BUFFALO, N.Y., July 11, 2023. Life Storage, Inc. (NYSE: LSI) (“the Company”), a self-storage real estate investment trust (REIT), today announced with great sadness that Alexander Gress, the Company’s Chief Financial Officer, passed away unexpectedly on July 9, 2023. Mr. Gress was 50 and is survived by his wife Jennifer and their three children.
“We are shocked by the tragic passing of Alex Gress,” said Joseph Saffire, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. “Alex was a tremendous leader and brilliant financial mind who demonstrated incredible integrity, passion and commitment to his colleagues and our business. He made considerable contributions to Life Storage over the last two years, none more important than his role in our pending combination with Extra Space Storage. I know I speak for the entire Life Storage family in saying we will miss him as a colleague and more importantly as a friend. We extend our deepest sympathies to Alex’s family during this difficult time.”
Mr. Gress was a passionate supporter of local Western New York communities while serving in leadership roles with First Niagara Financial Group, KeyBank, 43 North and Life Storage over the past decade. He devoted considerable time and energy to local organizations to advocate for positive change, including serving on the Canisius High School Board of Trustees. To continue his legacy, Mr. Gress’ family has established the Alex Gress Scholarship Fund to support local students. Interested parties may make donations out to the Alex Gress Scholarship Fund c/o Canisius High School, 1180 Delaware Ave., Buffalo, NY 14209.
The Board has appointed David Dodman, Chief Operating Officer of Life Storage, as Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately. Mr. Dodman will continue to serve in his role as COO in addition to his new responsibilities as CFO.
Mr. Dodman has served as COO of Life Storage since 2022 and previously served as Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning and Investor Relations since joining the Company in 2018. Mr. Dodman has a comprehensive knowledge of risk and regulatory compliance and audit issues and contributes a strong track record of implementing new capabilities to improve financial business performance. Prior to joining Life Storage, Mr. Dodman held various corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions and operational roles at KeyBank, First Niagara Financial Group, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Legg Mason and Stifel Financial.
ABOUT LIFE STORAGE, INC:
Life Storage, Inc. is a self-administered and self-managed equity REIT that is in the business of acquiring and managing self-storage facilities. Located in Buffalo, New York, the Company operates more than 1,200 storage facilities in 37 states and the District of Columbia. The Company serves both residential and commercial storage customers with storage units rented by month. Life Storage consistently provides responsive service to more than 690,000 customers, making it a leader in the industry. For more information visit http://invest.lifestorage.com/.