• November 23, 2024

MSM Exclusives

MSM Exclusives

19 Mar, 2021

Look Who’s Talking: Steve Hajewski, Marketing Manager, Trachte Building Systems

Despite several years of substantial ground-up development, demand for self-storage remains strong in many markets across the United States thanks...

Read More

19 Mar, 2021

Post-Pandemic Deals: Performing Due Diligence in Trying Times

For the self-storage industry, 2020 was an outstanding year with an unprecedented amount of new capital entering the sector. Some of this can be...

Read More

8 Mar, 2021

Modern Money Maker: A Self-Storage Renovations Case Study

Self-storage as we know it today has been around for more than half a century. While we’ve seen new facilities multiplying in record numbers over...

Read More

8 Mar, 2021

Stretch Your Budget: 10 Tips For Free To Low-Cost Marketing

There’s a saying that “nothing is free.” In these trying times, self-storage owners are trying to find ways to save money. While there are certain...

Read More

Knuppe Self Storage Industry

5 Mar, 2021

Self-Storage Golden Age: Knuppe Family's 50th Industry Anniversary

It’s said that necessity is the mother of invention, and in 1969, housing developer H. James “Jim” Knuppe was in search of an idea that would keep...

Read More

5 Mar, 2021

Look Who's Talking: Rod Bolls, Founder of Boxwell

While there are indicators that the current development cycle is finally losing momentum, the effects of new supply can be far reaching and...

Read More

12 Feb, 2021

Look Who’s Talking – Steven Ciemcioch, President of Warehouse Anywhere, a Life Storage company

Technology and the internet have nearly made waiting a thing of the past. Instead of using “snail mail” for correspondence, one can simply and...

Read More

12 Feb, 2021

Leveraging Technology: Customer Experience Is King

In the past, to find a self-storage unit you would: Ask some friends or family, Look it up in the phone book, or Drive around and stop at the first...

Read More

12 Feb, 2021

Look Who’s Talking – Robert Kubicek, Principal, RKAA Architects, Inc.

Although the current development cycle has begun to slow down, there are still plenty of investors seeking to place money into the self-storage...

Read More

12 Feb, 2021

Look Who’s Talking – Peter Allen, CTO, Lockerfox

Over the past several years, state self-storage associations across the country, along with the national Self Storage Association, have been...

Read More

12 Feb, 2021

The $10 Rule Maximizing Your Self-Storage Profits

Over my 20-plus years in the self-storage industry, I’ve heard the phrase “three mile” quite a bit. Meaning, of course, that any storage facility...

Read More

12 Feb, 2021

The New "Cash" Laws Impacting "Cashless" Self-Storage Operations

Over the last five years, as the use of technology has blossomed in the self-storage industry, more and more self-storage facilities have shifted to...

Read More

12 Feb, 2021

Just Give Me Your Price!

Perhaps the most frustrating call received by mangers is the person who just wants to shop your price. The call is usually abrupt; it ends without...

Read More

12 Feb, 2021

Look Who’s Talking – Michael A. Mele, Vice Chairman, Cushman & Wakefield

Over the past two years, the self-storage industry has experienced exponential growth through new supply across the country. Beyond rentable square...

Read More

12 Feb, 2021

Look Who’s Talking – Jen Pettigrew, Senior VP, Meetings & Vendor Relations, Self Storage Association

With a new, larger location, the MGM Grand, this year’s Self Storage Association (SSA) Fall Conference and Trade Show is expected to be bigger and...

Read More

12 Feb, 2021

Look Who’s Talking – Bill Alter, managing director – Self-Storage Group, Rein & Grossoehme Commercial Real Estate

With this issue of the Mini-Storage Messenger featuring our annual Top Operators List, there’s no better time to discuss how ownership within the...

Read More

12 Feb, 2021

Revenue Management: A Business Discipline, Not A Project

Everyone does pricing. Some do it by intuition, others do it in a more sophisticated way. Every seller knows that you want the price to be just...

Read More

12 Feb, 2021

Making A Lasting And Positive First Impression

I attended a seminar last week that discussed trends in the real estate market for the self-storage industry. The discussion revolved around the...

Read More

12 Feb, 2021

It’s What’s Inside That Counts

August is sort of a bittersweet month for me. It’s the time two of my kids are getting ready to head to college and my youngest is deciding whose...

Read More

lease termination rights

4 Feb, 2021

Dealing With The New Normal: Enhancing Owner Lease Termination Rights

At the end of each year, we like to look back and analyze the past year to see what we can do to better help operators, and the past year has been...

Read More

4 Feb, 2021

Designs Of The Day: Will The Changing Economy Impact Self-Storage Architecture?

Recent architectural trends in self-storage appear likely to continue in 2021, some industry experts say. These trends include contemporary exterior...

Read More

4 Feb, 2021

Urban Exodus: Should Storage Shift To The Suburbs?

In March 2019, when the initial threat of COVID-19 became evident and mass lockdowns were ordered, almost everything stopped, including many...

Read More

4 Feb, 2021

Look Who’s Talking – Chris Sonne, Executive Vice President, Newmark Valuation & Advisory Group

While we have all likely sighed in relief that 2020 is finally behind us, the new year begins with some of the familiar uncertainties that plagued...

Read More

26 Jan, 2021

Staying Power: Thirty-Five Years Of Capco

“From humble beginnings come great things” is a saying that isn’t attributed to anyone in particular, but it is definitely fitting as the motto for...

Read More

26 Jan, 2021

Hammer Time! Are Live Auctions Going, Going, Gone?

In 2019, Casey Jones, owner of BC Cole Auctioneers in Phoenix, Ariz., was thinking of adding an online platform to his auction business, but he...

Read More

26 Jan, 2021

Managing Employees During the Covid Crisis

As businesses suffer, including self-storage operations, there are some inevitable questions that apply to managing staff, especially those that...

Read More

19 Jan, 2021

Bring On The Perks! Creating An Attractive Benefits Package

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate fell from 3.8 percent in March 2019 to 3.6 percent in April—the lowest...

Read More

19 Jan, 2021

Self-Storage Renovations: What Other Industries Have Taught Us

You might be thinking, “How are self-storage renovations the same as other business renovations? They are completely different industries.” Although...

Read More

12 Jan, 2021

Starting Out Strong: Five Magic Questions You Must Ask

I’m talking about our telephone and walk-in greeting process and the questions and command of the situation that determine how things will proceed....

Read More

6 Jan, 2021

Look Who’s Talking: Ann Parham, CEO and President of Joshua Management

In March, no one could have predicted that COVID-19 would be an ongoing issue and topic of discussion in November. Even though we are growing more...

Read More