PHOENIX, Arizona - November 27th, 2012 - OpenTech Alliance, Inc. today announced that A-1 Self Storage has exceeded the $1,000,000.00 mark in kiosk transactions for 2012.  En-route to reaching 1,000 new move-ins, the A-1 team of INSOMNIAC™ Kiosks (15 in total) is projected to handle over 10,000 consumer transactions by year end. The milestones emphasize the ongoing success of modern self-service technology throughout the self storage marketplace.

 

A family owned company, headquartered in San Diego, Caster Properties, Inc, operates 42 self storage facilities throughout California under the A-1 Self Storage brand.  Brian Caster, President and CEO of Caster Properties stated, "Adding the convenience of on-site self service at our facilities has become a bona fide competitive advantage.  We are making it very easy for customers to do business with us, we're always open."

 

Using self service kiosks does not mean a compromise in the level of customer service; to the contrary, it results in a higher level of convenience and customer satisfaction.  A-1 call center agents greet kiosk users proactively and are available to provide real-time customer care using the VOIP phone built into the kiosk.  Soon, kiosk users and A-1 agents will be able to not only talk with each other; they will be able to see each other using the Live! Megan Plus service which includes a two-way video option.  At stores with kiosks, A-1 has been able to close their office two days a week and still rent units while the office is closed.

 

"Caster Properties has been a customer of ours for several years and they are consistently looking for new ways to improve the level of convenience & service they offer their customers.  They have been a driving force behind many of the new enhancements we have made to our products.  We are very happy to see that their investment in our self service solutions is paying handsome dividends," said Robert A. Chiti, President and CEO at OpenTech.  "Our strategy is to offer solutions that make a material impact on the economics of operating a self storage business, A-1's accomplishments are proof we are on the right path" added Chiti.

 

About OpenTech Alliance, Inc: A pioneer in self service technology, OpenTech Alliance is the leading developer of innovative rental solutions for the self storage industry. Their trail was blazed by offering facilities 24 hour sales & service convenience through a complete line of INSOMNIAC™ Self Serve Kiosks. Today, the innovation continues with a full range of self service rental solutions that include the INSOMNIAC Live! Call Center, INSOMNIAC Online Rental applications (web & mobile), INSOMNIAC ILock Security System and INSOMNIAC LiveAgent! software products through the industries first and only Self Storage Cloud. OpenTech products increase revenues, reduce operating costs and improve customer convenience for self storage businesses. For additional information, please click OpenTechAlliance.com or call an OpenTech Business Development Manager at (602) 749-9370.

 

Press Contact:
Mike Sawyer, Director of Marketing
OpenTech Alliance, Inc.
602.324.8655
msawyer@opentechalliance.com

 

NOTE TO EDITORS: OpenTech Alliance, the OpenTech logo and INSOMNIAC are trademarks of OpenTech Alliance, Inc. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. INSOMNIAC kiosks are protected by U.S. patent number 5,946,660.

 

Tom Litton, an icon in the self-storage industry and a longtime friend to many among our Industry, passed away in his sleep on October 2nd. Memorial services were held today in his hometown of Lodi, California at the Lodi Funeral Home.

Tom began his career in storage when the industry was still in its infancy and became one of the industry’s most well-known consultants and providers of third-party management. In addition to successfully managing more than 150 properties in 11 states, Tom was a renowned consultant and speaker who conducted hundreds of seminars worldwide on topics ranging from self-storage operations and management to contracts and legal issues, auctions, facility auditing, and preventing theft and embezzlement.

Known as an exceptional writer, Tom contributed hundreds of articles for trade publications in the self-storage industry including the Mini-Storage Messenger, Self-Storage Almanac, and Self-Storage Development Handbook. He also wrote two best-selling industry books, The Key To Success: How To Manage Self-Storage and Auditing Self-Storage: Preventing Employee Theft & Embezzlement.

"This is a tragic loss for our industry,” says MiniCo Publisher Poppy Behrens. "Tom was always so enthusiastic about life. Whenever we spoke, he was excited about some new project, a new business venture, something he was doing at his ranch—and above all, his son. Tom was a teacher, a mentor, and above all he was a dear friend.”

Tom graduated with honors from Northeastern State University in Oklahoma with a degree in Accounting and Business Management. He was also a graduate of the World Wide College of Auctioneering in Mason City, Iowa, and had professional training in auction law and real estate. Ever driven to learn more, Tom was currently attending law school.

 

Cards of condolence can be sent to:

Litton Property Management

P.O. Box 970

Woodbridge, CA, 95258.

Contact: Erin King, Executive Director                                  

Phone: (949)783-4130

E-mail: erinking.cssa@gmail.com

 

California Self Storage Association Hosts Storage Olympics

Proceeds to Benefit Kure It

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA —October 2, 2012—The California Self Storage Association (CSSA) is pleased to announce it will hold a Storage Olympics event at its 10th annual conference in San Diego on October 25, 2012. Sponsored by SpareFoot, proceeds of the event will benefit Kure It cancer research.

Held during the opening night reception, the CSSA Storage Olympics will feature "minute to win it” challenges such as Egg Zone, Chopstick Stack, Junk in the Trunk, and Hot Hoops Basketball, with points awarded for each game.

"This will be a unique sports competition event—much like ‘Minute to Win It’ on TV,” says CSSA Executive Director Erin King. "We will have an Opening Ceremony, after which there will be 10 sponsored tabletop ‘Olympic’ events.”

The event will conclude with an awards ceremony where the most skilled tabletop participants will receive Gold, Silver, or Bronze medals. Each enrolled conference attendee will receive three tickets to participate in the game of their choice, with additional tickets available for a donation of $10 each or three for $20.

For more information about participating or to sponsor an individual Olympic event, contact the California Self Storage Association at (949)783-4130 or visit www.californiaselfstorage.org.

 

About The California Self-Storage Association
Founded in 2002, the California Self Storage Association (CSSA) is the state’s 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).

 

About Kure It

Kure It is a non-profit organization whose mission is to raise money for research specialists conducting innovative projects to better treat and ultimately cure kidney cancer and other cancers.  Founded by self-storage industry veteran Barry Hoeven after his kidney cancer diagnosis, Kure It has raised over $1 million for research since 2007. www.kureit.org

 

About SpareFoot

SpareFoot is the world's largest online marketplace for consumers to find and reserve self-storage units, with comparison shopping tools that show real-time availability and exclusive deals. The company also offers Web marketing solutions for storage facility owners and operators. Its AdNetwork tool helps facilities modernize their marketing and win new tenants online. SpareFoot AdNetwork listings get more traffic than any comparable directory, featuring software integration and ROI-proving analytics. http://sparefoot.com

Contact: Erin King, Executive Director                                  

Phone: (949)783-4130

E-mail: Erin.king@cssaweb.com

Storage Olympics to Take Place October 25th During CSSA Event Reception

The California Self Storage Association will host a Storage Olympics competition as part of its 10th annual conference and membership meeting, Oct. 25-26, in San Diego. Sponsored by Sparefoot and designed to mimic the "Minute to Win It" television series on NBC, the event, will take place during the evening cocktail reception on Thursday with all game proceeds going to Kure It for Cancer Research. Event memories can be captured at the onsite photo booth courtesy of Domico.

Open to all conference attendees, the Storage Olympics will feature an opening ceremony, sponsored competitions and an awards ceremony during which medals will be distributed to winners. CSSA Owner and Vendor members are encouraged to sponsor individual events, which will include:

• Get the Lead In: Players must bounce pencils, eraser end down, off the table and into each of seven glasses (60-second limit).
• Penny Hose: Players must retrieve a penny from each leg of a pair of panty hose and put them on a table using only a single hand (60-second limit).
• Egg Zone: Players must balance four footballs on individual plastic tees, and then balance four eggs upright on the tips of the footballs (60-second limit).
• Noodling Around: Players use a piece of uncooked spaghetti, held in their mouth, to pick up six penne noodles placed around the perimeter of a table. Fastest time wins.
• Stack Attack: Players must stack 36 plastic cups into a perfect triangle-shaped structure, and then get the cups back into a single stack. Fastest time wins.
• Ping Pong Pogo: Players must empty eight ping-pong balls from a tissue box, strapped to their lower back with a belt, while remaining upright and without using their hands.
• Hot Hoops Basketball: Players use a launcher to rapid-fire as many mini basketballs as possible into baskets (60-second limit).
• Extreme Nutstacker: Players must stack 10 large metal nuts, edge to edge, by sliding them off a chopstick onto a wooden cutting board held in the opposite hand 60-second limit).
• One-Handed Tissue Grab: As quickly as possible, players use only one hand to pull tissues out of the box, one-at-a-time, until the box is empty.
• Create Your Own Game: Subject to approval. Game supplies, rules and description to be provided by game sponsor in advance.

All conference attendees will get three tickets as part of their registration, each good for one game of their choosing. Additional tickets are available for $10, or three for $20.  Points are awarded for each game played.

CSSA is a non-profit trade association dedicated to supporting the self-storage industry in California. The group offers educational events, networking opportunities, legislative advocacy and more. More information can be found at www.californiaselfstorage.org.

About Kure It

Kure It is a non-profit organization whose mission is to raise money for research specialists conducting innovative projects to better treat and ultimately cure kidney and other cancers.  Founded by self-storage industry veteran Barry Hoeven after his diagnosis with kidney cancer, Kure It has raised over $1 million for research since 2007. www.kureit.org

 

About SpareFoot

SpareFoot is the world's largest online marketplace for consumers to find and reserve self-storage units, with comparison shopping tools that show real-time availability and exclusive deals. We also offer web marketing solutions for storage facility owners and operators. Our AdNetwork tool helps facilities modernize their marketing and win new tenants online. SpareFoot AdNetwork listings get more traffic than any comparable directory, featuring software integration and ROI-proving analytics. http://sparefoot.com

E-Waste International, BigMaMaEarth, Greensense, Dependable

Companies & Others Join Eco-Focused Virtual Marketplace

 

San Francisco, CA, Los Angeles, CA & New York, NY – August 13, 2012 - EcoExpo365, the ultimate green virtual tradeshow, will be officially opening its online doors in September, 2012. The eco-focused virtual marketplace already has an impressive list of early commitments from E-Waste International, BigMaMaEarth, Greensense, Dependable Companies, GREENspotDROPoff, Groovy Globe and others.

 

EcoExpo365 will be a new online community focused on promoting responsible and sustainable green business practices as well as hosting regular high-profile speakers within the global recycling, environmental, alternative energy and other eco-conscious industries, such as:

• Material Manufacturers, Producers and Distributors
• Recyclers, Reclamation Centers and Processors
• Waste & Recycling Companies
• Environmental Associations
• Investors, Business and Environmental Media
• Environmental Specialists
• Corporate Social Responsibility Leaders & Green Marketers
• Buyers and Other Opinion Makers

 

The zero carbon footprint virtual expo will feature a state-of-the-art, online auditorium, exhibition hall, multi-media rich media library, expansive e-learning center and integrated social media lounge. EcoExpo365 will initially be free for individuals to enter and open 24 x 7 x 365 days a year. 

 

"We're pleased with the high level of interest and early corporate participation," said Barry Keyes, Founder & CEO of EcoExpo365. "When we’re able to bring industry leaders, authors, opinion makers and companies together to share knowledge, collaborate and help solve problems, like the long-term health of our planet, we all win.”

 

EcoExpo365 will also host regular keynote addresses and virtual events that will stream live and on-demand video and presentations from business leaders, government partners, association members, authors and other thought leaders. If you’re interested in sponsoring, exhibiting or speaking at an upcoming virtual event, please email info@EcoExpo365.com.

 

 

About EcoExpo365:

EcoExpo365, owned and operated by Xpo24, LLC, is the ultimate green virtual tradeshow.  EcoExpo365 represents a new online community focused on the environment, green, recycling, alternative energy and other eco-conscious companies. The online marketplace features an auditorium, exhibition hall, e-learning center and social media lounge – all designed to share knowledge, facilitate networking and partnerships, foster greater collaboration and generate leads for participating member companies. For more information, visit www.EcoExpo365.com, email info@EcoExpo365.com or call 800.881.1270.

# # #

Media Contact:

Chris Faust

Fastlane on behalf of EcoExpo365

973.226.4379

cfaust@fast-lane.net

 

Contact: Erin King, Executive Director

Phone: (949)783-4130

E-mail: erinking.cssa@gmail.com

 

California Self-Storage Association Named "Best Of Business” For Second Year

 

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA —August 22, 2012—The California Self Storage Association (CSSA) has been selected as the Best Association by the readers of Inside Self Storage magazine in its Best Of Business survey. This is the second year that the CSSA has received this honor.

 

As a 2012 Best of Business winner, the CSSA will be honored at a special ceremony held during the Inside Self Storage World Expo to be held in Las Vegas, April 3-5, 2013. The association will also be profiled in an upcoming issue of Inside Self Storage magazine.

 

"We are truly honored, especially after also being named Best Association last year,” says California Self Storage Association Executive Director Erin King. "We believe that this is a huge accomplishment for the association and all of our members.”

 

After receiving the award in 2011, the CSSA was inspired to put together a book of the best practices employed by its members. Titled Greetings from California: Best Practices of the California Self Storage Association, the book features 17 chapters of exceptional operational information for the self-storage industry—no matter what state you are located in. Published by MiniCo, is available at www.ministoragemessenger.com.

 

• Since its inception in 2002, the CSSA has worked hard to strengthen its legislative effectiveness and provide its members with a valuable platform of benefits. "The CSSA has many exciting projects in the pipeline, says King. "In 2013, we plan to offer a new package of operational forms to our members along with a customized employment handbook based on our members’ portfolio size. The handbook will also offer legal updates to our members on an annual basis.”

 

To learn more about the CSSA, 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).

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                 

 

A-1 Self Storage acquires land to build a new multi-level storage facility

 in Alhambra, CA which will open Late 2013.

 

San Diego, CA – August 8, 2012 – A-1 Self Storage, the premier provider of self storage in California announced their plans to build a new 74,868 square feet, multi-level facility with over 700 storage units on .66 acres of land in Alhambra, a suburb in Los Angeles County, CA.  The all-cash transaction was made with a private individual for an undisclosed amount. This property is located on Poplar Blvd between S Fremont Ave and W Main Street. It will feature Climate Control and is expected to open Late 2013.

 "Location, location, location! We’re very excited about building a new storage facility that will be conveniently located in a busy retail center near Costco and Target” said Brian Caster, President and CEO of A-1 Self Storage. "A-1 Self Storage is proud to join the Alhambra community and we look forward to serving the storage needs of the local residents and businesses in the near future.”

A-1 Self Storage is looking throughout California to purchase raw land, existing facilities, projects in fill-up and projects that are entitled but not built. If you have any of these opportunities, please contact Bryan Underwood via e-mail: bunderwood@castergrp.com or call: 800-219-4854 ext 164.

 

To find a Los Angeles County A-1 Self Storage, please visit: http://www.a1storage.com/self_storage/Los_Angeles_County_CA/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 8 locations in the Los Angeles County area and 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 in California.

 

CONTACTS:

Fran Laporga-Ching

A-1 Self Storage

(619) 287-8873 x 141

press@a1storage.com

www.a1storage.com

For Immediate Release         

 

Contact: Erin King, Executive Director                                  

Phone: (949)783-4130

E-mail: erinking.cssa@gmail.com

 

California Self-Storage Association Calls For Entries To

2012 Examples in Excellence Manager Reward Program

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIFORNIA —August 1, 2012—The California Self Storage Association (CSSA) in partnership with MiniCo Insurance Agency, LLC, is pleased to announce that it is accepting entries for the first annual Examples in Excellence Manager Reward Program. Three finalists will be selected to attend the CSSA 10 th Annual Conference and Member Meeting in San Diego. The winners will be announced during the event on October 25, 2012.

CSSA Executive Director Erin King commented, "The Examples in Excellence program is a great way for our members to recognize the outstanding performance of their managers who operate within the self-storage industry in California.”

MiniCo Publisher Poppy Behrens stated, "We are proud to be a partner with the CSSA for this important program that will recognize and reward managers for their outstanding contributions. We are pleased to announce that the three finalists will also be entered into MiniCo’s Manager of the Year competition.”

Entries may be submitted by completing the official nomination form, which can be found online at www.ministoragemessenger.com/CSSA-Entry-Form.pdf. All entries must be received no later than Friday, August 31, 2012. For more information, 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).

Press Release

Richardson, TX, June 29th 2012  

XPS Solutions has added another successful offering to its suite of self storage outsourced solutions.  This time, it has rolled out an outsourced pay-by-phone solution powered by XPS’ proprietary ECHO platform and integrated with the property’s site management system. 

The XPS Pay-by-Phone solution is a turn-key solution for independent small to mid-sized self storage operators allowing their business to collect rental payments from tenants securely by phone. Benefits of implementing this solution are many, including freeing the property management personnel from the phones to process payments and reducing the risk of fraudulent activity that happens when credit card numbers are exchanged over the phone.  But the icing to the cake may be the fact that new revenue is being generated for each property by the incremental service fee the property can choose to levy for use of this service to its tenant.  Each property can choose whether or not to add a service fee as well as control the amount of the charge.  XPS went the extra mile and integrated with Site-Link, Centershift, QuikStor and Domico.

Pay by Phone, the first of its kind in the industry, is an Integrated Voice Response (IVR) system that allows tenants to make secure payments over the telephone through a voice prompted teller.

"XPS Pay-by-Phone enables the inde­pendent operator to follow the strategy of the REITs by deploying a turn-key, secure payment processing system for rental payments.  The goal is to reduce collections while providing better customer service.” said John Traver, CEO of XPS Solutions. 

XPS Solutions enables small to mid-sized independent operators with competitive solutions to compete for tenant market share.  "XPS knows that in the current economic climate, every prospect counts and that a self storage company needs to be quick to adapt to changing customer needs such as these.  That’s been our vision here and we continue to work close with our clients to meet their ever changing needs.” added Michael Roberts, Vice President of Business Development for XPS Solutions.

XPS Solutions provides best-in-class call center that also offers web solutions. The XPS suite of products captures and tracks new leads, lead sources and receives payment transactions through the use call center, web platform and IVR tools.  XPS is integrated with most site management systems.

For inquiries please contact Michael Roberts @ Mroberts@xpsusa.com 972-865-4312.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Temple, GA – June 26, 2012)  Janus International Corporation has announced a strategic business alliance with Self Storage Equipment Financing, an Atlanta, GA-based company specializing in the financing of removable storage equipment such as doors and hallway partitions.

Numerous owners and developers have stalled their plans for renovation, conversion or new construction due to unreachable upfront investments. In today’s banking environment, conventional routes to cash may be either unavailable or too costly. Self Storage Equipment Financing offers an alternative, with low down payments, affordable monthly payments and low interest rates. At the end of the term the equipment is yours.

"We see aligning with Janus International as a win-win for owners and developers who need new storage materials to remain competitive, but need a resourceful method of financing,” states Self Storage Equipment Financing principal David Dixon.

As the leading supplier of roll up doors and self storage building components, Janus vice president of sales Ramey Jackson is optimistic about the alliance. "By offering our customers a new method of financing their doors and components, we foresee a benefit to the self storage business across the board. The easier it is for storage owners and developers to build, the greater the impact on the entire industry,” says Jackson.

###

Janus International is a leading manufacturer of rolling sheet doors and building components for the self storage, commercial and industrial markets.  Headquartered in Temple, Georgia, Janus has five U.S. locations as well as joint ventures in the U.K. and Mexico.  For more details, visit our website at www.janusintl.com.

Self Storage Equipment Financing specializes in financing of removable equipment in the self storage marketplace. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, their principals bring years of experience in the construction and management of self storage facilities nationwide. For more details, please visit www.storageequipmentfinancing.com.