Kelly Gallacher: Taking the Self-Storage Game to New Heights in the High Altitude of Utah

Customer Spotlight: StoreEase – Tooele, UT

Tooele, Utah is a picturesque city nestled 30 minutes from Salt Lake City. It has breathtaking views of the nearby Oquirrh Mountains as well as the Great Salt Lake. What it also has is an enormous demand for self-storage, as evidenced by the local facilities being filled to capacity. Kelly Gallacher not only saw an opportunity for success in Tooele, he also saw an opportunity to take this elevated city to even greater heights. But of course, that’s what Kelly is all about.

First, let’s give a little background as to who Kelly Gallacher is. Kelly is a partner and co-founder of Gallacher Development and has been involved in the self-storage industry for 35 years. He has developed over 100 real estate projects within the United States, Europe, and Brazil including self-storage, multi-family, industrial, office, and medical office buildings. When Kelly saw the pent-up demand for self-storage in Tooele, he knew exactly what to do, and who to partner with. The result? Kelly has developed the only unmanned self-storage facility in not only Tooele, but all of Salt Lake County. The way this technologically advanced facility came about is a story Kelly Gallacher is extremely proud of. 

It’s about choosing partners, not just providers

Kelly’s facility is 85,000 square feet, 580 units, 13 separate buildings, and sits on 5.13 acres of land, so creating the facility he envisioned was no small task. He has worked with Janus International since 2002, the year they formed their company, so he has vast experience with Janus and how they do business. BETCO, a company that has spent almost 40 years creating world-class custom self-storage buildings of every shape and size, is under the Janus umbrella of companies, so Kelly felt comfortable utilizing BETCO’s vast expanse of knowledge and expertise. Looking back, it was the best decision he could have made.

Kelly truly appreciates that BETCO is always available for anything that comes up, a true one-stop-shop that engineered all thirteen buildings of the entire facility. As a single-source solution, BETCO manufactures, ships, and installs with the utmost attention to quality.

But BETCO wasn’t just about building those thirteen buildings. They’re focused on building relationships as well. This customer-focused approach means that sure, they deliver a top-notch facility every time, but they also want to be a trusted partner, so customers feel confident returning to build with BETCO again. And for Kelly, that was the exact experience he had.

According to Kelly, between BETCO and Janus, there were three advantages that made them the easy choices for his company’s project:

1. 1. Best in class
   2. Best in service
   3. Best in product
      
      

Seems like that covers pretty much everything, right? Kelly emphasized that working with Janus was invaluable due to their experience and vast influence worldwide. And most importantly, he appreciates that like BETCO, Janus doesn’t look at him as a merely a client, and he doesn’t look at them as simply a provider. They have a true partnership, and that relationship has yielded amazing results.

By also including Nokē, whose Smart Entry system is truly changing the self-storage access control game with its Bluetooth electronic lock and total access control system, Kelly assembled an elite team of the most skilled professionals in the industry to help manage every single facet of this ambitious project. And in the end, all of that trust paid off, as Kelly’s facility is truly an oasis in a desert.

Market research is time well spent

Kelly wanted to make sure every aspect of his facility would be utilized to its peak potential, even things that most facility owner/operators might not give a great deal of thought to. For example, he knew that most facilities incorporate smaller units, usually 5x5 or 5x10, on the endcaps of each row. Kelly did substantial market research on this, gaining information from all of the local competing facilities. In doing this extra legwork, he discovered something interesting: those units simply don’t work and are far too small to rent effectively, and those owner/operators would not make that mistake again. Having this knowledge from his market research, he created larger units on each endcap complete with multiple doors, creating unique and desirable units. Each of these endcap units has 2-3 doors, giving tenants better access and creating a benefit that has made the tenant experience even better.

What makes Kelly Gallacher’s facility stand out?

Kelly wanted the most technologically advanced facility in the area, and thanks to BETCO, that’s exactly what he got. The smart solutions Kelly incorporated enhanced the experience for both him and his customers, while providing an extra level of security that is a crucial component of a successful business. The experts at BETCO were able to guide him through every step, including consultation, design, manufacturing, and installation services. 

Kelly also loves the fact that everyone involved was completely on the same page, from BETCO to Janus to Nokē. Everyone has the same attitude and the same approach, and he is grateful for the integration of BETCO into the Janus family. As he put it: “No other product is as good, no other service is as good, no one treats you as well.”

With the right partner, you can enjoy the process of building your facility, and you’ll have peace of mind that you’re getting the best and most advanced solutions for you and your tenants. Working with BETCO makes it easy and cost-effective, and you won’t find a more experienced partner. Planning a new self-storage facility with the latest technology doesn’t have to be overwhelming—just ask Kelly Gallacher, he can tell you all about it.

Ready to partner with BETCO?

To learn more about BETCO and how it eliminates the development and construction headaches often experienced by self-storage owners and developers, click here.