In this issue:

• Building Boat/RV Storage: Get insight on choosing the right site and design as well as other factors when building a new property or expanding an existing one.
• Attracting Renters: Learn about the amenities and services operators are providing to entice and satisfy their boat/RV-storage tenants.
• Multi-Channel Marketing: These offline and online strategies will help you win new customers for your boat/RV-storage business.
• Legal Issues: Attorney Scott Zucker offers advice on vehicle-storage insurance requirements, lien sales, rental agreements and more.
• Retail Sales: Learn about the many types of boat- and RV-related products you can add to your retail center to generate more revenue.
• Insurance: Find out what unique coverages you need for boat/RV storage and get general advice on risk management. 

Takeaways for your business:

• How to successfully design and build a boat/RV-storage facility
• How to market and operate a prosperous boat/RV-storage facility
• Insight into insurance, legal and risk-management concerns for boat/RV-storage operators

Inside Self-Storage (ISS) recently released its 2015 Boat/RV Digital Issue, which includes in-depth articles about building and operating a vehicle-storage business. Available for free download, the PDF publication addresses a wide range of issues relevant to business owners who already offer boat and RV storage or wish to add it to an existing self-storage facility. Topics include:

• Site selection
• Storage structure types and building design
• Amenities and services to attract and satisfy boat/RV customers
• Legal issues surrounding vehicle storage
• Multi-channel marketing strategies
• Retail items specifically for boat/RV customers
• Specialized insurance coverages and risk management

The issue can be downloaded from the ISS Resource Center. Other digital issues may be downloaded through the same page.

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.

BOS Container USA, a manufacturer of quick-build storage containers, has released a new skid accessory that works with the four-way forklift-pocket system on its U.S. line of portable self-storage containers. The product was created in response to requests from the company’s U.S. customers seeking an improvement on the logistic capabilities for SC3000 Quick-Build containers, according to a company press release. The skid allows 10- and 13-foot portable-storage containers to be pulled on and off a tilt-bed trailer more easily, the release stated.

U.S. trailer-trucks differ from those in Europe, where the BOS containers originate, according to CEO Kari Honkaniemi. European trailers have either flat beds or side curtains, allowing container loading from the long side of the trailer. In the U.S., the trailers serving long-distance hauling have fixed walls and require loading from the back. To facilitate easier loading and unloading, BOS previously developed a four-way forklift-pocket system that allows the 7-foot, 83-inch-wide Quick-Build container to be placed in 100 percent of U.S. trailers, according to Honkaniemi.

The skid accessory is available on the BOS 10-by-7 and 13-by-7 portable-storage containers. BOS also created a video that shows how the skid is assembled and attached to portable-storage units.

In addition to portable containers, the BOS range of steel products includes door and window frames, material containers, and quick-build warehouses. Its quick-build containers travel flat-packed and can be assembled easily without tools in just minutes, according to the company. They come in six sizes and can be accompanied with numerous accessories, including an electric package that includes an outlet and light, an access ramp, shelving systems, and racks to support tools, clothing, etc. They also come in a variety of colors.

BOS Container USA is the U.S. importer and sales representative for Germany-based BOS GmbH Best of Steel, which was launched in 1967 and manufactures a range of steel and stainless-steel products including door and window frames, material containers, and quick-build warehouses.

Real estate developer James Lustumbo received final approval from the Medina, N.Y, Planning Board to build a self-storage facility on a vacant lot between the Lake Wood Village mobile-home park and a nearby McDonald’s restaurant. Lustumbo was encouraged to pursue the 49-unit Lake Wood Storage by fellow residents of the mobile-home park, who told him they didn’t have access to enough self-storage in the area, according to a source.

City planners approved the project after no opposition was raised during a recent public hearing. Lustumbo expects to have construction complete within a few months, according to “The Daily News.” He intends to build the facility in two phases, with phase one encompassing 25 units and the second phase comprising the remaining 24 spaces, according to the “Orleans Hub,” a community website. Units will be between 150 and 200 square feet, the source reported.

“I think it will be filled by the people there, so many said they needed it,” Lustumbo told a source. “It was driven by the people who live in the park.”

The facility will be built on West Avenue, which borders Maple Ridge Road. Planners approved the project on the condition that no vehicles are stored on the property. Marty Busch, the city’s code enforcement officer, said self-storage was “consistent with the intent of [zoning] for the corridor.”

Devon Self Storage, a California-based operator that owns or manages 50 facilities nationwide, has acquired two storage properties in Fort Worth, Texas, and Yukon, Okla., in partnership with an unidentified state retirement system.

The Forth Worth facility was acquired on May 28. It comprises 72,175 square feet in 518 units. Devon intends to develop an additional 13,000 square feet of traditional storage space on a vacant, 1-acre parcel at the front of the property, according to a press release. The facility was 91.8 percent occupied at the time of acquisition, company officials said.

The Yukon property, near Oklahoma City, Okla., was purchased on March 5. It comprises 97,500 square feet in 571 units as well as 2,400 square feet in office space, 72 covered spaces for RVs, and 92 surface spaces for vehicles. Devon intends to convert 20,060 square feet of traditional unit space into 18,000 square feet of climate control before the end of the year, officials said. The facility was 63 percent occupied at the time of acquisition.

Devon Self Storage was No. 22 on the Inside Self-Storage 2014 Top-Operator’s List, an annual ranking of the industry’s 100 largest operators based on net rentable square feet. Devon’s entire portfolio comprises more than 3.9 million square feet in 18 states and serves more than 21,700 tenants.

Real estate developer Gary Ott is converting a former paper factory in South Philadelphia into Philly Self Storage, which will comprise more than 2,000 units once complete. Ott purchased the Dubin Paper Co. building in February for $3.25 million, according to the source. The first 300 storage units opened this week, with another 340 scheduled to open in August.

The property at 1910 S. Columbus Blvd. had been vacant since 2012 when the paper company shuttered. The three-story, 230,000-square-foot building was in disrepair and plagued by city code violations, Ott told the source. “The biggest problem was that the sprinkler system was inoperable, and [the building] was filled with trash and graffiti. It was a hot house for bad things to happen,” he said.

However, the building’s proximity to several shopping areas was appealing to Ott. “Everyone is moving back to Philly now, so if you combine the population increase with the retail nature of this location, it’s going to provide a service the neighborhood really does need,” he said.

The conversion project included the addition of a new concrete floor for support and to level the building. A new roof was installed, and the outdated sprinkler system was upgraded, the source reported.

The sheer size of the building posed a design challenge for the interior hallways, Ott told the source. Since the site layout replicates the city’s grid plan, his solution was to name each hallway after a city street. “The building is so big that you can’t just tell a customer the number of their unit. They still get a number, but this way, we can tell them to go down Vine and take a right on Chestnut to find their unit,” Ott said.

The facility is expected to be completed in about three years, the source reported. It will employ four full-time people now, with up to four more as it’s finished.

Ott previously developed four similar storage projects in Germantown, Kensington, South Philadelphia and West Philadelphia, Pa., which he sold in 2007, the source reported. He’s hoping to build a new self-storage portfolio through additional conversion projects.

Extra Space Storage Inc., a self-storage real estate investment trust (REIT) and third-party management firm, has realigned its executive team and board of directors. Charles L. Allen is stepping down from his post as chief investment officer (CIO), but will remain the company’s executive vice president. He’ll focus on strategy and execution of complex transactions, including acquisitions involving operating partnership units. Allen has been part of the Extra Space management team since 1998, serving as CIO, chief legal officer (CLO) and general counsel.

“Charley has been a key executive over the past 17 years,” said CEO Spencer F. Kirk. “He was instrumental in taking Extra Space public, and he played a key role in the acquisition of Storage USA. Charley has been integral to the development of our national portfolio, with over 1,000 stores added under his leadership as CLO and CIO.”

Joseph D. Margolis has been appointed as the company’s CIO, effective immediately. Margolis will resign from the Extra Space board, on which he’s served since 2005, as well as the board’s audit committee and the compensation, nominating and governance committee.

Before joining Extra Space, Margolis was the senior managing director and partner for investment firm Penzance Management LLC in Washington, D.C., for nearly five years. Prior to that, he was a co-founding partner in 2004 of Arsenal Real Estate Funds, a private-equity real estate investment company. He also previously held senior positions at Prudential Real Estate Investors in portfolio management, capital markets and as general counsel. Margolis is a graduate of Harvard College and Columbia Law School.

Extra Space also appointed Gary B. Sabin to its board. Sabin served as CEO and chairman of Excel Trust Inc., a retail-focused REIT, since its formation in December 2009. From 2003 to 2009, he was CEO, chairman and president of Excel Realty Holdings LLC. Sabin also served as CEO and co-chairman of Price Legacy Corp. For more than 35 years, he’s been active in diverse aspects of the real estate industry. He received a master's degree in management from Stanford University in the Sloan Fellows program and a bachelor’s of science in finance from Brigham Young University.

“Clearly, we are excited to welcome Joe to our executive team and Gary to our board, both of whom bring a wealth of expertise to the company,” Kirk said.

Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Extra Space currently owns or operates 1,146 self-storage properties in 35 states; Washington, D.C.; and Puerto Rico. The company’s properties comprise approximately 775,000 units and 85 million square feet of rentable space.

Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores, a national chain of roadside travel centers that include convenience stores, gas stations and restaurants, has opened its second self-storage facility under the Love’s Storage Solutions brand name. The newest facility at 1318 Horizon Blvd. in El Paso, Texas, comprises 70,000 square feet in 517 storage units, according to the source. It’s adjacent to a Love’s Travel Stop.

The company’s first self-storage asset opened earlier this year in Sweetwater, Texas, and was also developed next to one of its truck stops. Love’s intends to develop six additional storage facilities in the next few years, with one in Bridgeton, Mo., and two in Las Vegas slated to open by next summer, the source reported. Additional locations have not yet been announced.

Both Texas facilities offer 24-hour access and sell an assortment of moving and packing supplies. Climate control and vehicle storage is also available, according to the company website.

Based in Oklahoma City, Okla., Love's has more than 350 travel-stop locations in 40 states. The company’s Truck Tire Care centers also offer light mechanical services, roadside assistance and tire care for professional truck drivers. The private, family-owned business employs more than 12,000 workers and is currently ranked No. 13 in a “Forbes” annual listing of “America’s Largest Private Companies,” according to the company website.

Real estate developer David Hart has submitted an application to rezone a 5.6-acre parcel in Amherst, N.Y., on which he intends to develop an 87,000-square-foot self-storage facility. During a public hearing this week, the town board agreed to vote on the application on July 28, according to the source.

The project at 4391 Maple Road would require a zoning change from general business to commercial service. Michael Schiavone, an attorney with Lipsitz Green Scime Cambria LLP, represented Hart during the hearing and told board members the self-storage facility would have little impact on area landowners. Increased traffic could also be managed by limiting facility access to an entrance off Flint Road or via a driveway connected to the parking lot of a nearby DoubleTree hotel, he said.

In exchange for the rezoning, Hart would agree to conditions recommended by the planning board, such as limiting the facility to a single story, except for a resident manager’s apartment. Hart would also have to prohibit the rental or sale of vehicles and trailers on the property as well as building-material sales and service, the source reported.