The rental agreement may be the most important tool in operating your self-storage business. That said, it’s vital that you regularly review your lease to confirm it’s up-to-date and effective for its intended purpose.

Some factors to consider are when the agreement was drafted and whether it correctly follows your state’s self-storage laws. Has the lien law been amended? What about recent court decisions that interpret self-storage leases? Depending on the answers to these questions, it may be time for an update. Following are several provisions to check and, if necessary, revise.

Non-Bailment

One of the most crucial ingredients to a strong self-storage rental agreement is an explicit statement that the owner isn’t a bailee of the tenant’s property and there’s no warehouseman relationship between the parties. This is important because a bailee is held to a much higher standard of care than a landlord.

Along the same lines, your lease must state that the self-storage owner doesn’t take care, custody or control of a tenant’s goods. Keep in mind that judges who are deciding cases concerning tenant claims will look primarily to the rental agreement to determine the facility owner’s obligations. Therefore, the lease needs to be clear that the owner isn’t a bailee of the tenant’s property.

Lien-Sale Rights and Procedures

Nearly every state self-storage law requires that language be incorporated into the rental agreement to notify the tenant of the facility owner’s right to lien the tenant’s goods and sell those items once the tenant is in default. Some laws even require that this notice be placed in a specific type size or in bold print. Again, it’s essential to follow whatever is required by the statute. Courts likely won’t uphold an owner’s lien-enforcement rights if he hasn’t properly complied with the statute requisites.

Limitation of Liability

The effort to potentially limit a self-storage owner’s liability in cases of tenant claims is imperative and should be included in the rental agreement under three separate provisions.

First, there should be a value-limit provision stating that the value of the property stored cannot exceed a certain amount (commonly $5,000) unless previously approved in writing by the facility owner. Under this provision, the facility could allow a tenant to store property with a greater value if the tenant could provide proof of insurance for 100 percent of the estimated value of the property. While some states haven’t upheld this provision, many self-storage acts have been amended to allow for it.

Second, there should be a statement whereby the tenant agrees not to store property having special or sentimental value and specifically waives his right to make claims for emotional attachment to the stored property. This lessens the likelihood of tenants claiming emotional distress arising from the loss of or damage to his store goods.

Finally, there should be a jury-trial waiver that attempts to restrict the tenant’s right to bring a claim before a jury. This provision is important because tenant cases heard before a jury have a greater likelihood of returning larger verdicts than similar cases heard only before a judge.

Release of Liability

Your lease should specifically address the tenant’s release of liability against the facility owner, employees and agents. The language should include statements that the property is stored at the “sole risk” of the tenant and the owner isn’t liable for the “loss of or damage to” the tenant’s personal property due to burglary, mysterious disappearance, mold, mildew, fire, water damage, rodents, insects, and acts of God.

It’s also important to include a statement that the self-storage owner won’t be held liable for damage to or loss of property arising from the “active or passive acts or omissions or negligence of the owner, owner’s agents or employees.” This clause is significant because some court decisions have allowed owners to be released from liability even when their own negligence caused the loss or damage to occur. This is especially vital when there’s also language requiring the tenant to obtain insurance for the stored property (see below).

This release section of the agreement can also address liability for any personal injuries that may occur to the tenant while on the self-storage property. Though many states won’t uphold a personal-injury waiver, some mention of it should still be included.

Insurance

One of the most important clauses in a self-storage rental agreement involves the issue of tenant insurance. This provision should state that the tenant is obligated to obtain his own insurance to protect 100 percent of the value of the stored property. It should also provide that the requirement to obtain insurance is a material condition of the lease and that failing to do so would be a breach of the agreement.

Another necessary provision in this section is a waiver of subrogation. This prevents a tenant’s insurance company from pursuing claims against the facility after it has paid the insured. Without it, if a tenant collects from his insurance company on a loss or damage claim, the insurer would have the right to seek recovery against the facility for said payment.

Indemnification

Related to insurance, a good rental agreement should contain an indemnification provision whereby the tenant agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the self-storage facility for property loss or damage as well as personal injury the tenant causes. In other words, if a third party is injured because of the tenant’s actions and seeks to recover against the self-storage facility, the business can look to the tenant to recover any damages it’s required to pay the injured party.

Electronic Communication

In a digital age, people have changed the way they communicate; and the prominence of electronic communication has led many states to amend their self-storage laws and allow lien notices to be sent by e-mail. It’s important to follow these laws to know whether your rental agreement should contain a provision in which the tenant consents to receiving notices by e-mail.

As for text messaging, it’s become more prevalent for self-storage businesses to text account statements and late notices to tenants. However, these messages are governed by federal law (Telephone Consumer Protection Act), which has multiple requirements. These include obtaining written consent from the tenant before sending any texts, notifying the tenant that he can opt out at any time, and a condition that consent to receive texts isn’t required as a condition of purchasing goods or services. If you wish to e-mail and text tenants, ensure your rental agreement contains the correct language to comply with applicable laws.

Other Important Provisions

In addition, your rental agreement should include language addressing the arbitration of claims brought by tenants, restrictions on what can be stored in the unit, the termination rights of the landlord and tenant, and a statement defining a tenant’s abandonment of property. Other provisions should address tenant military status, warranties, partial payments, the landlord’s right to obtain unit access, and the owner’s right to change the terms of the lease agreement upon proper notice to the tenant.

No self-storage rental agreement is perfect, nor does it have to be. However, all good leases contain language that complies with applicable laws and addresses the unique issues that apply in this industry. If you haven’t done so in a while, take some time to read your agreement, and test it to see whether it needs updating.

Ashley Oblinger is an attorney in the Atlanta law firm of Weissmann Zucker Euster Morochnik & Garber, P.C., where he specializes in business and self-storage law, advising operators nationwide on all legal matters, including lease preparation, lien enforcement, tenant issues, tenant-claims defense, and employment policies. To reach him, call 404.760.7434; e-mail [email protected].

Inside Self-Storage (ISS) has released a new installment to its Sounds of Storage podcast series: “Self-Storage Owner and Technology Expert Phil Murphy Discusses the Impact of Innovation.” The 13-minute interview with the co-owner and president of Next Door Self Storage discusses recent advancements affecting the industry including artificial intelligence, Internet of Things and smart devices.

Murphy, who’s also founder and president of CallPotential, which provides lead-management and communications software for the storage market, gives his insight to which technologies are likely to have the most meaningful impact, how mobile tools can help generate more revenue, and what he believes are the biggest hurdles to buy-in from customers, ownership and staff. This audio and others in the series can be accessed on the ISS podcasts page.

Based in Naperville, Ill., Next Door is owned by The Murphy Family. It operates 17 self-storage properties throughout Illinois comprising 1.2 million net rentable square feet.

Murphy has been a frequent speaker for the annual ISS World Expo, covering numerous topics from lead tracking to new technology. Several of his presentations are available for purchase from the ISS Store, including “The Age of the ‘Unreasonable Consumer’: Tech Essentials for Self-Storage, Today and Tomorrow,” which he presented in 2018.

For more than 28 years, ISS has provided informational resources for the self-storage industry. Its educational offerings include ISS magazine, the annual ISS World Expo, an extensive website, the ISS Store, and Self-Storage Talk, the industry’s largest online community.

Hongkong Storage, which operates 14 facilities in the Hong Kong region and one in Shanghai, is now offering records storage and management services in addition to traditional and valet-style self-storage. The company’s program includes record retrieval and imaging as well as shredding and disposal. Boxes designed for document storage are also available, according to a press release.

“The legal mandate of preserving records of monetary transactions, coupled with costly office space in big towers, have made it challenging for the business world in Hong Kong to maintain an efficient office storage space,” company officials said in the release.

Hongkong has partnered with software providers G4S and SAP AG to build its document-management services. “We have been serving both household and corporate clients by giving different document-storage solutions,” officials said. “Through our dynamic and professional logistics experience, our customers enjoy a quick and safe transportation service. Our record-storage services are based on the ideal mix of the SAP warehouse- and G4S security-management [systems].”

Founded in 1997, Hongkong has properties across Kowloon, Hong Kong Island and the New Territories. It also owns Good World Storage in Shanghai. The company provides valet-style pickup and delivery services through its Yes-Storage program.

Source:
Digital Journal, HongKong Storage, a Popular Commercial Storage Service Provider, Goes Online

Update 7/24/19 – Self-storage properties are constantly changing hands, and Inside Self-Storage is regularly notified of these market transactions. Here’s an overview of additional activity happening in July 2019.

365 Self Storage in Round Rock, Texas, was sold to NitNeil Partners, an Atlanta-based real estate development and investment firm specializing in self-storage. Built in 2016, the facility at 2000 University Blvd. sits on nearly 3 acres and comprises 77,450 net rentable square feet in 678 climate-controlled units. It’ll be managed by Life Storage, a self-storage REIT and management firm. The buyer and the seller, Austin, Texas-based Storage at TV, were represented in the transaction by Bill Bellomy and Michael Johnson, principals with Bellomy & Co.

REIT Public Storage Inc. purchased the two-property Affordable Self Storage portfolio in Augusta, Ga. Together, the facilities comprise 142,570 net rentable square feet in 1,198 units. The buyer and the seller were represented in the transaction by Kidder. Based in Glendale, Calif., Public Storage has interests in 2,444 self-storage facilities in 38 states, with approximately 164 million net rentable square feet.

Cochise Self Storage in Sunsites, Ariz., was sold for $385,000. The facility at 407 N. Frontage Road sits on 1.5 acres and comprises 18,080 square feet in 136 units. It also contains two commercial rental properties. The buyer was represented in the transaction by Jeff Gorden and Kyle Topper of Eagle Commercial Realty Services, an Argus affiliate.

Metro Storage LLC, which operates more than 135 self-storage properties in 14 states, purchased Red Carpet Self Storage in Franklin, Tenn., a Nashville suburb. Opened in 2017, the three-story facility at 108 Werthan Circle Road comprises 69,541 rentable square feet in 562 units. Headquartered in Lake Forest, Ill., the Metro Self Storage brand operates a portfolio comprising about 9.1 million square feet of storage space.

Redline Storage in Spring, Texas, was sold to a limited-liability company. Built in 2016, the facility at 3139 Spring Cypress Road comprises 28,248 square feet. The buyer and the seller, a private investor, were represented in the transaction by Dave Knobler, first vice president of investments for M&M.

Pinnacle Storage Properties, a Houston-based firm that operates more than 10 Texas self-storage facilities under various names, has acquired two Storage Plus facilities in Katy and Livingston, Texas. The facility at 5310 E. 5th St., in Katy comprises 142,476 square feet in 531 units. The Livingston site at 4414 U.S. Highway 190 W. contains 46,100 square feet in 260 units. Pinnacle plans to add 35,050 square feet of climate-controlled space to the property. The privately held real estate owner and operator is focused on the acquisition, development and management of self-storage assets. Its investment strategy is to purchase under-leveraged properties in suburban and secondary markets.

West Side Storage in Springtown, Texas, was sold to a local self-storage owner. The facility at 1050 W. Highway 199 comprises 44,500 square feet in 278 units. The buyer and the seller, the site developer, were represented in the transaction by Danny Cunningham, senior associate, and Brandon Karr, senior vice president of investments, for M&M.

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7/9/19 – Self-storage properties are constantly changing hands, and Inside Self-Storage is regularly notified of these market transactions. Here’s an overview of activity happening in July 2019.

54 U-Store in Lutz, Fla., was acquired by Reliant Real Estate Management LLC. Built on 19 acres at 23830 State Road 54, the facility comprises 99,334 net rentable square feet in 934 units and 133 RV spaces. It’ll be rebranded as Midgard Self Storage, which has 26 locations in Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. The deal was brokered by Patrick Kidder, vice president of investment sales at Nye Commercial Advisors.

Reliant also operates storage properties under the StoreSmart Self Storage brand name. Its operating portfolio of 61 owned and managed facilities comprises more than 5.5 million square feet.

Affordable Self Storage in Bothell, Wash., was sold to an out-of-state buyer for $6 million. Built in 1983, the facility at 1621 196th St. S.E. comprises 38,725 square feet in 290 units. The buyer and the seller were represented by Christopher R. Secreto, senior vice president of investments for Marcus & Millichap (M&M), a commercial real estate investment services firm with offices throughout Canada and the United States.

A-Max Self Storage in Spicewood, Texas, was sold to a limited-liability company (LLC). The facility at 21012 State Highway 71 W. comprises 47,530 square feet. The buyer and the seller, a partnership, were represented in the transaction by Jon Danklefs and Mark V. Diebold, investment specialists for M&M.

Axis Self Storage has acquired Almost Like Home in New Freedom, Pa., from First Capital Investors LLP. The facility at 224 N. Constitution Ave. contains 323 interior units and outside vehicle storage. The seller was represented in the transaction by Bill Rothman, founder of RSR Realtors LLC. Axis represented itself. It operates 17 facilities, including 14 in Pennsylvania.

Best Value Storage in Redding, Calif., was sold for $6.95 million to a local investor. The property at 340 Lake Blvd. comprises 64,797 net rentable square feet in 521 units. It includes 15 single-story storage buildings, a management office and two living quarters on 5.29 acres. The seller was represented in the transaction by Bobby Loeffler, president, and Tyler Skelly, national director, of the Loeffler Self-Storage Group Inc., which specializes in self-storage real estate in California and Nevada.

Phoenix-based U-Haul International Inc. acquired Budget Storage in Fremont, N.H. The property at 25 Main St. comprises five storage buildings as well as RV-storage spaces on about 11.5 acres. U-Haul Storage of Fremont opened on June 19 under the management of affiliate U-Haul Moving & Storage of Brentwood. Together, the two facilities offer more than 500 storage units. Established in 1945, U-Haul owns and manages more than 62.5 million square feet of storage space nationwide.

Camp Horne Self Storage in Pittsburgh was sold to an LLC. Built in 2004, the facility at 180 Camp Horne Road sits on 4.3 acres and comprises 52,344 square feet in 447 units. The buyer and the seller, also an LLC, were represented in the transaction by Gabriel Coe and Brett R. Hatcher, investment specialists with M&M. They were assisted by Sean Beuche, regional manager for M&M.

Jumbo Storage in Pasadena, Texas, was sold to a private investor. The facility at 4931 Allen Genoa Road comprises 47,700 square feet. The buyer and the seller, an LLC, were represented in the transaction by Roger L. Hendricks, first vice president of investments for M&M.

MJP Self Storage in Loveland, Colo., was sold to a local investor. Build in 2014, the property at 4321 W. Eisenhower Blvd. contains four single-story buildings comprising 25,375 square feet in 142 units. The seller, a local private owner, was represented in the transaction by Conor Reagan, investment associate, and Adam Schlosser, senior vice president of investments, for M&M. The buyer was represented by Boomer Beatty and Peter Standley, co-directors of the Beatty-Standley Multi-Family Housing Team at M&M. Financing was arranged by Phil Gause, vice president of capital markets for M&M.

Monkey Junction Self Storage Inc. sold four of its facilities in Wilmington, N.C., to Prime Group Holdings LLC. Combined, the properties comprise 568,139 net rentable square feet in 2,832 units and 458 vehicle-storage spaces. Monkey Junction retained other facilities, including two under development in Wilmington, according to owner Archie McGirt. Based in New York, Prime owns 230 self-storage facilities in 24 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Mr. G's Mini-Warehouses in Daytona Beach, Fla., was sold to an LLC. The facility at 1104 N. Nova Road sits on 4.65 acres and comprises 65,079 square feet in 794 units. The buyer and the seller, also an LLC, were represented in the transaction by Gabriel Coe, Nathan Coe and Hatcher of M&M. They were assisted by Ryan Nee, regional manager for M&M.

National Storage Affiliates Trust, a Maryland real estate investment trust (REIT) specializing in self-storage, has purchased the nine-property Locktite Storage portfolio in Southeast and South-Central, Texas. The sites are in Conroe, Deer Park, Dripping Springs, Houston, La Porte, Manvel, Pasadena, Seguin and Wimberly. Together, they total 684,000 net rentable square feet. The seller was represented in the transaction by Steve Mellon and Brian Somoza of JLL Capital Markets, a full-service global provider of capital solutions for real estate investors and occupiers.

SmartStop Asset Management LLC, a Ladera Ranch, Calif.-based diversified real estate company that manages 116 self-storage facilities in Canada and the United States, has acquired Happy Valley Self-Storage in Phoenix from the developer, Strategic Development LLC. The facility at 1740 W. Happy Valley Road sits on 2 acres and comprises 80,000 square feet in more than 550 units. It was designed by ARC Services Inc., with feasibility consulting, construction management and property management provided by 180 Self-Storage LLC, a Gilbert, Ariz.-based self-storage consulting company.

Sunnyvale Self Storage in Longmont, Colo., was sold to an unidentified buyer. The property at 820 Lashley St. comprises 28,304 rentable square feet on 1.74 acres. The deal was brokered by Joan Lucas of Joan Lucas Real Estate Services, an affiliate of the Argus Self Storage Network, a Denver-based network of real estate brokers who specialize in storage properties.

A joint venture between Clark Investment Group and GoodFriend Management has acquired a three-property portfolio in New York for $49 million. Together, the facilities total 175,531 square feet. The acquisition includes facilities at 1320 Zerega Ave. in the Bronx, 316 W. First Street in Mount Vernon and 175 Huguenot St. in New Rochelle. Financing was negotiated by Talonvest Capital, an Irvine, Calif.-based boutique self-storage and commercial real estate mortgage brokerage.

Based in Wichita, Kan., Clark is a private real estate development and investment company that has developed more than 100 storage facilities. New York-based self-storage firm GoodFriend acquires, develops and manages self-storage in the metro New York market.

New Sources:
Benzinga, Metro Storage LLC Acquires Storage Facility in Franklin, Tennessee
Commercial Property Executive, Bellomy & Co. Arranges Austin-Area Storage Sale

Previous Sources:
Penn Live, Axis Self Storage Acquires York County Facility
The Real Deal, Joint Venture Secures $49M Financing for Self-Storage Portfolio
REBusiness Online, Locktite Sells Portfolio of Self-Storage Facilities Totaling 4,835 Units in Texas
PR Newswire, U-Haul Expands Self-Storage Options in Rockingham County
REBusiness Online, Loeffler Self-Storage Group Arranges $6.9M Sale of Self-Storage Asset in California
WilmingtonBiz, Firm Buys Monkey Junction Self Storage Properties In Multi-million Dollar Deal

Pinnacle Storage Properties, a Houston-based firm that operates more than 10 self-storage facilities in Texas, intends to list more than $100 million in storage assets on Earn.re, a blockchain platform for commercial real estate financing designed to connect lenders and accredited investors directly with project sponsors. Pinnacle will also be a sponsor, according to the source.

Earn.re began “off-platform” capitalization nine months ago and is expected to begin live trading during the third quarter. It’s powered by an Ethereum public blockchain, according to its website. “Qualified investors are able to acquire both equity and debt shares in vetted development projects represented by ERC1400-compliant security tokens,” according to information posted on the site. “Solidity coded smart contracts ensure fast, secure and accurate distribution of funds, dividends and payments.”

The Pinnacle portfolio totals more than 1 million square feet of self-storage. “We are pleased to have secured the commitment of an experienced sponsor with a strong track record of success and increasing momentum,” Aaron Lohmann, CEO of Earn.re, told the source.

The platform will offer equity and debt-investment opportunities. Earn.re will generate security tokens that reflect an investor’s fractional ownership stake verified within the blockchain. Each token will automatically compute and distribute returns to investors’ private cryptocurrency accounts. Earn Debt and Earn Equity tokens will be moveable on the Earn.re exchange, similar to how stocks and bonds are traded, the source reported.

Pinnacle’s involvement in Earn.re comes on the heels of the company hiring Kurt Power as vice president of investor relations. It’s a privately held real estate owner and operator focused on the acquisition, development and management of self-storage assets. Its investment strategy is to purchase under-leveraged properties in suburban and secondary markets. Its portfolio spans 20 properties comprising more than 1.1 million rentable square feet, according to its website.

Earn.re will offer securities backed by several property types including government, hospitality, industrial, multi-family, retail and self-storage, the source reported.

Sources:
GlobeSt.com, Pinnacle Storage to List $100M of Assets on New Blockchain Platform
Earn.re, Website

U.K. self-storage operator Big Yellow Group PLC released financial results for the first quarter of its 2020 fiscal year, which ended June 30. The company reported same-store revenue of £30.9 million, up 4.4 percent year over year. Total revenue for the quarter was £31.1 million, a 3.7 percent increase from last year. Average occupancy across its portfolio closed at 84 percent compared to 83.4 percent a year ago, while same-store occupancy was 85.1 percent, up from 83.3 percent.

“The like-for-like growth in revenue this quarter of 4.4 percent was affected by the more muted occupancy performance in the final quarter of last year, given the heightened uncertainty in the run-up to March 29, the U.K.’s original proposed exit date from the [European Union],” said James Gibson, CEO. “We remain focused on our core objective of 90 percent like-for-like occupancy across the portfolio.”

During the period, Big Yellow razed an existing 34,000-square-foot self-storage facility in the Battersea area of West London in preparation for building a 75,000-square-foot facility at the same site. The new store is expected to open next summer. The company also has a 77,000-square-foot project underway in the Camberwell area of London and is set to commence development of a 57,000-square-foot facility in Bracknell, England. Those projects are expected to be complete next spring and summer, respectively.

“We are continuing our expansion strategy and are pleased to have acquired an excellent development site in Harrow, Northwest London,” Gibson said. “This acquisition takes the pipeline to 13 potential Big Yellow stores, approximately 900,000 square feet, of which three have planning consents and are either currently under construction or will shortly be so.”

Big Yellow Group operates 99 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 and Southeast England. Its total portfolio comprises 5.7 million square feet.

Source:
Big Yellow, Trading Statement

In today’s competitive self-storage climate, with suitable building sites shrinking and land costs increasing, many owners and developers are taking a hard look at retrofitting existing vacant warehouses and industrial buildings. These structures can be successfully and economically converted, and yet they present their own challenges.

Avoiding pitfalls requires careful analysis of the existing buildings. Accurate spatial information is critical for the architect to create a useful set of as-built drawings from which to determine project feasibility. When documenting conditions in the field, laser-scanning technology is a time-saving tool to increase accuracy and minimize error.

How I Started Scanning

I recently embarked on an odyssey to convert a large warehouse into self-storage. It’s a metal-surfaced structure with integral steel beam/columns and purlins. The client planned to place a second-floor platform inside.

Initially, I performed a field measure of the building using a hand-held laser-distance device; but I had limited success because when I input the measurements to my documents, some information didn’t correlate. Four return trips to the job site failed to satisfy my requirement. I decided to rethink my approach.

One of my associates owns a firm that’s known for high-end, commercial laser scanning, having provided this service for the aerospace industry, the U.S. Navy and the Smithsonian Institution. His company has scanned the Liberty Bell, the Washington National Cathedral and the Lincoln Memorial. Scanning national monuments is valuable for historic preservation, archival record-keeping, model-making and damage assessment.

I had hired the firm last year to scan a seven-story masonry building in Baltimore to check for “out of plumb” movement due in part to earthquake activity. So, when I got stumped on this self-storage conversion project, I considered calling them in again. The work was going to take a full day, as someone would have to visit the jobsite—a two and a half hour drive each way, plus scanning time. At $5,000, the proposal exceeded my budget, so I needed a new plan.

I decided to research the possibility of performing the scan myself. I found a couple of small scanners online in the $20,000 range. When I mentioned these to a colleague, he said he’d recently purchased a scanner but hadn’t used it yet. A stroke of luck! Maybe I could rent it for a day?

We negotiated a daily rate of $500, which was a very reasonable fee. I asked for line drawings from the scan, for which he charged me an additional $200. The unit came in a small carrying case with a tripod. He calibrated it for low resolution to keep the file size down. Next, I needed to learn how to use it. The simple instructions were, “Just set it up on the tripod, press the button, and wait a few minutes for the scan to take place.” I packed it up and headed out.

How It Works

A laser scanner is essentially a laser-distance instrument in high-definition mode. Mounted on a tripod, it turns around horizontally while a mirror apparatus spins rapidly in the vertical direction. The laser beam emanating from the mirror, as it turns and spins, forms a large spatial set of points that yield accurate distances out to the various surfaces it “sees.” This set of points is known as a spherical point cloud and can create a rather large file with easily millions of points from a single scan. A second rotation of the scanner from the same position captures images that can colorize the point cloud and provide a spherical “bubble” view of the 3D area.

Like traditional cameras, a laser scanner can’t see through or around walls. To capture a large complicated space with many rooms, you must move the scanner and take dozens or even hundreds of scans, depending on the structure.

There are many brands of scanners with varying functionalities and capabilities. Some are meant for more industrial environments and outdoors, while others are better for smaller, more accurate scanning such as capturing ornate architectural detail line in cornices or decorative ceilings. As with any project, one should choose the best tool for the job at hand.

Back to My Odyssey

Out at the conversion site, I took six scans of the 160-by-100-foot building. Each lasted five minutes. My colleague e-mailed the file to me the following day, and I loaded it into the modeling software I use to design buildings.

Using the program, I took cross sections through the scan file. The result was a grainy image of the building, almost like an X-ray. The coarse quality was due to the scanner resolution having been lowered, producing fewer points of information. To achieve my result—a line drawing—I needed to manually trace over the scan using the line option in my software. I estimate that I came within about a quarter-inch.

I consider myself a leading-edge thinker and have always enjoyed exploring advances in technology. I was an early adopter of CAD software and have followed the evolution of products in this industry over the past 15 years. The goal is always increased productivity. Laser scanning is the latest addition to my tool kit. Where applicable in the self-storage market, it can be a valuable time- and money-saver, providing accurate, economically feasible solutions to otherwise worrisome problems.

H. Edward Goldberg is a registered architect and president of HEGRA Architects Inc. in Baltimore. With more than 40 years of experience, he’s designed self-storage projects in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, the Virginias, and Washington, D.C. For more information, call 443.690.0403; e-mail [email protected]; visit www.hegra.org.

Update 7/23/19 – Kline earned second place on June 23 at the USA Cycling Amateur Road Nationals CRIT competition in Hagerstown, Md. He also took first place in the Elite Men's Team Pursuit and third place in the Elite Men's Madison race June 30 at the 2019 USA Cycling Junior, Elite, & Para-Cycling Track National Championships in Knoxville, Tenn.

Kline’s teammates for the Elite Men's Team Pursuit included Grant Koontz, Ashton Lambie and Colby Lange. His teammate for the Elite Men's Madison race was Justin Williams.

“The USA Cycling Amateur Road Nationals CRIT competition is considered the World Series of cycling,” Schwartz said. “The fact that Shane was able to earn spots on the podium in two races at this competition is a demonstration of his remarkable talent and determination. SmartStop is happy to be a part of this exciting journey for Shane as he seeks to compete at the highest level and represent our nation at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.”

As a part of his Olympic journey, Kline is attending training camp at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Centers in Colorado Springs, Colo., this month. The center is home to sport facilities and support services for the summer Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American and Parapan American sports.

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8/20/18 – Kline continued his successful season at the USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships, earning another gold medal in the team-pursuit event. He also earned a pair of silver medals in the men's elite race and the international omnium elite 17-99 competition, an Olympic event that consists of four separate races: scratch, tempo, elimination and points. He won a bronze medal in the men's elite points race, according to a press release.

"Shane has competed at a high level all season, and in just 12 days, brought home six medals at elite national championship events in cycling held on both sides of the country," Schwartz said. "He has the heart of a champion, and we couldn't be more proud of his success this year. We are very excited to support Shane as he continues his journey toward representing the United States at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games."

Kline is leading Valley Preferred Cycling Center point standings for 2018 Men's Rider of the Year. He has 28 points, four ahead of his nearest competitor.

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7/5/18 – Kline rode to victory on June 22 in his first elite Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) Class-1 omnium competition at the Valley Preferred Cycling Center in Trexlertown, Pa. His first-place ride earned him points toward representing the United States in World Cup competition. In all, 12 countries were represented in the UCI field, according to a press release.

“This was a challenging day for Shane, where due to potential rain, all four events of the race were completed in just five hours,” Schwartz said. “To have him ride his first-ever elite Class 1 omnium under such conditions and come out with a win is a testament to his talent and ability as an athlete.”

The first-place finish was Kline’s fourth of the season. He’ll race five times in July.

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4/25/18 – Kline earned first place in the 50.6-mile Category 1-2-3 race, the highest level of competition at the 2018 Cherry Blossom Challenge, which took place at Branch Brook Park in Newark, N.J., on April 7.

“We are proud of Shane and his big win as he kicked off his 2018 cycling season at the Cherry Blossom Challenge," Schwartz said. "It's an honor to be able to sponsor an Olympic hopeful and be a part of his cycling journey as he seeks to realize a lifelong dream of representing the United States at the Tokyo Olympic Games."

Kline also competed April 22 at the Daniel Harwi Memorial 31st Annual Lower Providence Spring Classic Criterium in Lower Providence, Pa. He’ll next compete at USA CRITS Speed Week, a three-day event in Georgia and South Carolina, April 27-29; and the Wilmington Grand Prix in Wilmington, Del., on May 19.

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1/10/18 – SmartStop Asset Management LLC, a diversified real estate company that manages 108 self-storage facilities in Canada and the United States under the SmartStop Self Storage brand, will sponsor cyclist Shane Kline in his quest to make the U.S. track-cycling team and compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, according to the source.

Kline had been a member of SmartStop’s road team for four years when it folded after the 2015 season. Though he’s continued to compete professionally in road races, most recently with Rally Cycling, Kline will return to his roots on the velodrome track in his bid to make the Olympic team. He began track riding at 13 and won several national championships as a junior before moving to road racing, the source reported.

SmartStop began its association with professional cycling in 2011 when it became a presenting sponsor of the Team Mountain Khakis road team. It became title sponsor in 2014. Though SmartStop stopped its cycling sponsorship after a controversial year in which team owner Premier Sport Group fell short on payroll and still owed payments to riders when the team disbanded, SmartStop CEO H. Michael Schwartz and Kline remained in communication, according to the source.

Schwartz reportedly helped several team members secure a legal settlement with Premier Sports owner Jamie Bennett despite having met all of SmartStop’s contractual obligations with the team. He recently reached out to Kline, telling him he wanted SmartStop to reconnect with the sport, Kline told the source.

SmartStop will support Kline through the 2020 season, which will allow him to pursue his Olympic dream full time. The cyclist will now compete on the track circuit in an attempt to earn enough points to qualify for the next World Cup season.

"[Competing in the Olympics] was my dream all through the juniors," Kline told the source. "I didn’t have any ambition to go race the Tour de France. I wasn't looking to be a WorldTour rider. I wanted to go to the track to race the Olympics. That's what I wanted to do. It feels so good to rekindle that dream.”

SmartStop has approximately $1.3 billion of real estate under management. Its self-storage portfolio comprises about 7.9 million rentable square feet in 17 states and Ontario, Canada. It’s also the sponsor of Strategic Storage Growth Trust Inc., Strategic Storage Trust II Inc. and Strategic Storage Trust IV Inc., all public non-traded REITs focused on self-storage assets.

Sources: 
Markets Insider, Olympic Hopeful Shane Kline Takes Home Four Medals, Including Gold, at USA Cycling Elite Track National Championships
Cycling News, SmartStop to Support Shane Kline's Olympic Dream
PR Newswire, Olympic Hopeful Shane Kline Opens 2018 Cycling Season with First Place Finish
PR Newswire, Olympic Track Cyclist Hopeful Shane Kline Earns Three More Victories in His Olympic Pursuit

Homestore Self-Storage, which operates two locations in Suffolk, England, recently served as the backdrop for film-studies projects by students of King Edward VI School, a co-educational secondary school in the civil parish Bury St. Edmunds. Scenes were filmed at the Bury St. Edmunds location on the Anglian Lane Industrial Estate.

“We like to connect with the local community. We believe in helping students to further their education,” said Hana Sculpher, assistant manager of Homestore.

Daniel Bellamy, 17, who lives in the parish, shot a five-minute film at the storage facility using his iPhone. His video follows a man who wakes up delusional and falls in love with a traffic cone, according to the source.

“A lot of the films I really like follow the character’s journey and this structure, like ‘The Shining’ follows Jack’s journey,” he said.

Founded in 1550, King Edward VI School offers a range of academic subjects, including those focused on the arts such as film, dance, drama and music. The film studies class is taught by Liza Ollett.

Homestore also operates a location at 6 Wentworth Road in the Ransomes Europark in Ipswich, England. In addition to business and personal storage, both sites provide archive storage and industrial units, and accept deliveries on behalf of their customers.

Sources:
Bury Free Press, Students Use Storage Units to Shoot Film
King Edward VI School, Website