This month, a self-storage manager will begin his second year of a two-year appointment on the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board.

Ronald Eaker, 63, is manager of Park 150 Self-Service Storage in Urbana. Hes also a former United Methodist minister and former nursing-home administrator. A series of heart attacksand resulting medical billssparked his interest in becoming an advocate for patients.

The nine-member health-review board is charged with approving or denying permits to hospitals, clinics and other medical providers. The certificates of need can include acquisitions of medical equipment, mergers, closures and other changes to facilities and services. Recent decisions include denying the development of new outpatient surgery centers, and approval of a medical campus expansion.

In May, Eaker voted against the closure and conversion of Oak Forest Hospital, a suburban charity hospital. The closure didnt receive the five votes it needed to proceed.

Eaker said he takes his role on the board seriously, weighing each decision to determine whats in the best interest of the communities he serves.

Westy Self Storage in Chatham, N.J., is partnering with a local outreach program to collect school supplies for children.

The drive aims to collect new backpacks and school supplies for 500 children in Irvington and Newark in New Jersey, and New York City. Donations can be dropped off at Westy Self Storage, 15 River Road, through Aug. 24 during office hours.

The drive is sponsored by Bridges Outreach Inc., which delivers bagged lunches, clothes and toiletries to children and teens, and the Christ Child Society of Summit, a non-profit association of volunteers that provides a number of programs for infants and children.

With corporate headquarters in Stamford, Conn., Westy Self Storage spans the tri-state area with seven centers in New York, six in Connecticut and three in New Jersey.

By Steve Hajewski

Investors looking to build a new self-storage facility generally face similar questions no matter where they build: Is there sufficient unmet demand to warrant a new project? Will rental income provide a suitable return? Will the city allow me to build my structure where I want, and what special code requirements must be met?

That last element is typically where details become critical, especially for developers in Canada. Each province has its own codes, which are subject to the interpretation of local inspectors. So even under the same code, what may pass in one area may not be allowed 50 kilometers away.

Fire Code

One of the most stringent codes a Canadian developer can face is the fire code in Alberta. In terms of building code, we find that were still dealing with what I refer to as code remnants from other building types, because our industry is relatively new and generally misunderstood, explains Kim Sterling, owner of StoreSmart Self Storage in Red Deer, Alberta. We also fly low on the radar, so its difficult to get the proper attention from the appropriate authorities to make the necessary changes.

Case in point, the Alberta fire code requires a 45-minute separation between individual units, which can be achieved by dry-walling the interior of each and every unit, Sterling says. If you read the code, parts of it read like the building code for an apartment building. The fact that we sometimes call ourselves or allow ourselves to be labeled as landlords probably doesn't help.

The fundamental and significant difference, she points out, is self-storage operators do not have anyone living within their units. These are low-occupancy buildings, in terms of person load, and the code needs to be re-jigged to reflect this important consideration, she says.

There are other considerations relating to the non-combustible nature that typifies new steel construction and the end use of the building itself, which is for passive storage only and not a high-risk fire hazard. In addition, not every project in Alberta is required to meet the fire code the same way because implementation varies from one inspector to another. One developer in Calgary was allowed to forego the drywall fire separation by installing an electronic fire/heat monitoring system that could automatically call the fire department in case of a fire and even pinpoint the fire location within the building.

Meeting Aesthetic Expectations

Developers often need to prove that a modern self-storage facility can be built as an attractive, positive contribution to the community. I find that self-storage has a bit of a bad reputation, although that is thankfully changing, Sterling says. On a recent project, her local authority advised her that the site needed to look like the Taj Mahal or it wouldnt be approved, despite the fact that warehousing was a permitted use within the zoning bylaw.

You can't fault the local authority, as they were just doing their very best to maintain a high development standard, Sterling says. We also knew what we wanted to build, and while it may not quite have been fabricated from marble and gold, we knew it was going to look really sharp when it was done.

Due to the local authorities' preconception of self-storage, it took a lot of communication to demonstrate and prove the development was worthy of the retail location, Sterling says. We got there eventually. The disparity between what local authorities think of self-storage facilities and the reality of these new third- and fourth-generation self-storage centers can be quite large, so extra communication is an absolutely essential ingredient when working on permitting.

StoreSmarts buildings feature stone-veneer wainscoting, which adds curb appeal. Buildings visible from the road have higher pitched roofs and dormers. Additionally, the office features an attractive and functional overhang. Eye-catching landscaping completes the welcoming overall look and feel of the site.

Weather Woes

An additional consideration when building self-storage in Canada is how to deal with snow. Snow loads must be met, but its also important to plan for snow removal and storage. Orienting buildings to face north and south, avoiding north-facing doors, allows the sun to aid in melting snow and ice in drive aisles. Sites should be designed with an open area for piling plowed snow. Low-pitched roofs allow snow to melt slowly, rather than slide off into a pile in front of a unit. When low-pitched roofs are not an option, snow blocks can help.

Its important to work with your local inspectors to build a self-storage facility that fits your financial plans while meeting local codes. At times, that may mean tactfully educating them on building trends and techniques used elsewhere. Construction and development costs can vary greatly depending on how codes are interpreted, so be ready for anything.

Steve Hajewski is the marketing manager for Trachte Building Systems, a CSA A660-04-certified manufacturer of self-storage buildings with local builders throughout Canada, including French-speaking representation in Quebec. For more information, call 800.356.5824; e-mail [email protected]; visit www.trachte.com.

The national Self Storage Association (SSA) has entered an agreement with Reis Inc., a provider of commercial real estate market information and analytical tools, as well as three self-storage real estate investment trusts to provide market data to the industry. Under the terms of the arrangement, all participants will provide information on individual self-storage facilities nationwide. The data will include physical and geographical information as well as performance data, such as rents and vacancies by unit mix.

Reis will generate the type of analytics the firm is known for providing in the office, apartment, retail and industrial sectors. Self-storage is a sector that has generated significant interest among Reis clients, according to company CEO Lloyd Lynford. He said Reis looks forward to empowering the industry with supply, demand and rent trends for local markets and submarkets.

The data service will be launched in early 2012. It will be available as a subscription for purchase by self-storage owners and operators through the Reis flagship product, Reis SE; the Reis small-business product, ReisReports.com; and the members-only section of the SSA website, www.selfstorage.org.

The initiative will elevate the self-storage industry within the capital markets and support better operational and investment decisions by self storage professionals, according to SSA CEO Mike Scanlon.

Reis provides commercial real estate market information and analytical tools for subscribers through its subsidiary, Reis Services, which was founded in 1980. Reis maintains a proprietary database containing detailed information on commercial properties in U.S. metropolitan markets and neighborhoods. The database contains information on apartment, office, retail and industrial properties and is used by real estate investors, lenders and other professionals to make informed buying, selling and financing decisions.

Founded in 1975, the SSA is the national not-for-profit trade organization serving self-storage owner-operators, facility managers and vendors. It directly represents approximately 3,000 member companies. It indirectly represents another 3,000 member firms through its affiliation with 25 U.S. state and regional self-storage associations. SSA is also affiliated with industry organizations in Asia, Australia, Europe, Japan, and Latin  and South America.

Nick Bilava, senior account executive for USstoragesearch.com, will present a free webinar on Aug. 24 to discuss options for self-storage business owners to market their facilities online. Generating More Online Real Estate for Your Facility, which will take place at 2 p.m. ET, will teach self-storage operators and managers about:

• Web design: Ensuring a facilitys website converts visitors to customers
• Online directories: How to capture customers who are shopping for and comparing self-storage on the Web
• Local search: How to get facility information on the map
• Social media: Attracting Facebook and Twitter users

Online registration is required for this live event and can be completed at Ministoragemessenger.com/webinar.

Bilava works with self-storage operators as they integrate Internet marketing into their business model. Over the past several years, he has worked with hundreds of facilities to help them succeed in the online marketplace. He specializes in showing clients how best practices can help them track their marketing efforts.

Based in Omaha, Neb., USstoragesearch.com is an online self-storage directory that includes more than 30,000 self-storage and mobile-storage listings nationwide. The company will exhibit at the Inside Self-Storage World Expo in Tacoma, Wash., Oct. 4-6. Show details can be found at www.insideselfstorageworldexpo.com.

A self-storage facility in Licking County, Ohio, was burglarized twice in June.

The first break in at Bills Mini Storage, 1815 Watson Road, occurred between June 3 and June 6. Two storage buildings and an RV were vandalized. A number of tools and keys from three vehicles parked in the building were taken, along with a small all-terrain vehicle, which was later recovered by police. A 13-inch TV was also stolen from the RV.

The second break-in, between June 29 and 30, was at a garage on the property. Two new gas containers full of fuel were taken.

Licking County Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $1,000 reward for anyone with information about the break-ins. Anyone with information can call 740.349.6888 or 888.488.9058. A coding system protects the identity of the caller, but allows the reward to be issued later.

California self-storage operator A-1 Self Storage donated money to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), a charitable funder and advocate of type 1 (juvenile) diabetes research worldwide. The mission of JDRF is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research.

Type 1 diabetes is a disease which strikes children suddenly. Its treated by multiple injections of insulin daily or a continuous infusion of insulin through a pump to maintain their health. Due to the unexpected and life-altering occurrence of type 1 diabetes, JDRF has established six unique ways to provide support:

• A family network for community
• Newly diagnosed support
• Coordinates Diabuddies, a program thats child-centered and peer-focused
• Parent Coffees, a forum event for encouragement, growth and further support
• Online support for those affected and unable to interact through other programs
• Research, seeking a cure and sharing the results to benefit affected children

The alarming rate of increased diabetes in our youth motivates us as a part of our San Diego community to work together and provide healthy options and quality care for San Diego kids, said Brian Caster, president and CEO of A-1 Self Storage. Juvenile Diabetes Foundation strives daily to find a cure and educate our community on how to support your childs health. Its with great pleasure that we support their admirable work.

A-1 Self Storage has 16 locations in the San Diego County area and more than 40 locations statewide. It is the self-storage division of the Caster Cos., a third-generation, family-owned company headquartered in South California since 1959. Caster Cos. develops and manages A-1 Self Storage, A-1 Car Storage and other commercial properties in California. Its portfolio includes more than 4 million square feet of real estate.