level. Unique elements, such as fingerprint scanners, can also beef up site security.

"Programs that provide permission management can allow upper management and owners to decide how much of the program will be exposed for an individual or group," says Kevin Kerr, marketing and sales director for Empower Software Technologies Inc., a provider of management software.

Other programs can be considered secure by default using built-in security that can't be turned off. Security features are present for a reason: to provide the highest level of security, not to be downgraded, says Katelyn Wyss, a public-relations specialist for StorageAhead, which recently launched StorEdge, a cloud-based management software program.

"If there are security features a program offers, why would you ever turn them off?" Wyss says. "Because you don't like entering your password eight times a day? You get one data breach and you're the next Target. Your business is done."

Your Data: Gone, but Not Forgotten

No doubt credit card payments made at the counter or over the Internet increase business liability. Again, one of many ways to lesson the risk is to get rid of credit card information by removing all sensitive data from office computers. Storing cardholder information on computers also creates the need to meet the PCI DSS requirements.

"Remove all cardholder data from your computer," advises Ramona Taylor, president of management software company Space Control Systems Inc. "It's based on a simple idea: If it's not there, it can't be stolen."

While modern security practices involve data transfer to off-site experts, the data still belongs to the facility. Reviewing data, such as demographics, payment patterns and occupancy information is vital to business health and growth.

Self-storage owners should remember that though software companies can manage data storage, the data belongs to the business that generates it, says Patrick Lane, marketing director for Syrasoft Self Storage Software. "Data should never be held hostage or be used for leverage."

A worry-free, cyber existence is impossible and criminals aren't going away. But modern software products combined with user sensibilities can minimize chances of crime involving sensitive data.

Kay Miller Temple is a physician and recent graduate from the master's program at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. To reach her, e-mail [email protected].

Men on the Move Moving & Self-Storage will receive a significant tax break from Nassau County, N.Y., officials thanks to an expansion project that will double the size of the company’s Floral Park, N.Y., storage facility. The storage business plans to add a second story to its building near the Meadowbrook State Parkway, doubling its current capacity of 50,000 square feet, according to the source.

The project is expected to cost $10.4 million and create three jobs, according to records. In return, the Nassau Industrial Development Agency offered a $100,000 sales-tax exemption and $61,635 off the mortgage-recording tax. As part of the deal, the property tax will be frozen for five years, followed by incremental increases of 1.66 percent for the next five years, and then increases of 2 percent for another five years.

The county has structured similar tax breaks for other self-storage operators in Hicksville and Elmont, N.Y., and Men on the Move previously received a tax deal for a facility it built in Glen Cove, N.Y., according to the source.

In addition to its Floral Park location, Men on the Move currently operates a second self-storage facility in Huntington Station, N.Y. The company has offered moving services on Long Island for more than 20 years.

A giant mural of killer whales on the side of a multi-story Planet Self Storage facility in Boston’s South End will soon be obstructed to motorists traveling along the Southeast Expressway by a new residential development. The frame of the new building being constructed next door to the storage facility is already interfering with views of the mural, according to the source.

The popular artwork has adorned the side of the self-storage building since 1998. It was painted by commissioned artist Ron Deziel. The mural has become a landmark for motorists and brought notoriety to Planet Self Storage.

The residential development will feature two side-by-side buildings as part of the Troy Boston project headed by New Jersey-based developer Normandy Real Estate Partners. The property will also include 6,000 square feet of retail space.

When the Normandy development project was announced in 2012, Bryce Grefe, an owner of Storage Investment Management Inc. (SIMI), which has managed the Planet Self Storage location since August 1998, said he was hopeful some of the mural would remain visible. Although he acknowledged the construction would impede the building’s visibility, Grefe said he didn’t expect the project to adversely affect the facility’s business.

The current artwork is actually the second whale mural to adorn the storage building. The first was covered by the building’s owners after extensive repair work was necessary. The current mural also was covered for nearly two years between 2007 and 2009 in favor of an iPod advertisement.

Planet Self Storage operates several facilities in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

SIMI offers facility-management and consulting services in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic regions. Its principals also own self-storage facilities.

Drive-In Self Storage in Uxbridge, Mass., was recently purchased by a Boston-based real estate investment and management firm for $4.5 million. Albany Road–Uxbridge Storage LLC, an affiliate of Albany Road Real Estate Partners, acquired the property at 35 Balm of Life Spring Road.

The seller was R & D Partners, a firm affiliated with Harvey Rogoff, an accountant from Long Island, N.Y., and Noah Dorsky, an N.Y. businessman, according to the source. Rogoff and Dorsky purchased the 5.42-acre property in 1994 for $510,000.

The property was originally built in 1987, with expansions added in 1996 and 1998. It currently includes 55,285 square feet of storage space.

Founded in 2012 by four partners, Albany Road Real Estate Partners is actively pursuing acquisition opportunities with the goal of having $500 million in gross assets under its management by its fifth year of business, according to the company’s website. The company has purchased 10 properties, including four self-storage facilities in Connecticut: Simsbury Self-Storage and West Street Self-Storage in Simsbury; Waterbury Self-Storage in Waterbury; and Blue Cube Self-Storage in Bloomfield.

Drive-In Self Storage operates one facility in East Syracuse, N.Y.

Inside Self-Storage (ISS) has opened the voting for its 2014 Best of Business reader-choice poll, in which self-storage professionals identify their favorite product and service suppliers in more than 30 categories. Voters can choose their favorite companies in categories such as Best Call-Center Services, Most Innovative Product, Best Lock, Best Tech Support, Best Online Directory and many others. Voting takes place at www.insideselfstorage.com/vote through July 7. Participants can vote one time in as many categories as they wish after verifying their e-mail address.

The results of this year's campaign will be published on the ISS website on Aug. 1. The winners will also be featured in the November edition of ISS magazine and honored at the Inside Self-Storage World Expo in Las Vegas, April 7-9, 2015.

The winners of previous Best of Business campaigns can be viewed at www.insideselfstorage.com/best-of-business/index.aspx.

For nearly 25 years, ISS has provided informational resources to self-storage owners, managers, developers and investors. Its educational offerings include a monthly magazine, annual conferences and tradeshows, an extensive website, an online store, and Self-Storage Talk, the industry’s largest online community.

U-Haul Co. of Arkansas has converted a former Walmart store into a self-storage facility in Pine Bluff, Ark. The property has been rebranded as U-Haul Moving and Storage of Pine Bluff. The facility is comprised of 112,895 square feet on 10.95 acres.

In addition to self-storage, the location offers truck rentals, towing equipment, U-Box portable storage and packing supplies.

"By converting this former Walmart store into a U-Haul facility, we are showing the residents of Pine Bluff that we are committed to the growth and development of their community," said Andrew Hicks, marketing company president for U-Haul Co. of Arkansas.

The acquisition was driven by U-Haul’s corporate sustainability initiatives, which supports infill development to help local communities lower their carbon footprint, according to a company press release. U-Haul’s adaptive reuse of existing buildings eliminates the amount of energy and resources required for new-construction materials and helps local cities diminish their unwanted inventory of unused buildings, U-Haul officials said.

Established in 1945, U-Haul International Inc. has more than 40 million square feet of storage space at more than 1,000 owned and managed facilities throughout North America.

Graham M. Bradbury, the director of Guardian Self Storage Ltd. in Worcester, England, has been banned from acting as a company director for five years, following an investigation by the British government’s Insolvency Service. Bradbury admitted to selling the contents of 29 self-storage units to a third party for £29,000 in cash, less than a month before Guardian entered voluntary liquidation, according to the agency.

The investigation determined that bailiffs working to recover overdue rent on behalf of the company's landlord had seized assets on Guardian's premises, according to the source. Bradbury told investigators the cash was used to pay wages to subcontract laborers, redundancy, an accountant, the prospective liquidator and solicitors, as well as to repay a loan to an employee, according to an Insolvency Service brief. However, the unit contents that were sold did not belong to Guardian, according to the source, and the distribution of the funds violated the terms of the liquidation because the money was not spread among all creditors.

“The law is very clear; all creditors of an insolvent company should be treated fairly so that each obtains a share of any payout, rather than creditors being cherry-picked,” chief investigator Sue MacLeod said. “Mr. Bradbury had already been in contact with an insolvency practitioner before he sold company assets, yet used that revenue in such a way that some creditors received nothing at all while others were paid in full. The consequence is that he is now disqualified and cannot continue in business, other than at his own risk.”

Bradbury will not be able to act as a company director, nor manage or control a limited company, until May 2019.

Guardian entered liquidation on Oct. 26, 2012, owing creditors a total of £178,626, including £65,000 to the landlord, £27,121 to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and £14,646 to a bank, according to sources.

At the time of the liquidation, news reports said several tenants had been unable to access their items or remove belongings from the facility. Customer Jeanette Weir claims to have lost irreplaceable items, including photographs, gifts and family heirlooms, worth up to £30,000.

“I think a lot more should be done. A lot of people have been affected by it,” Weir told the source. “People have lost everything but received no compensation. The way everything was handled was disgraceful. [Bradbury] should be held personally and financially responsible.”

No criminal charges have been brought against Bradbury in the case.

Guardian Self Storage Ltd. is not related to the U.S.-based operator by the same brand name.

The Big Yellow Self Storage facility on Lenton Lane in Nottingham, England, is providing free storage space to the Clifton Open Group, a community organization that aids children with special needs, to store the camping equipment it uses for member excursions. Until now, the group has been meeting and storing its gear at the Green Lane Community Centre in Clifton, England. However, the center is undergoing refurbishing, and it’s unclear if the organization will have access to the space. Group leader Barbara Green, 60, of Colesbourne Close in Clifton has made a public appeal for new accommodations.

"We're not sure whether we're going to be able to meet at the community center while the refurbishment is ongoing,” Green said. “It also means I can't put out an appeal for new members. Where do I tell them to go? I'm passionate about this group and am determined that it should continue."

Founded eight years ago, the Clifton Group includes about 40 children between ages 14 and 19 who have learning disabilities, autism and other special needs. It aims to help them learn life skills such as cooking and camping, gain independence, and work toward their bronze, silver or gold The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, a youth achievement honor.

"It's hugely important to get them out of their comfort zones and learning things they wouldn't necessarily learn in school. A lot of them are very quiet when they start, but we see them grow in confidence. Having the Duke of Edinburgh Award is also hugely important to employers,” Green told the source.

"We hope this will help the group focus their time on other things, so they can carry on their work with children,” Tom Hayward, a Big Yellow facility manager, told the source. “We always like to help charities and community groups as best we can. I did the Duke of Edinburgh Award myself and remember some great times, so it's brilliant to be able to help.”

Big Yellow Self Storage is the operating brand for Big Yellow Group PLC. The company operates 77 self-storage locations in the United Kingdom under the Big Yellow Self Storage and Armadillo Self Storage brand names, with most concentrated in Greater London. The portfolio comprises 4.6 million square feet.