With costs dropping and attractive financing options available, there’s never been a better time to install solar panels at your self-storage facility. Though some operators choose to install solar on canopies that cover their outdoor vehicle storage or use an open field for a ground-mounted array, many find the most valuable space is their rooftop.

Rooftop solar leverages a previously underused asset. Imagine how much additional square footage your building would have if you could make use of that space. Though some property owners in other real estate sectors convert rooftops to patios, add skylights or find another way to put that area to work, those options don’t always make sense and can be costly. In contrast, solar can actually save you money on electricity costs and establishes your business as eco-friendly.

Let’s examine some key considerations when it comes to a rooftop installation.

Minimal Impact

The solar industry goes to great lengths to ensure rooftop installations are as unobstructive as possible. The process starts with slip sheets to protect the existing surface. Solar racking is then built on top of the sheets and held in place by small concrete blocks. The process is similar to how you might anchor a satellite dish, air-conditioning unit or any other equipment on the self-storage roof. Finally, the solar panels are mounted to the racking to collect energy from the sun. Altogether, the added weight is only a few pounds per square foot.

Layout

Before installing a solar-panel system on your self-storage rooftop, engineers will consider setbacks from parapet walls, HVAC units, exhaust vents, antennas and other items. These are required by code in certain areas, but they’re also a good common practice.

Because some roofs have a variety of obstructions, solar-design professionals may relocate vents and other equipment to make the installation more efficient. Instead of a haphazard approach that places a few panels here and there, it’s better that panels be consolidated. This helps with wiring and reduces installation costs.

Electrical Connection

Once the rooftop system is installed, the electrical team will run conduit from the array to the property’s main electrical panel. The solar industry follows strict safety guidelines for this process, including metal conduit in some situations, a system-disconnect switch at ground level, and voltage limits.

Once your connection is complete, the building is ready to receive clean, solar electricity. Local net-metering standards will allow you to swap electricity with the grid, so you can use it anytime. This billing mechanism makes it easy to predict savings over the long term and benefit throughout the day, even if the sun isn’t always shining.

Self-Storage Presence

By some estimates, the self-storage industry represents nearly 2 billion square feet of rentable space across the U.S. Facility rooftops are ideal for solar installations because they’re relatively free from obstructions, and properties have a high rooftop-to-occupancy ratio. This allows storage operations to offset a higher portion of their electricity use than other properties and save even more on utility costs.

Extra Space Storage Inc., a real estate investment trust and third-party management firm, is among the operators that have invested in solar energy as a company strategy. The company began installing panels at its facilities more than a decade ago, and last year committed to install 65 rooftop solar arrays across eight states, which are expected to save $900,000 during the first year and $22.5 million over the 25-year life of the systems.

Getting Started

Solar is an easy way to leverage available roof space and lower your self-storage electricity costs. It’s also a way to support corporate sustainability initiatives and can serve as a differentiating factor when marketing to potential customers.

When considering a solar project, look for a provider with years of experience in commercial installations. The right partner should be able to help you with planning to maintenance and everything in between.

Matthew Brenn is senior manager of business development at Pivot Energy, a Denver-based solar-energy company that develops, finances, builds and manages community and commercial projects nationwide, offering a range of services and software. Matthew has seven years of experience in the commercial and residential solar space. He’s passionate about clean-energy solutions and pushing sustainability to the forefront. For more information, call 888.734.3033; email [email protected].

SpareBox Storage, which operates 91 self-storage facilities in eight states, has acquired 28 properties in Michigan and Ohio, primarily under the Stop-N-Stor and U-Store Self Storage brand names. The portfolio comprises 1.9 million rentable square feet and adds seven Midwest markets to the growing SpareBox footprint, according to a press release.

“We are incredibly proud to complete our largest acquisition to date, with the addition of 28 properties in thriving Midwestern markets,” said CEO Steve Treadwell. “This is a great institutional portfolio that is well-suited for our operational platform, and we’re excited to deliver self-storage innovation to customers across Michigan and Ohio. Our national footprint now includes 91 stores and 5.6 million square feet of rentable space. We remain focused on unique opportunities to work directly with owners and operators to acquire great properties and serve customers in growing markets throughout the Southwest, Southeast and Midwest.”

The seller was represented in the transaction by Kenneth Cox, executive managing director, and Aaron Swerdlin, vice chairman, of the Newmark Self Storage Group, an entity of commercial real estate firm Newmark Group Inc.

Since launching a year ago with the acquisition of 10 facilities in Amarillo, Texas, SpareBox has methodically executed its strategy to build a national self-storage brand “by combining clusters of stabilized assets in secondary and tertiary markets,” the release stated. Since May, the operator has reported multi-site acquisitions every month, including 13 properties in May in South Carolina and Texas, 13 in June in Florida and Oklahoma, 12 in July and August in Arkansas and Texas, and four earlier this month in Arkansas. At launch, company officials announced a portfolio goal of 25 properties within a year.

Launched in August 2020, SpareBox is sponsored by Rizk Ventures, which owns and operates commercial and healthcare properties in eight states as well as Colombia, South America. It has self-storage locations in Arkansas, Florida, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas.

Source:
Valdosta Daily Times, SpareBox Storage Acquires 28 Stabilized Self Storage Properties in Michigan and Ohio

It’s apparent that some of the business changes self-storage operators made during the pandemic are likely here to stay. In fact, by embracing things like automation, contactless rentals, reduced staff, remote access and other solutions, owners can likely save money moving forward. But where does that leave facility staff? Those employees who remain in the trenches would likely say they could use a little help.

While you’re standing at this crossroads, now’s the time to think about outsourcing certain facility functions. Call centers have been providing professional assistance to self-storage operations for years. Now, thanks to technology, they do so much more than just answer the phone! Think of them as a business and customer support center. Let’s explore what they can do for you and how to choose the right partner.

Basic Advantages

At the most basic level, call centers still function essentially the same as they always have, with staff who can handle the phone calls your self-storage managers miss, or all calls if you no longer have an onsite team. These representatives can walk prospective customers through the rental process, highlight your products and services, and address standard support calls from current tenants for things like balance inquiries, gate-code issues, etc. A good call center knows it priorities are to rent units and keep customers happy.

But now there’s more. You can also expect your support center to provide automated functions, such as 24/7 pay-by-phone options that allow tenants to make payments and check account balances whenever it’s convenient. In fact, owners are often surprised to learn how much time their staff spend on these simple tasks each month. For example, a 500-unit facility can expect 300-plus phone calls regarding rental payments each month. If you estimate three minutes per call, that’s about 15 hours of talk time!

Automation also allows customer calls to be routed any way you like. If a person wants to speak to a live agent or needs a rental truck, why not send them to the right person to handle that particular task? If an emergency occurs at 2 a.m., send them to your on-call security team.

Robust Add-Ons

Once you’ve covered the basics, a modern call center should be able to add features that help you grow your business and improve the customer experience. For example, why not add a mobile app, so that in addition to checking an account balances or making a payment, tenants can find their gate code, unit number, or even a picture or list of the items stored in their unit, all right from the palm of their hand? Here are a few other add-ons to consider:

Online reviews. Are you actively asking for and managing customer reviews? A support center can aid in this effort, asking for a review anytime a representative has a positive interaction with one of your prospects or tenants.

Promotions. A good call center will support your efforts to bring new customers in the door, making suggestions for fresh promotions that really resonate with prospects.

Reporting. Your call center can supply detailed reports to help you make decisions based on real data. For example, it can tell you the number of viable sales calls received, which is an indication of how well your marketing is performing. It can also tell you how many of those callers rented or reserved a unit or were sent to facility staff as a lead. You can even see if someone followed up in a timely manner. Ultimately, you can know how many prospects were actually converted to tenants.

Choosing a Partner

If you’re inclined to outsource and invest in a call center, here are some considerations to help you find a suitable partner. First, look for a vendor that specializes in self-storage and is able to integrate with your facility-management software. It should have the infrastructure to support where you are now and the ability to grow with you as needs change.

Talk to the provider’s operations team as well as the sales staff. Share your unique business story and learn how the company’s plans to support it. The transition should be easy, without you being forced into cookie-cutter solutions that don’t apply to your operation.

Once you’re comfortable with a provider, you’ll decide on a service plan. Don’t worry if you don’t know for sure how many calls you need answered. The right company will be able to help you figure that out. It should be flexible and work with you to ensure you settle comfortably into the program that best meets your needs.

It can also be ideal to choose a partner that already works closely with your other industry vendors, blending seamlessly with providers such as your website developer, property-management company, security supplier, etc. They should all work together to automate critical functions and make your business a success.

Once you’ve decided on a call-support center, your part is easy. Simply tell the vendor everything you can about your facility and operation. Those are the details that’ll allow it to confidently answer questions and assist customers.

Finally, don’t be afraid to raise your hand if you don’t understand how something works or why one of your calls was handled in a certain way. Your support partner should want to know your concerns and ensure the service works well for you. Now, more than ever, self-storage operators should feel comfortable asking for help rather than trying to do everything themselves!

Shannon Charbonneau is director of client relations for XPS Solutions, a Richardson, Texas-based call center that specializes in self-storage. Shannon has been with the company since 2011 and worked with a diverse clientele, from first-time owners to large operators with hundreds of locations. She uses what she learns from customers to help shape the services offered by XPS product developers, software engineers, call-center staff and quality management. For more information, call 877.977.8721. You can also follow Shannon on LinkedIn.

Storage Business Owners Alliance LLC (SBOA), a buying group for U.S. self-storage operators, has expanded its leadership, marketing and sales teams. Jessica Johnson was promoted from director of marketing and operations to vice president. In addition, the company hired Jess Casto as business development manager and Alec Cohen as marketing and operations manager.

During Johnson’s two-year tenure with SBOA, her team has doubled the company’s social media following, vetted and onboarded new industry-service partners, executed two virtual events, and increased membership by 1,000 within the last 30 days.

“When self-storage owners and operators need guidance, resources, assistance or savings on products and services, my goal is for the SBOA to be top-of-mind for them,” Johnson said.

Casto entered the self-storage industry in 2010 as a property manager in York, Pennsylvania. In 2018, she became the director of marketing for a Pittsburgh-based storage company, and served on the board for the Pennsylvania Self Storage Association before relocating to Georgia last year. She’s also been a presenter at industry conferences.

“I am thrilled to a be a part of a company that so many people have known and loved for years,” Casto said. “With the explosive growth in self-storage over the last 18 months, I can’t wait to help bring this wonderful alliance to the next generation of self-storge owner and operators.”

Cohen recently earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan. While in college, he was the managing photo and video editor for “The Michigan Daily.” In 2020, he was awarded the “Ken Fink Photojournalism Award” from “The Michigan Daily” and the “College Coronavirus Coverage Award” from the Society of Professional Journalists. He also won first place for the “Best Sports Photo” from the Michigan Press Association in 2019.

“I am excited to have just graduated college and already be working for a great company and great people, including the SBOA founder and CEO Ian Burnstein,” Cohen said. “Ian is a well-known name in the self-storage industry and in the metro Detroit area. I am excited to work with him and the rest of the SBOA team to help our alliance grow and benefit more members.”

“I believe our company has been blessed to find such amazing talent during these challenging hiring times,” Johnson added. “Due to the aggressive business-development strategies in place for the SBOA over the next 18 months, we had to source top talent to execute. We are fortunate to have such a dynamic team focused on producing better results for both our self-storage owner and operator members and service-provider partners.”

Founded in 2010 by Burnstein and David Levenfeld, SBOA negotiates exclusive offers with prominent industry service providers through economies of scale. It has more than 16,000 member facilities.

Trussville Storage in Trussville, Alabama, recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the addition of solar power to the site. The event kicked off a 30-day testing period for the project at 7900 Gadsden Highway, according to a press release.

The solar-panel system was designed by Kathy Henderson, business development and sales for Eagle Solar & Light. The final design was approved by the Jefferson County Development Services Building Division and Alabama Power.

“Based on the project summary and analysis provided by Eagle Solar & Light, we expect to save $240,367 in energy costs over a 25-year period,” said David Protiva and Mark Titshaw, owners of Trussville Storage. “We expect to cover about 61% of our energy use with this installation and even can sell power back to Alabama Power at times.”

“The new owners have been working hard since November to make sure this facility remains the best self-storage facility in the area,” said property manager Kelly Epps. “Earlier this year, we completed our transition to all LED lighting and, now with the solar power, the owners are showing again they want to be responsible corporate citizens.”

Climate-controlled storage facilities produce energy-consumption profiles that fit daily and weekly solar-energy-generation parameters well, said Eagle CEO Samuel Yates. “The Trussville Storage solar installation represents the second and third self-storage installations in progress in the Birmingham area for Eagle Solar & Light.”

“Self-storage buildings are a great fit for solar because they have a consistent daily use of energy throughout the year,” added Henderson. “This allows them to maximize their savings and offset a good portion of their power demand with minimal cost. The owners and staff at Trussville Storage are ideal customers, and we look forward to working with them for the life of the system and beyond.”

Trussville Storage offers more than 53,000 square feet of climate-controlled and drive-up self-storage units. The company is constructing an additional building that’ll add 13,000 square feet of climate-controlled space.

Source:
PR Newswire, Eagle Solar & Light Announces Opening of Latest Solar Power Installation

Update 9/22/21 – A+ Mini-Storage will be allowed to move forward with the expansion of its self-storage facility at 6155 N. Palafox after the Escambia County, Florida, Board of Adjustment voted unanimously this week to dismiss two appeals to save a “heritage” live oak and 16 other protected trees. Attorneys representing the county and landowner successfully argued the appeals didn’t establish legal standing under the jurisdiction’s Land Development Code, according to the source.

The board listened to arguments from both sides for four hours on Monday before rendering its decision. Opposition against the project remained strong until the hearing, with the online petition to save the trees garnering more than 5,400 signatures. Tree supporters also hosted vigils at the site, the source reported.

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8/31/21 – A proposed expansion for a self-storage facility in Pensacola, Florida, is facing opposition because it calls for the removal of a large oak tree considered a “heritage” plant. Emerald Coastkeeper, a grassroots organization that monitors four main watersheds in the Florida Panhandle, has filed an appeal with the Escambia County Board of Adjustment (BOA) to block the addition for A+ Mini-Storage on an adjacent parcel. An online petition to save the tree has garnered more than 4,800 signatures, according to the source.

The 85-inch-diameter live oak, along with 16 other protected trees, on Palafox Street would be removed to make room for a three-story, 16,000-square-foot storage building. The plans were submitted to the county by W. M. Bell Co. of Santa Rosa County LLC, which purchased the land in April. The expansion was approved by the county’s development review committee.

The county’s tree ordinance requires developers to meet criteria to remove protected plant species. If approved, they must pay a fine and plant mitigation trees. W. M. Bell Co. paid a $24,010 fee and has agreed to plant 12 new trees on the property.

The appeal, filed by attorney Will Dunaway on behalf of Emerald Coastkeeper, states the developer hasn’t met the criteria for removal of the protected trees and that county staff violated the land-development code when it gave its approval. Horace Jones, county development services director, told the county commission that the developer met the requirements, the source reported.

A+ Mini-Storage operates a second location in downtown Pensacola. Both offer climate-controlled, drive-up and vehicle storage.

Sources:
WUWF, Appeals Dismissed in The Heritage Tree Case
Pensacola News Journal, Battle to Save 'Heritage' Tree at A+ Mini-Storage Heads to Escambia County's BOA

The commercial real estate market may be in constant flux, but no sector has remained hotter for longer than self-storage. If, like so many other owners and investors, you’re looking to maximize your asset or find favorable deals, it’s critical to understand facility value. Whether you’re looking to buy, sell, expand or renovate, “What's It Worth? Making, Managing, and Measuring Value” will increase your grasp of real estate by applying theory to how value is made, managed and measured within the self-storage sector.

Authors Michelle Gigowski and Timothy Moffit have experience as educators, analysts, appraisers and turnaround consultants, which enables them to help readers connect the dots between valuation theory and practice. In their writing, they address financial statements, value drivers and destroyers, valuation creation, and facility-turnaround tips. They also provide 10 reasons to buy self-storage, an overview of valuation approaches and models, and more.

Visit the ISS Store for full product details. Grab this guide now and learn to maximize the value and return of your self-storage investments!

Raise your hand if you’ve bought something online in the last year. OK, that’s all of you. When online shopping, don’t you expect to access and navigate a company’s website, and complete your purchase, simply and easily? Your self-storage renters feel the same.

When you think of “accessibility,” things like wheelchair ramps, handrails and braille signs might come to mind. You provide these things so it’s easier for a customer to do business with you, regardless of their physical abilities. But the fact is, people want the same positive experience when they visit your website as when they visit your brick-and-mortar property. You don’t want to exclude anyone, and here’s why:

First, an estimated 20% of the U.S. population has a disability. One in five relies on a screen reader or other assistive device to help them navigate websites. If they have to struggle when they get to yours, they’ll simply go to a competitor who communicates their self-storage services in an accessible manner.

Second, the legal landscape is unclear. Does the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) apply to websites? The answer is maybe. The courts are divided. To complicate matters, there are several state laws that may require your website to be accessible, such as California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act. If it doesn’t meet current industry standards for accessibility, you could be at risk of being sued.

The No. 1 goal of most marketing efforts, including your online presence, is to reach more renters. That makes the “why” behind website accessibility straightforward. It’s to help you contact a wider audience.

Lawsuits and Demand Letters

Let’s talk for a moment about “surf-by” lawsuits. The phrase makes me imagine a surfer handing out settlement demand letters like a talk show host giving away prizes. “Brah, you get a demand letter! And you get a demand letter! And you!” It sounds funny, but it’s a real threat.

You may have read about (or been unlucky enough to experience) a “drive-by” lawsuit in which a plaintiff law firm claimed a self-storage facility’s parking spots or wheelchair ramps didn’t meet ADA requirements. Someone literally drove or stopped by a storage property and decided to make that busines a target. Even if the suit wasn’t grounded in truth, it was no doubt frustrating and expensive for the owner.

A new wave of surf-by lawsuits makes similar allegations concerning website accessibility. People are taking advantage of the ambiguity of current regulations. In 2020 alone, there were more than 3,500 digital-accessibility lawsuits filed in the United States and an estimated 250,000-plus settlement demand letters sent to website owners.

Before you think, “This doesn’t apply to me,” know that we aren’t just talking about massive name-brand corporations. Plaintiffs are going after small and mid-size companies, too. Why? It’s profitable. Website accessibility is a grey area, which makes many business owners more apt to pay a settlement than to fight a lawsuit in court.

Standards and Framework

In lieu of legal consensus on what website accessibility should look like, the de facto standard is the Website Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) published by the Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium, the main international standards organization for the Internet. That said, WCAG is a moving target, as it’s constantly being updated. It currently has three levels for compliance: A, AA and AAA.

Level A is the easiest to meet. The focus is almost entirely on HTML code that allows a website to work well with various screen readers and assistive devices. You likely won’t visually notice a difference between a website that meets Level A requirements and one that doesn’t. Keep in mind, though, that you can’t simply slap an accessibility app on a website without paying attention to the foundational “bones.” The right coding is necessary, as it signals to screen readers and assistive devices how they can translate your website and empower a user to navigate through it.

Level AA adds criteria focused on website aesthetics, for example, larger font sizes to increase readability. Level AAA is a rather severe standard that isn’t recommended for most websites.

To make things more complicated, the WCAG is constantly changing, and each time you update your website, there’s an opportunity to slip out of compliance. Paying attention to the details of WCAG matters. Right now, the most current version is 2.1, but 2.2 is expected to drop soon, and an even bigger upgrade will be released in early 2022.

Professional Support

Accessibility needs to be at the core of your website-building and maintenance process, not an afterthought. The best solution is to work with a qualified partner with experience in creating accessible sites. If you launch an inaccessible website and think you can just get it up to WCAG later, you’ll eventually be back at square one.

When evaluating a website-services provider or talking with your current one, ask questions. What standards do they follow? How do they approach accessibility monitoring and maintenance? The technical requirements continue to evolve, and you need to be able to rely on this company as your subject-matter expert.

If you’re already working with a provider, make sure you or they are checking on the website at regular intervals to ensure it continues to meet current standards. You’ll want access to those records, too, because if you happen to be the recipient of a demand letter, it can be helpful to have a paper trail that proves your ongoing commitment to accessibility.

If you want to be more hands-on, there are many website-accessibility scanning tools available (by our last count, there were more than 160 options). But many won’t tell you if you’re meeting WCAG. Rather, they’ll show you a “failing” score that can only be resolved (miraculously) if you buy their products and services. Others may show your website as passing, but if you were to run the scan again at a different time of day, it might fail based on page speeds, load times and integrations. While you might see ads that suggest otherwise, software alone won’t keep you on top of updates. It takes a combination of people and systems to ensure ongoing accessibility compliance.

Once your website is compliant, add an accessibility statement to it. This tells the world accessibility is important to you and you’re striving to make your website an inclusive, welcoming place for people of all abilities.

The bottom line is there’s no quick fix. A long-term approach to website accessibility is vital because the standards are dynamic, and your self-storage operation must continue to adapt.

Thomas Lavallee, senior director of compliance at G5, is an attorney and trusted compliance expert with a global business background in regulatory compliance, data security and data privacy. He leverages litigation, program management and leadership experience to provide a full-stack approach for business solutions to meet compliance requirements. To reach him, call 800.554.1965 or email [email protected].

Update 9/20/21 – King pleaded guilty to one count of theft and has been placed on probation for two years. She must also pay $72,140 in restitution and complete Moral Reconation Therapy, a cognitive-behavioral treatment system. Her next court appearance is July 7.

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4/18/18 – The amount of money King allegedly stole is higher than investigators first reported. The former manager is now accused of stealing $500,000 to $1 million, according to a source.

Investigators believe King took cash payments for storage units as well as rental properties, and deposited the money into her bank account.

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2/2/18 – The former manager of Mount Zion Self-Storage in Mount Zion, Ill., was arrested on Wednesday under suspicion that she embezzled more than $117,000 during a five-year period. Tamme R. King, 56, received a preliminary charge of theft over $10,000 after an investigation uncovered missing business deposits and questionable deposits into King’s bank account between 2012 and 2017, according to the source.

King worked at the storage facility from June 2011 through December 2017. Her job duties included accepting customer payments and depositing them into the business bank account. She also was responsible for monthly bank-statement reconciliation.

The owner of the self-storage facility called police on Jan. 5, though he told investigators he first became suspicious of King in mid-November. In one instance, King allegedly insisted on depositing a customer’s monthly house-rental payment despite previously telling the owner she didn’t like to keep large amounts of cash in the facility office, the source reported. It’s unclear why the self-storage manager would have collected payment for a house rental.

The owner later discovered the cash deposit was never made and determined no cash had been deposited into his business account for several years, according to the source. A police affidavit indicates $117,469.42 was missing. The total was derived from payments collected during the five-year period, minus amounts that were either deposited into the business account or repaid by King via personal check.

King was released from jail after posting a $20,000 bond.

Sources:
Herald & Review, Former Employee Accused of Stealing More Than $100,000 From Mount Zion Business
WAND17, Mt. Zion Woman Stole Hundreds of Thousands More Than Originally Thought
WAND17, Woman Pleaded Guilty to Stealing Six Figures of Money From Former Employer