Westy Self Storage of Wilton, Conn., has donated the use of a storage unit to The Wilton Class Projects, a division of the Wilton Youth Council (WYC), to prepare decorations for the organization’s annual post-graduation party. The overnight event at Middelbrook School enables graduating seniors in the community to celebrate in a safe and sober environment. Parent volunteers decorate the venue, and the theme of the party is kept secret from students until early June.

Sponsored by the WYC since 1987, The Wilton Class Projects provide drug- and alcohol-free social or educational events for the parents and teens of each individual class for five years, culminating in the post-graduation party, according to the source. The events are open to all members of the class regardless of the school they attend. In addition to serving as fundraisers for the graduating class, they, also enable parents to network and support one another in dealing effectively with adolescent issues.

“We are grateful that Westy has provided us a place to work on our decorations and store our materials. Since we are working with a tight budget, it’s extremely helpful that Westy has donated a storage unit to us,” said Shawn Kahal, WYC’s class-project coordinator.

The post-graduation party is an “outstanding concept in which the students can have fun yet remain safe,” said Joe Schweyer, district director of Westy’s facility in Wilton.

WYC is a nonprofit organization established in the 1980s by a group of parents concerned about underage drinking.  Led by a board of directors, the organization advocates for the children and youth of Wilton, provides youth-related community programming, and facilitates communication, cooperation and networking on youth issues with parents, school, community and town government.

Founded in 1990, Westy Self Storage is headquartered in Stamford, Conn. The company's portfolio of facilities spans Connecticut, New Jersey and New York.

Dennis Campbell, owner of the Budget Brake & Muffler Auto Centre in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, and two other investors have purchased McKenzie Self Storage, also in Nanaimo, and rebranded it as All-Purpose Storage. The property at 1030 Old Victoria Road features 37 self-storage units as well as boat and vehicle storage. It also offers U-Haul truck rentals, Campbell told the source.

“When this opportunity arose in the south end, where there's not a lot of self-storage businesses, I jumped at it. It's a lot more work for me on top of the muffler shop, but I'm enjoying it,” Campbell said.

Campbell’s auto-repair business at 3575 Shenton Road is part of a chain that opened in 1972. It has 30 locations in British Columbia.

By David Dentice

The maintenance of your security system is vital to protecting your self-storage business as well as tenants’ belongings. Failing to maintain equipment could cause you to lose revenue and customer confidence.

A security technician I know recently serviced a storage facility that reported problems with its gate access. He discovered a whole lot more than just access issues. The keypads appeared to be vandalized, and numerous cameras weren’t working. The housings of the cameras that were functioning were covered in dirt or spiderwebs. The camera images were faded or plagued with ground-loop issues, which means there was no quality review for any recorded incidents.

The tech made notes and advised the manager on how he could improve site security, sketching out a plan for a maintenance overhaul, as the site was clearly neglected. He then completed the repairs, making immense improvements.

A simple, regular review of the site’s security components would’ve saved time, money and, most of all, confidence in this storage property. Don’t let this happen to you. Failure to make security maintenance a priority leads to bigger problems. Not only do you leave your facility vulnerable to break-ins, it tells customers you’re not serious about your business. Here’s how to get your security maintenance on track.

Create a Maintenance Plan

There are simple things self-storage operators can do to maintain their facility’s security presence. The first is to assess your system’s overall condition and note any necessary repairs. Once you have your list, contact a local security company to get started on anything that needs to be fixed.

Whether your site needs work or you’re doing great with security, you can always benefit from regular maintenance. Draft a plan that suits your business, based on all the components of your system. It should address daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual tasks.

First, write a maintenance schedule that includes dates for inspections. It can be helpful to keep a calendar log so you can refer to it later. You may even want to assign maintenance-related duties to a specific manager to ensure proper follow-through.

Daily checks can be a quick and easy way to keep security risks at a minimum. Add any necessary repairs to your list. Here are some areas on which to focus:

Video cameras. Do a simple camera scan on your main video screen. If you have an LCD monitor in your office that only displays footage from certain cameras or salvos, check the main screen on your digital video recorder (DVR) to ensure all cameras are functioning.

Access control. Review your keypad functionality and gate access. It’s best to try some codes to ensure your management software is correctly processing that information. Test the code of a delinquent tenant to ensure your keypads are keeping out past-due customers. There’s nothing worse than discovering that a delinquent renter has accessed his unit after hours, moved out, and possibly even vandalized the unit or facility.

Make sure your gate rolls, opens and closes properly. This is the best way to prevent mischief, theft or vandalism at your property. Also do a quick scan of the property perimeter to identify any possible points of intrusion.

Alarms. You need to do a quick check of your door alarms. Some systems are configured to sound an alarm for a few seconds on vacant units. This will provide proof that your sirens are in working order.

DVR. It’s vital to ensure the footage from your security cameras is being properly recorded, so a quick review of the playback is essential. Test both day and night recordings to see if you have any gaps. This will identify any hardware or software issues.

It’s also important to check the hard drives. Most DVRs have a setup mode that displays the status of drive space and health. It may be that one of your hard drives has gone bad and needs to be serviced. Also find out how many days of recording you’re receiving. You can adjust the motion recording to suit your long-term needs, as many incidents are typically viewed long after they were recorded.

If you DVR isn’t supplying enough playback to meet your needs, try “masking.” In the setup, you should have the ability to mask areas that may be causing unwanted motion detection, such as trees or cars in the background that aren’t relevant to your main subject of recording.

Finally, check to ensure any infrared cameras are appropriately switching from day to night mode. It’s important to know if you’re getting the proper coverage and lighting conditions if you ever need to review an incident.

Ask Your Vendors

When it comes to security maintenance, seek assistance from your vendors. Their technical-support departments can help you check the status on all the equipment being used at your facility as well as communication with the hardware.

Communication of your keypads, wired door alarms and wireless systems should be reviewed during maintenance. Both wired and wireless door-alarm systems provide an excellent safeguard for tenants, but if they’re not working properly, you and your customers are vulnerable.

Most wireless systems use batteries to transmit the status of each device on a daily basis. If the battery has weakened or dropped off the system, a quick report by your vendor can identify any specific issues. Receiving units that relay information can also cause communication problems and prevent a sensor from transmitting signals.

Camera cleaning is another task that’s best left to the pros. Regular cleaning is important, as it’ll eliminate any dust and debris that hinder the best possible image. Inspection of housings will also reveal any possible insect infestations that could cause a problem if not rectified.

Having a certified access-control or video professional come out and do a camera cleaning is always a good idea. One reason is cameras may move or go out of focus during maintenance. This would require a technician with a field monitor to make adjustments and keep the correct views intact.

If you have an intrusion alarm, it would be beneficial to do some testing there as well. This is accomplished by calling your central-monitoring company and verifying all your points are functioning properly.

Buy a Maintenance Contract

A simple, cost-effective way to ensure your site security is always up to par is to buy a yearly or quarterly maintenance contract. A contract can assist with many of your security needs, providing an on-call company that can fix broken items swiftly and correctly and ensuring the work is done right. A maintenance contract gives you priority over general calls and can often provide same-day service. You can also negotiate terms, such as replacement of equipment, into the contract rate.

Whether you choose to do routine maintenance yourself or hire someone, you need a plan to secure your property and tenants’ belongings. Without it, you’re falling behind and leaving yourself open to security risks and turmoil as well as potential loss of revenue and your reputation. The last thing you want is a bad standing on social media sites for offering poor security. Instead, make your system a priority by having a year-round maintenance plan.

David Dentice is the installation manager at QuikStor Security & Software, a provider of security and software products to the self-storage industry since 1987. For more information, call 800.321.1987, e-mail [email protected]; visit www.quikstor.com.

StorageMart, a Columbia, Mo.-based self-storage operator with 165 facilities in Canada and the United States, recently acquired two Strong Box Storage locations in Lincoln and Papillion, Neb. The facilities comprise more than 106,000 net rentable square feet in 793 storage units. They will be rebranded under the StorageMart name.

The property at 1502 Bristol St. in Papillion comprises 59,375 net rentable square feet in 392 storage units. It will be the company’s first location in the Omaha metropolitan market. The facility at 2701 W. O St. in Lincoln comprises about 46,600 square feet and will be StorageMart’s second in the city. Both were more than 80 percent occupied at the time of purchase, according to a press release.

"We're very pleased to be making our initial entry into the Omaha market," said Mike Burnam, StorageMart CEO. "The property in Papillion meets all of our operating criteria. We're also very excited to be increasing our presence in Lincoln."

Both properties will receive interior and exterior lighting upgrades and carpeted hallways, according to a press release. In addition, the facilities will feature perimeter fencing, PIN-controlled gate access, video cameras, climate control, vehicle storage, and a full supply of moving and packing supplies, company officials said.

Bill Bellomy, Michael Johnson and John Owens of Bellomy & Co. represented StorageMart and the seller in the transaction. Bellomy & Co. is a real estate firm specializing in the self-storage industry. The company has offices in Austin, Houston and Lubbock, Texas.

Founded in 1999, StorageMart serves more than 75,000 self-storage customers across Canada and the United States. The company operates in Chinese, English, Punjabi, Quebecois French and Spanish.

A private self-storage investor based in North Carolina has purchased I-95 Mini Storage in St. Pauls, N.C., for $900,000. The buyer formed a limited-liability company to acquire the property, according to a press release from Midcoast Properties Inc., the commercial real estate firm that brokered the transaction.

Opened in 1992, the facility at 1149 W. Broad St. is situated on 2.3 acres and includes 29,755 net rentable square feet of storage space in 224 standard and climate-controlled units. The seven-building property underwent several expansions through 2008, the release stated. It features gated access, video cameras, and a retail office that sells moving and packing supplies.

Dale C. Eisenman, president of Midcoast Properties, represented the seller deal, assisted by fellow broker Michael Morrison. The company is a commercial real estate company that offers brokerage services in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.

Inside Self-Storage (ISS) will host a pavilion of self-storage exhibits and a full day of industry education, Nov. 4-5, at the BMO Centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, as part of BUILDEX Calgary, Alberta’s largest conference and tradeshow for the architecture, construction, interior-design, property-management and renovation industries. The annual event draws more than 4,000 attendees and will feature more than 225 exhibits and 35 educational seminars. The inclusion of ISS in 2015 is an opportunity to “bring information regarding the rapidly expanding and highly profitable self-storage industry to the Canadian business community,” according to event organizers.

The ISS Pavilion in the BUILDEX exhibit hall will feature approximately 25 suppliers who specialize in storage-related products and services, including architectural design, building components, development, financing, insurance, legal services, management services, marketing, security systems, software and more. Those interested in visiting the pavilion should simply register for the BUILDEX tradeshow.

The self-storage education seminars will require separate registration. Currently scheduled sessions include a full-day Self-Storage Development Workshop and a full-day Self-Storage Owner/Operator Executive Workshop.

Speakers for the development session are still being finalized. Designed for aspiring and existing facility owners as well as developers and investors, it’ll provide expert insight to ground-up construction and conversion projects. Case studies will be used to illustrate specific development strategies.

The operator workshop will be presented by industry expert Bob Copper, owner of Self Storage 101, a consulting firm specializing in due diligence, facility audits, feasibility and market studies, operational improvement, staff training, and more. Copper will share information to help self-storage owners and regional managers improve business efficiencies and increase profitability, focusing on industry best practices.

“The Canadian self-storage market is much like the early days of the industry in the United States. Although it is well-established, the room for new development and entry into the market by independent operators and interested investors is enormous and a tremendous opportunity for entrepreneurs interested in a highly profitable segment of the real estate sector,” said Troy Bix, vice president of ISS. “We are excited to bring the ISS brand into Canada and help educate BUILDEX attendees about self-storage by replicating portions of our own Inside Self-Storage World Expo.”

Registration for BUILDEX Calgary will open in September. The event is produced by Informa, parent company of BUILDEX and ISS. Informa is the world’s largest conference, training and exposition producer. Its events attract nearly 1.2 million participants annually.

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, the ISS Store, and Self-Storage Talk, the industry’s largest online community.

Valley Storage, which operates 10 self-storage facilities in Maryland, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia, has purchased CaGe Self Storage in Dillsburg, Pa., its first location in the state. The property at 833 W. Siddonsburg Road encompasses 63,300 square feet of storage space in 395 climate-controlled and drive-up units. Two climate-controlled buildings were added to the facility last fall. The structures were built to match the property’s existing buildings with standing-seam roofs as well as roll-up and swing doors.

Property features include gated access, a retail store selling moving and packing supplies, and wide doors and drive aisles. Additional offerings include online billpay and reservations.

“We are looking forward to being able to service an additional community and continuing our high-standard of customer service,” said Todd Snook, who co-owns the company with Tina Snook.

Like the other Valley Storage properties, the new facility will be managed by Storage Asset Management Inc., a York, Pa., company that oversees more than 45 self-storage properties and three UPS Stores along the East Coast.

Based in Hagerstown, Md., Valley Storage opened its first self-storage location in Williamsport, Md., in 1986. It currently has 50,000 square feet of rentable storage space.

 

Guardian Storage Centers LLC, which operates 39 self-storage facilities in Arizona and California, has purchased Storage Express in Temecula, Calif., for $5.1 million from Scottsdale Commerce LLC, a private investment company. The property at 42189 Winchester Road encompasses 47,294 square feet of self-storage space. Built in 2004, the two-story facility features gated access, individually alarmed units and video cameras. It also includes a remodeled office that sells moving and packing supplies, according to a LoopNet.com listing.

The storage property was marketed without an asking price and received nine offers in 30 days, according to a press release from Lee & Associates-LA North/Ventura Inc., the real estate firm that brokered the transaction. The deal was handled by principals Mike Tingus and John Battle, who’s also a managing director.

“The self-storage market has been the fastest growing sector of the entire commercial real estate investment market. Average returns in excess of 16 percent a year over the past 10 years are fueling tremendous demand by investors,” Battle said. “We wanted the strongest bidders to be aware of and understand our buyer’s expectations. We negotiated final terms with the buyer with the best response to our counter, and closed the transaction without any re-trading from the buyer.”

Founded in 1994 and specializing in industrial, multi-family, office and retail properties, Lee & Associates-LA North/Ventura provides investment-brokerage services from its four offices in Antelope Valley, Calabasas and Ventura County, Calif. It’s a member of Lee & Associates Commercial Real Estate Services, a broker-owned firm with 53 offices and nearly 800 brokers nationwide.  

Storage Express still operates storage facilities in Lancaster and Palmdale, Calif.

Based in Irvine, Calif., Guardian Storage Centers offer free truck rental for new tenants, moving and packing supplies, and vehicle storage. The properties also serve as electronic-waste recycling drop-off sites. Guardian’s subsidiary, StorAmerica Management, oversees its self-storage properties and mixed-use retail locations.

Strategic Storage Trust II Inc., a real estate investment trust (REIT) affiliated with SmartStop Self Storage, recently closed on three Michigan properties for $11.9 million. The facilities comprise 197,400 net rentable square feet in about 1,720 storage units and will be rebranded under the SmartStop name, according to a press release.

The three assets were part of a $145 million, 32-property acquisition the company announced in March. They were purchased in concert with affiliated REIT Strategic Growth Trust Inc. from commercial real estate investor DSI Properties Inc. The deal included four Michigan facilities, which will be SmartStop’s first locations in the state, according to the release.

"These assets are ideally located within the Detroit metropolitan region, which holds roughly one-half of Michigan's population," said H. Michael Schwartz, chairman and CEO of SmartStop. "The three facilities will complement our growing self-storage portfolio."

One facility is in Troy, Mich., and the other two are in Warren, Mich. The property at 262 E. Maple Road in Troy is about 28 miles outside of Detroit. Built in 1988, the facility sits on 4.62 acres and comprises 82,200 rentable square feet in 730 units. The eight-building facility was purchased for $4.8 million and was 90 percent occupied at the time of acquisition, company officials said.

The property at 27203 Groesbeck Highway in Warren is about 25 miles outside of Detroit. Built in 1996, the facility is on 4.82 acres and comprises 63,100 rentable square feet in 500 units. The eight-building facility was purchased for $3.4 million and was 80 percent occupied at the time of acquisition.

The second Warren facility is at 24623 Ryan Road on 3.77 acres. Built in 1987, the 10-building asset comprises 52,100 rentable square feet in 490 storage units. Purchased for $3.6 million, it was 86 percent occupied at the time of acquisition.

The fourth Michigan facility that was part of the March deal is at 42557 Van Dyke Ave. in Sterling Heights. It comprises 57,900 square feet in 460 units.

Formerly Strategic Storage Trust Inc., SmartStop is a diversified real estate company that focuses on acquisition, advisory, asset management and property-management services for self-storage properties. The company is also the sponsor, adviser and property manager for Strategic Storage Trust II, a public, non-traded REIT specializing in stabilized properties, and Strategic Storage Growth Trust, a public, non-traded REIT focusing on self-storage acquisition and development. The Strategic Storage Trust II portfolio comprises 1.8 million rentable square feet in 16,060 units.