The Latest Industry News

San Diego, CA – September 6, 2013 – Caster Properties, Inc. DBA A-1 Self Storage, the premier provider of self storage in California, announced today that A1PB, LP purchased 7 parcels of land on Garnet Avenue in the Pacific Beach neighborhood in San Diego, CA totaling 88,000 sq. ft. for $4,000,000.00 from the Browar Family Trust. The property is situated on prime infill parcels on the main arterial to Pacific Beach.

A1PB, LP is a partnership between Caster Properties, Inc. and The Focus Group.

Tommy Gibbs of Flocke & Avoyer Commercial Real Estate states: "This corridor has had a handful of recent noteworthy sales; it is one of the busiest intersections in San Diego and has strong surrounding demographics. We were pleased to assist the partnership of Caster Properties, Inc. and The Focus Group in their purchase of this property.”

Todd Dwyer, of The Focus Group states: "We feel this opportunity has significant upside and we look forward to being a part of a portion of the redevelopment of this corridor”.

Tommy Gibbs and Steve Avoyer of Flocke & Avoyer Commercial Real Estate represented the Buyer, A1PB, LP. The sellerwas represented by Mark Bitterlin of Trust Real Estate Services.

"Caster Properties, Inc. looks forward to opening our newest A-1 Self Storage location in Pacific Beach, making it our eighteenth store in the San Diego market.” said Brian Caster, President and CEO of A-1 Self Storage. "Given its prime location on Garnet Avenue and Mission Bay Drive, plus easy accessibility to the I-5 freeway – this property possesses great potential.”

To find a San Diego County A-1 Self Storage, please visit: http://www.a1storage.com/self_storage/San_Diego_Region/a-1_self_storage

Or to find an A-1 Self Storage location near you, please visit:

http://www.a1storage.com/self_storage/locations

About A-1 Self Storage:

A-1 Self Storage is one of the leading providers of self storage and car storage in California with 17 locations in the San Diego County area and over 42 locations statewide. A-1 is the Self Storage division of the Caster Companies, a third generation family-owned company headquartered in Southern California since 1959. The Caster Companies specializes in acquisitions, development and management of A-1 Self Storage, A-1 Car Storage and other commercial properties in California. Its Real Estate Portfolio includes over 4 million square feet in real estate properties. It is one of California’s largest independent self storage and car storage owner/operators.

CONTACTS:

Fran Laporga-Ching | A-1 Self Storage | (800) 219-4854 x 141| press@a1storage.com | www.a1storage.com

CSSA MEMBERS - Janus International has announced the newest addition to their line of products to assist self-storage owners in achieving ADA compliance: StorageDisabilityProducts.com (SDP).

SDP is a website uniquely created to offer indoor and outdoor unit ADA compliance kits. Included in each kit is an Accessibility sign (in Braille) and the pulls and ropes for doors at ADA mandated lengths. The outdoor kits also include ramps that fit into the opening of your unit.

The site also includes ADA stipulations to better help owners and managers learn the new ADA requirements. Please visit www.storagedisabilityproducts.com to learn more. For information on Janus door compliance, click here.

 

StorageDisabilityProducts.com
A Janus International Company
134 Janus International Blvd.
Temple, GA 30179
770.562.2850
sdp@janusintl.com
www.storagedisabilityproducts.com

Contact: Erin King, Executive Director
Phone: (949)783-4130
E-mail: Erin.King@cssaweb.com

CSSA Moves Forward with Legislative Initiatives

Wednesday, August 21st - When Willie Mays first arrived in the major leagues he proceeded to get only one hit in his first 25 at bats. However, he rebounded to win the National League’s Rookie of the Year Award and went on to have a pretty fair career, as the statue of him outside AT&T Park in San Francisco and his place in the Baseball Hall of Fame attest. The moral of the story? Keep battling back and good things can happen.

The California Self Storage Association (CSSA) is reacting exactly the same way to it’s recent setback in the California Senate Judiciary Committee to a bill intended to help self storage operators dealing with lien laws. Bill AB 983 had moved quickly through three prior committee votes and seemed destined to keep moving until it was stopped cold by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The CSSA has pinpointed the area that likely caused the bill’s downfall and is now proceeding with a new version it hopes will make it all the way through the California legislature.

"I think the plan is to go forward with the bill in its present form, dropping the change to the burden for bringing a lawsuit when the Declaration in Opposition to Lien Sale is returned,” said Carlos Kaslow, General Council for the national Self Storage Association (SSA). "The CSSA will work with the Senate Judiciary Committee staff to determine if the current law can be changed to authorize the sending of lien notices by e-mail.”

"For now, we hope to make minor technical changes to that process that will further help foster a fair process for the business owner and the customer,” added CSSA executive director Erin King. "We plan to move forward with the other portions of the bill as they were last seen by the Senate Judiciary committee although we plan to re-evaluate our efforts to include e-mail as an acceptable form of communication with the tenants (Lien notices, etc). We may or may not try to get this done this session…again, we are looking at adding it back in if we can come up with a process that is accepted by the committee.”

The efforts of the national SSA to help the CSSA get this legislation passed have been strong and ongoing. The SSA has been providing financial support to the effort and SSA Sr. VP of Communications and Government Relations Tim Dietz has been extremely helpful in strategizing with CSSA lobbyist Randy Pollack and suggesting positive ways in which the CSSA can move forward.

But the legislative effort also needs the support of CSSA members. The CSSA is still accepting legislative donations and those donations are extremely important.

"This is a cause where everybody is pitching in,” concluded King. "The SSA and Tim Dietz have been amazing. We need our members to rally behind this effort as, in the end, it is really all about helping them.”

###

About The California Self-Storage Association

Founded in 2002, the California Self Storage Association (CSSA) is the state not-for-profit trade organization dedicated to serving the California Self-Storage industry including owner-operators, facility managers and industry vendors. The CSSA represents some 450 direct member companies that own and operate over 1,200 facilities in California. CSSA direct members range from individual facility owner-operators to multiple-facility operations, to the industry's largest publicly traded Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs).

(August 9, 2013 – Temple, GA) – Janus International Corporation has announced the acquisition of the web-based ADA compliance kit entity StorageDisabilityProducts.com.  Janus President David Curtis sites the natural pairing of ADA kits and Janus’ door and hallways solutions as the force behind this acquisition.  "Acquiring StorageDisabilityProducts.com allows us to illustrate our commitment to the self-storage industry becoming ADA compliant in an easy, accessible manner,” says Curtis.

StorageDisabilityProducts.com offers both indoor and outdoor ADA kits, containing signage, pulls and ramps for designated ADA storage units. 

StorageDisabilityProducts.com will operate out of Janus’ headquarters in Temple, Georgia. 

###

Janus International is a leading manufacturer of steel roll up doors and hallway systems for the self-storage industry.  For more information, visit our websites at www.janusintl.com or www.storagedisabilityproducts.com. 

 

Contact:

Amy Fuhlman l Director of Marketing

- 134 Janus International Blvd. | Temple, GA 30179

( 770.562.2850 x370 2 Fax 770.562.1991

)Cell 404.787.8444

*amyf@janusintl.com

Contact: Dean Keller Phone: 949.888.5355 Fax: 949.203.6105 Email: DKeller@BancapSelfStorage.com

Bancap Self Storage Group, Inc. 30021 Tomas Street, Suite 245 Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688 www.bancapselfstorage.com

NEWS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Previously Foreclosed Property Sold for $2.6 Million

July 29, 2013:      Bancap Self Storage Group, Inc., the "#1 Self Storage Broker in California,” announced that it has successfully brokered the sale of the AAA Stor-Stuff Self Storage property located in the city of Lancaster in Los Angeles County, California.  Dean Keller, the firm’s president, was the exclusive listing agent for the property.   The seller was a private investment firm that had purchased the mortgage on the property from a special servicing firm after they had begun the foreclosure process.  After the foreclosure of the property was completed, the group elected to list the property for sale. The buyer is a private limited liability company owned by local investors who are new to the self storage industry.

AAA Stor-Stuff  Self Storage was built in1986 and is a well-designed single story facility with all drive-up units.  The building walls, roofs, partitions and doors are all metal construction.  Located on 4.2 acres of land, the property contains over 61,600 net feet of self storage space divided into approximately 520 units.  There are also 39 uncovered vehicle storage spaces for RVs, boats and automobiles.

The property sold for $2.6 million (approximately $42 per net square foot) on a "cash to new loan” basis.  Occupancy at the facility was about 65% and climbing.  "This was a rare opportunity to purchase a temporarily underperforming self storage property in Los Angeles County with significant upside potential,” said Keller.

"There have only been a handful of foreclosed storage properties listed for sale in Southern California in the past few years and we have been the exclusive listing broker for most of them,” Keller said "There are plenty of buyers looking to "steal” lender owned properties, but we have been able to obtain very good prices for sellers – and always more than the "unsolicited” or "direct offers” received from potential buyers or other brokers before our listing and marketing of the property.  Self storage is such a unique property type and it takes a specialist with proven expertise and experience to maximize value for sellers in this unique property niche.”

Bancap Self Storage Group is the "#1 Self Storage Broker in California” with $1 billion in completed self storage sales, including many lender-owned "REO” properties, numerous portfolio sales, and a record setting single property sale of over $31 million.  For more information contact Dean Keller at (949) 888-5355 or visit the company web site at www.bancapselfstorage.com

Contact: Erin King, Executive Director                                  

Phone: (949)783-4130

E-mail: Erin.King@cssaweb.com

 

With SSA’s Help, CSSA Continues to Fight the Good Fight

Friday, July 26th - In spite of the recent disappointing turnaround for the AB 983 bill in Sacramento, the CSSA has continued to fight the good fight to bring about the kind of legislation that will benefit state self storage facilities. Finding ways to improve the lien laws will be an ongoing movement and that quest will be greatly aided by the assistance provided by the national Self Storage Association (SSA).

Thanks to the guidance of Tim Dietz, the SSA’s Sr. VP – Communications and Government Relations, and Carlos Kaslow, the SSA’s General Council, improving life for the California self storage owner/operator is a focal point. Of course, the SSA is doing the same for states across the country, but it has donated a significant amount of funding to California legislation over the years.

In fact, in 2010 a successful lien update took place in the California legislature which rounded out an already improved law. It took a joint effort from the CSSA and SSA to make it happen and the two forces will continue to concentrate on making good things happen despite the recent setback.

"Often these efforts take 2 or 3 years to complete successfully, particularly in larger states with so much activity at the capitols," said Dietz. "The SSA/CSSA enjoyed a successful collaborative effort to improve the lien law a few years ago, an effort which took a couple of sessions to complete. Although the votes didn't go our way in one committee this time, much progress was made and we look forward to working at it until this burdensome law is amended."

The SSA has worked on 16 lien bills this year across the country and eight have been successful so far.

"We are always thankful for the effort given by the SSA to help us,” adds Erin King, Executive Director of the CSSA. "Mike Scanlon, Tim Dietz and Carlos Kaslow are the best to work with, always coming up with ways to support our cause. A lot of smart mind come together to make things better for self storage in our state. The key is to be patient and positive and good things will happen.”   

 

About The California Self-Storage Association

Founded in 2002, the California Self Storage Association (CSSA) is the state not-for-profit trade organization dedicated to serving the California Self-Storage industry including owner-operators, facility managers and industry vendors. The CSSA represents some 450 direct member companies that own and operate over 1,200 facilities in California. CSSA direct members range from individual facility owner-operators to multiple-facility operations, to the industry's largest publicly traded Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs).

Contact: David Blum – Better Management Systems LLC

Phone: (954) 255-9500

Email: davidb@bmsgrp.com

 

 

FIRST EVER SELF-STORAGR EXPO TO BE HELD IN SAO PAULO

Expo 13 To Celebrate Industry Growth in Latin America

 

CORAL SPRINGS, FLORIDA—July 29, 2013—Better Management Systems (BMS) President David Blum is pleased to announce Expo 13, the 1st trades and educational gathering for Latin America. The event will take place November 4-5, 2013, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, at the modern convention center located at the headquarters of Secovi-SP (the Sao Paulo State Housing Syndicate).

 

Expo 13 will feature top experts in the self-storage industry including keynote speaker Patrick Reilly, Chairman of the Board of the Self Storage Association (SSA), the national non-profit organization that oversees the industry in the U.S. Reilly also is the President and CEO of Urban Self Storage of Seattle, Washington. The trade show will include exhibits by vendors that are involved in all aspects of the self-storage business such as security, building, insurance, and marketing. Expo 13’s key vendor sponsors are Janus International, PTI Security Systems, Chateau Products, and SiteLink Software.

 

"Self-storage has shown major growth in its nearly 40 years of existence and become a staple of life in the United States,” says Blum, whose company, BMS, is co-producing the event. "Today, more countries around the world are picking up on this trend—and nowhere is that more evident than in the Latin American countries. Investors now see great potential in Central and South America as host locations for new facilities.”

 

Nancy Torres, President of the Latin American Self Storage Association (LASSA) thinks the time is right to educate the public and media about the advantages that self -storage offers. Having such a stellar gathering of talent in Sao Paulo will help the process along. "I am very excited to see the growth of the self-storage industry in Latin America,” she says. "The first Latin American Trade Show and Education EXPO in Brazil will benefit all members of LASSA as it will offer educational sessions aimed at the unique nature of our market, the opportunity to learn from other operators in the region, and to see firsthand the products and technologies developed specifically for our Industry.”

 

Allan Paiotti, CEO of GuardeAqui Self Storage, one of leading self-storage businesses in Brazil, agrees that the upcoming Sao Paulo event is both historic and hugely important. "Self-storage is a flourishing asset class in Brazil,” he says. "This first trade show and expo in Brazil is a milestone for both vendors and operators to come together and set the standard for the industry.”

 

For more information about attending or exhibiting at Expo 13, please visit the event website at www.ssabrazil.com or email braziltradeshow@gmail.com.

 

About Better Management Systems

Better Management Systems (BMS), founded by David Blum, first began working on international projects in Sao Paulo, Brazil in 2004 at the request of a U.S.-based client. BMS was given the opportunity to convert an existing structure and integrate all the latest technology and products from the U.S. thereby bringing American style self-storage to the country and adapt it to the local Brazilian culture. As Past President and Co-founder of the Florida Self Storage Association, Blum has more than 10 years of experience in assisting with the production of trade shows.

 

About the Latin American Self-Storage Association

The Latin American Self-Storage Association (LASSA) is the trade association for the self-storage industry in Latin America. Its objectives are to support its members as suppliers or users, spread the benefits of self-storage, and promote best practices within the industry. LASSA welcomes all those owners, managers, vendors, companies, and investors in the guidelines of the self-storage business that would like to join the association.  For more information, visit www.laselfstorage.org.

 

 

About the Sao Paulo State Housing Syndicate

The Sao Paulo State Housing Syndicate (Secovi-SP) has been in existence since 1946 and is recognized as the home to the Brazilian real estate industry. The Syndicate houses several key operating sectors of the real estate production and service chain in Brazil.

Contact: Erin King, Executive Director                                  

Phone: (949)783-4130

E-mail: Erin.King@cssaweb.com

 

Time to Update Your Rental Agreement Concerning Accessibility

July 25, 2013 - The old expression "you never know” was never more dead-on than when the California Senate Judiciary Committee gave a major thumbs-down to a bill intended to help self storage operators dealing with lien laws. Bill AB 983 had moved quickly through three prior committee votes and there seemed to be no reason to think it wouldn’t make it through the Senate Judiciary Committee. But on July 2, thanks to a strong opposition from Senate majority leader Ellen M. Corbett, the bill was grounded in its tracks.

According to legal expert Carlos Kaslow, the primary obstacle to the bill’s passage was a change that it made to the court procedure to be followed after a Declaration in Opposition to Lien Sale was returned by a delinquent occupant. Under current law the storage operator is required to bring suit in small claims court when a Declaration is returned. AB 983 would have required the occupant who sends back a Declaration to file the lawsuit on the validity of the lien within 30 days of returning the Declaration. 

Storage operators have been dissatisfied with the current procedure because a high proportion of delinquent occupants who returned Declarations never showed up for the requested hearing. It was hoped that delinquent occupants would only return a Declaration when they had legally relevant reasons for executing the form and would be more likely to appear at the hearing if the occupant initiated the suit.

"There simply was not sufficient Democratic member support for this change and was the reason the bill did not move forward,” said Kaslow. "The seven-member Senate Judiciary Committee has five Democratic members and two Republican members and no bill can come out of committee without some Democratic support.” 

The Judiciary Committee action was somewhat surprising and disappointing because the bill had passed the Assembly by an overwhelming majority and had also passed the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee without opposition.   There were Senators on the Judiciary Committee who opposed the bill who had previously voted for it when it came before the Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee.

"The Judiciary Committee action was a very disappointing outcome,” said CSSA executive director Erin King. "We thought the bill was well on its way to passing and to have it turned down in such a manner really had us scratching our heads. However, we’ll keep trying to find ways to work with our legislators to bring about positive changes for our industry.” 

CSSA lobbyist Randy Pollack also was miffed by the Senate Judiciary Committee’s decision.

"The bill moved out of the Senate Business & Professions Committee on Consent with Senator Corbett (who opposed a similar version several years ago) voting ‘aye,’” said Pollack  "We had good meetings with Judiciary Committee Members and staff. A few days before the Judiciary Committee hearing, the consultant (who we had met with several times) wanted specific information regarding court delays. We provided him with court docket information and insight from members and attorneys who have faced non-appearances by the occupant.  Unfortunately, his analysis of the bill raised concerns that switching the burden would make it difficult for out-of-state occupants to file a claim and occupants would not have the resources to institute a suit (we provided rebuttals).”

"Also, at this point we learned that Senator Corbett (no longer Chair of the Judiciary Committee but who remains a member) had second thoughts about her vote in the Senate Business & Professions Committee, reversed course and began to lobby members of the Committee to oppose the bill,” added Pollack.

So where does the CSSA and national SSA go from here?

"The CSSA and SSA are assessing their options in light of the legislature’s action,” concluded Kaslow. "The Judiciary Committee has indicated that it is willing to work with the storage industry on an acceptable bill. The CSSA will carefully review its options before making a final decision on how it will proceed forward but it is not a simple decision. First, the bill must go from a one-year bill onto the two-year bill track. This means that it cannot be enacted until 2014.  It also increases the time and expenses that the CSSA will incur to move a revised bill forward. A decision to work with the Senate Judiciary Committee to modify the bill only makes sense if there is enough substantive change to the current lien law to justify this effort.”

 

About The California Self-Storage Association

Founded in 2002, the California Self Storage Association (CSSA) is the state not-for-profit trade organization dedicated to serving the California Self-Storage industry including owner-operators, facility managers and industry vendors. The CSSA represents some 450 direct member companies that own and operate over 1,200 facilities in California. CSSA direct members range from individual facility owner-operators to multiple-facility operations, to the industry's largest publicly traded Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs).

Contact: Erin King, Executive Director                                   

Phone: (949)783-4130

E-mail: Erin.King@cssaweb.com

 

Time to Update Your Rental Agreement Concerning Accessibility

June 11th 2013 - It is always better to think ahead than to wait for trouble to come knocking on your door. The CSSA is acutely aware that its members need to be informed and ready for any and all changes taking place in the industry. The latest involved accessibility inspections and your rental agreements.

Does your facility provide proper access to those with disabilities? Has your facility been inspected by a Certified Access Specialist (CASp) and been determined to meet all applicable construction-related accessibility standards set up in Civil Code 55.53? Regardless of your answer to those questions, starting on July 1 you will want to have it written into your rental agreements if you want to avoid future ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) legal entanglements.

Here is what Carlos Kaslow wrote about the subject in the Self Storage Legal Review:

"On July 1, 2013 all California commercial landlords, including self-storage operators, must have rental agreements that comply with Civil Code section 1938 which states:

"A commercial property owner or lessor shall state on every lease form or rental agreement executed on or after July 1, 2013, whether the property being leased or rented has undergone inspection by a Certified Access Specialist (CASp), and, if so, whether the property has or has not been determined to meet all applicable construction-related accessibility standards pursuant to Section 55.53."

The law does not specify the form or placement of this disclosure, but it does require that it be in the rental agreement. Facilities that have been inspected and state that is has been inspected by a certified inspector and is in compliance with state and federal accessibility standards will be less inviting targets to the ADA lawsuit industry."

Here is the good news – the CSSA sells a rental agreement template that Kaslow has already updated to include the above requirement. In fact, the CSSA’s rental agreement template (which can be purchased for a one-time fee of $349) is constantly being updated and sent to members who have purchased it.

"The CSSA is ahead of the curve on this change and we want to be sure all of our members have a rental agreement that is current with state and federal law,” says Erin King, executive director of the CSSA. "This is a terrific CSSA member benefit in that the cost of having an attorney draft your agreement and annually review it for you far outweighs the minimal investment the CSSA asks from our members.”

As Kaslow and King have made clear, the ability to avoid future ADA lawsuits can hinge on whether you have the proper wording in your rental agreements. And while it makes sense to have a Certified Access Specialist inspect your property, even if you haven’t been inspected you need mention of that in your rental agreement.

"All of our members who have purchased the template in the past are eligible to receive the updated template free of charge,” adds King. "We strongly encourage our members to review the agreements as soon as possible to ensure they are in compliance with this required change.”

For more information about the CSSA and its products, please visit www.californiaselfstorage.org.

 

About The California Self-Storage Association

Founded in 2002, the California Self Storage Association (CSSA) is the state not-for-profit trade organization dedicated to serving the California Self-Storage industry including owner-operators, facility managers and industry vendors. The CSSA represents some 450 direct member companies that own and operate over 1,200 facilities in California. CSSA direct members range from individual facility owner-operators to multiple-facility operations, to the industry's largest publicly traded Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs).

On The Move is thrilled to add an innovative food truck to their product line.  On The Move has been in the specialty truck leasing business for over 20 years.   Their food truck design is unique and provides the operator the ability to serve upwards of 1000 people per day.  It would be a perfect offering to do demographic studies on proposed restaurant locations prior to building out an entire store, attend special events and as a promotional tool to market brand recognition.

 

A slide out is part of their unique design that allows the servers to be at face level with their customers unlike anything in the industry.  Additionally, the slide out provides more work space for the servers and cooks.  On The Move customizes the interior with the kitchen equipment needed to prepare and serve the restaurant’s menu items.  Additionally, it has a built-in generator, water holding tanks (both fresh and grey) as well as an optional soda dispenser and serving counter on the outside of the truck. 

 

On The Move Food Trucks made their debut at the National Restaurant Association in May and had a surplus of positive reviews and orders!  Look for an On The Move Food Truck at a food truck park near you!  For more information, visit www.onthemovetrucks.com. 

 

Contact:

C.J. Steen

Marketing Director

(800) 645-9949

cj@onthemovetrucks.com

www.onthemovetrucks.co