The Latest Industry News

For Immediate Release

PhoneSmart

P.O. Box U

Columbia,, MO, 65203

866.639.1715

http://www.phone-smart.info/

The PhoneSmart Call Center and Off-Site Sales Force announces its tenth anniversary.

PhoneSmart's first employee, Director Tron Jordheim, arrived for his first day of work on December 1, 2000. Jordheim spent the first week learning about the self storage industry by observing and helping out at the Storage-Mart location on Rangeline Rd in Columbia, MO. On December 7^th, PhoneSmart took its first phone calls for the existing 12 store StorageMart portfolio. By December 15^th, PhoneSmart had hired current call center manager Dana Shields to work a day a week so Jordheim could have a day off.

PhoneSmart was founded as a brainstorm by the StorageMart executive team. They were planning on building StorageMart from a 12 store portfolio to a much larger portfolio. They had other friends in the business that had similar goals. It was clear that a call center would boost store revenue and asset value. With a commitment from two other operators to sign on as clients, StorageMart started the subsidiary based on the technology platform build-out developed by StorageMart's Chief Technical Officer, Monte Ellis.

PhoneSmart's original purpose was to capture phone calls missed by self storage and other rental properties' site staff and turn them into rentals by creating reservations, setting appointments and scheduling site tours. By February of 2001, PhoneSmart had not only begun taking on new clients from various other storage ownership groups, but also clients in the multi-family apartment field and the commercial real estate sector. The same goals and protocols put in place to serve as the sales back-up for self storage businesses applied beautifully to other real estate rental projects, too.

PhoneSmart now has served over 1,000 self storage, apartment and commercial real estate projects across North and Central America with call center and training services provided in English and Spanish. PhoneSmart has helped its clients create additional revenues estimated to be over 450 million dollars.

PhoneSmart's guiding principals were and still are to provide great service to its internal and external customers while making money hand over fist for its clients and its stakeholders. Although the recent economic challenges have caused margins to become razor thin for service providers, PhoneSmart's clients continue to experience returns on investment in the magnitude of seven to ten times revenue created to service fees paid. In order to accomplish this, PhoneSmart created and continues to develop a corporate culture based on great selling and customer service skills.

PhoneSmart is not an answering service with a price list; nor is it in business to take names and phone numbers. PhoneSmart sales reps are tasked with helping callers talk themselves into renting with the storage facilities or apartment communities they called. It has never been enough to just be friendly and helpful. PhoneSmart sales reps must be friendly and helpful while taking callers off the market by creating confirmed reservations, appointments and site tours. When others answering the phones for rental properties give up when a caller expresses some hesitation or reluctance to make a commitment, PhoneSmart sales reps go to work talking through the caller's needs and situation in order to help people realize the best course of action is to make a reservation or set an appointment with the location they are already expressing some interest in with their phone call.

PhoneSmart spends enormous amounts of time, energy, focus and resources in training, monitoring, coaching and retraining its sales reps. PhoneSmart has already re-invented and re-tooled its sales processes and protocols four times in its ten years in order to account for changing consumer behavior, developments in the real estate rental markets, and the challenges posed by ups and downs in the economies of various micro and macro economies in North and Central America.

PhoneSmart, as a sales and marketing organization, has experimented with, adopted, perfected, and even abandoned many tools and practices along the way. PhoneSmart was an early adopter of call recording, ad tracking, search engine marketing, chat support, e-learning and distance learning, email marketing, web based management systems, VOIP communications, mobile advertising and marketing, text campaigns, automated call services, event-based promotions, social media marketing, speech recognition systems and other interesting technologies and processes.

PhoneSmart continues to take all of its calls for apartment communities and self storage facilities in Columbia, MO, the seat of the main campus of the University of Missouri. PhoneSmart's director Tron Jordheim has become a leading figure in the self storage industry, sharing his insights and experiences as a presenter for conferences and seminars. More information about PhoneSmart can be found at http://www.phone-smart.info/. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Villa Rica, GA – November 17, 2010) The Latin America Self Storage Association has undergone foundational changes this year, announcing a new focus, a new board of directors and a newly launched website.

LASSA's goal is to support the Latin America operator/developer/vendor self storage market by providing information, education and a platform to share ideas and concerns. LASSA will strive to show the benefits of self-storage as an investment and how it benefits individuals (end-users) as well as promotes better practices within the industry. An inaugural expo is slated for November, 2011 in Panama.

The 2010-2011 Board of Directors is as follows:

Nancy Torres, President

Cristian Batres, Vice-President

Todd Levy, Treasurer

Lucia Darnell, Secretary

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LASSA, the Latin America Self Storage Association, is a member-based association of owners, operators, developers and vendors whose goal is to further the self storage market in Latin American-based countries from an educational, networking and legislative platform. For more information on the Association or membership, visit http://www.laselfstorage.org/.

Contact:

Nancy Torres

Janus International

770.880.4659

nancyt@janusintl.com

The California Self Storage Association and Kure It officially partner to reach their collective goal of $1 million for cancer research!

The California Self Storage Association and Kure It officially announced their partnership at the CSSA's 7th Annual Conference & Member Meeting which was held in San Diego, October 13-16. Our collective goal is to lead the Self Storage Industry in the charge to raise $1 million for research that results in progressive treatments and cures for cancer.

The CSSA and Kure It will be working together to promote "Store For The Kure" and "Round Up For Research" contribution programs, which are simple to implement programs aimed at raising money for cancer research involving both the owner/operator and tenants.

Members of the CSSA have already taken on an active role in raising money as was proven when Aaron Alsweiler of Storman Self Storage Software and winner of our annually gifted surfboard (donated by Greg Wells of Cushman & Wakefield) opted to support Kure It by offering up the board to the highest bidder. That bidder was Ray Tuohy of TNT Self Storage Management who bid $1,000 all of which went directly to Kure It for cancer research.

For more information on how to participate in "Store For The Kure" and "Round Up For Research" contribution programs please call Kellie Newcombe 949.428.7081

October 11, 2010

PRESS RELEASE

XPS Solutions and QuikStor Complete Integration

Richardson, TX – Sept. 20, 2010, - XPS Solutions, the pioneer in Call Center solutions for the Self Storage industry and QuikStor, Security and Software provider to the Self Storage industry announced today that their call center integration is complete.

"QuikStor customers have been asking us for call center integration and we are proud to announce that XPS has provided a full-featured service that delivers. Their customer service and reputation in the industry makes them an excellent choice, and when combined with QuikStor software this integration provides facilities with a great overall solution,” said Tony Gardner, Vice President of Operations for QuikStor.

XPS Solutions' state-of-the art Call Center will exchange real-time data with QuikStor. Their trained professionals will provide QuikStor customers with up-to-date prices, specials, and storage availability

1251 Sherman Street, Suite 101 | Richardson, TX 75081 | T: 877.XPSUSA1 | F: 972.783.6468 | XPSUSA.COM

. "Not only will this bring value added services, it also gives QuikStor customers the added convenience of making payments in a secure and live environment,” said Michael Roberts, Vice President of Business Development for XPS Solutions.

XPS Solutions provides best-in-class call management technology bundled with state-of-the-art web solutions. The XPS suite of products captures and tracks new leads, lead sources, and receives payment transactions through the use of call center, web platform, and IVR tools.

For more information contact Michael Roberts at Mroberts@XPSUSA.com or 877-XPSUSA1.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 30, 2010

Contact:

CSSA - Erin King

(562) 304-2864

SSA - Tim Dietz

703-575-8000

California Governor Signs Bill Amending State's Self Storage Lien Law

 

September 30, 2010 – Long Beach, CA and Alexandria, VA - The California Self Storage Association (CSSA) and the national Self Storage Association (SSA) are pleased to announce that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into legislation this week a bill amending the California self storage lien law. The legislation (AB 655) was championed by the CSSA with significant funding support from the SSA. The law addresses the "Declaration in Opposition” provision of the lien law resulting in a more cost-effective process and eliminating the number of baseless "declaration” scenarios. It also provides for a more reasonably-priced lien notification method. Storage operators will need to revise their current lien procedures by the law's January 1, 2011 effective date.

"We believe that the updates to the law will create a more efficient and cost effective process for operators and their tenants to communicate when customers have fallen behind in their rent,” says Shelley Geiler, president of the CSSA, board member of the SSA and a partner of SoCal Self Storage and SSA board member. "We could not have been successful in this endeavor without the joint effort of the national self storage association and the incredible support we received from our membership.”

Previously self storage lien circumstances where the "declaration” had been employed were settled in superior court creating a lengthy and expensive legal course of action. The new law enables self storage operators to resolve lien and auction disputes in small claims court. Taking into account the typical number of lien situations each year, the potential savings from the new process will be thousands of dollars for each facility and millions annually throughout the state. Also under the new law, verification of delivery of lien notices can be satisfied through certificate of mailing rather than certified mail, a much more costly method.

"We congratulate our partners of the California Self Storage Association for all of their hard work in streamlining that state's lien law,” said Michael T. Scanlon, Jr., president & CEO of the SSA. "The national SSA is working from state-to-state to modernize many of the lien laws so that they are fair to storage operators and take advantage of today's more efficient technologies.”

According to Jim McNamee, President of West Coast Self Storage and past president of the CSSA, "It was a lengthy three year battle for these common sense changes to become law; however it was well worth it. The passage of this bill is a win-win, and will save self storage operators and their customers time and money.”

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 vendors in the industry. The CSSA represents some 380 direct member companies that own and operate over 800 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 the Self Storage Association

Founded in 1975, the Self Storage Association (SSA) is the national not-for-profit trade organization serving the $22.4 billion (revenues) self storage industry including owner-operators, facility managers and vendors in the self storage industry. The SSA represents some 3,000 direct member companies and another 3,000 indirect member firms [via twenty-four (26) affiliated associations] that own and operate a total of some 20,000 facilities in the US, Canada and 16 other nations. SSA direct members range from individual facility owner-operators to multiple-facility operations, to the industry's largest publicly traded Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). 

Summer is the most ideal time of year to perform repairs and routine maintenance to your parking lots.  The weather is warm, and rain is rare.  Once winter arrives, if needed repairs or maintenance are not made, excessive rain will always exacerbate issues and rapidly accelerate the deterioration of various asphalt/concrete areas. Now is a great time to evaluate any potential needs your properties may have in order to analyze the potential benefits of performing work prior to the winter months.

To our fellow CSSA colleagues, CAM Services is offering complimentary site surveys which include:

*Repair/maintenance recommendations
*Detailed repair diagram with corresponding photos
*Summarize any potential "high liability" areas/issues in an effort to help maximize asset life
*Review for ADA compliance, as we have a great depth of ADA experience

We are able to handle everything at your properties from the roof all the way to the curb.  If you're interested in a site survey or you think we can be of any assistance to you, please contact Nicole Taylor or our Marketing Manager, Gabriela Reyna, today.

We look forward to meeting you at the next CSSA event!

Phone: 800-576-3050
Email: info@CamServices.com

Contacts: Carrie Royce, VP Marketing Rich Cray, President

Direct Line 785-393-7370 Direct Line 913-469-0997

carrie.royce@storagefront.comrich.cray@storagefront.com

Immediate Release

StorageFront Launches Bilingual Web Pages

 The specialty search engine offers both English and Spanish pages to accommodate more of the American population

Kansas City, KS – July 15, 2010 – StorageFront president Rich Cray looked at his self storage search engine and similar websites in the industry, and realized that none of them were accommodating a large fraction of the self storage market.

Hispanics are the fastest-growing population in the United States. And according to a report in comScore, the Hispanic online demographic is growing 50 percent faster than the overall U.S. online population.

Bilingual services enable companies to overcome cultural barriers and ensure that their products and services reach a larger target audience. With this in mind, Cray decided to make StorageFront the first self storage search engine to have bilingual pages.

StorageFront hired professional interpreters to translate the site into Spanish. Unlike computer programs – which directly convert written materials from one language into another, but often result in awkward wording – translators must have excellent writing and analytical ability. And because the translations that they produce must be accurate, they also need good spelling and editing skills.

Furthermore, effective website translation is a lengthy process requiring more than word interpretation. Written materials must be extracted, translated, and reinserted into content sections that are routinely designed for shorter phrasing. Typically, the site has to be rebuilt, tested, and UI-verified in different web browsers to ensure that the translated text displays correctly.

To read StorageFront in Spanish, visitors to the site can simply click the Habla Espanol icon on the site's front page.

"Our clients at StorageFront are thrilled with the bilingual feature, especially in the South, because a huge part of their customer base speaks Spanish as their first language—and oftentimes as their only language,” Cray said. "At most self storage facilities in the lower half of the U.S., it's a requirement that their managers speak Spanish.”

Tracy Taylor, who is president of the National Self Storage Association, has facilities all over Texas and has hired several bilingual managers. Many of the Watson & Taylor stores have bilingual ads on billboards, but before signing with StorageFront, they did not have a bilingual presence on the web.

"StorageFront is really the only site where there is an amenity or an option to check ‘Habla Espanol',” Taylor said.

"We're all about making StorageFront a one-stop shop for anyone looking to rent a self storage unit,” Cray said. "Managers in the South tell us that trust is very important to their Hispanic customers, and they believe StorageFront bilingual's interface will help build that trust with their Hispanic clientele and pull in many more customers.”

About StorageFront (http://www.storagefront.com/)

StorageFront launched in 2009 to provide a web marketing resource for the self storage industry specifically, which now numbers over 50,000 facilities nationwide. A bilingual web portal featuring search-by-amenity and geo-relevant sorting, StorageFront serves self storage owners and renters with an advanced search engine that comprises the large majority of U.S. storage facilities. StorageFront is headquartered in Kansas City, Kansas.

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FOR IMMMEDIATE RELEASE

Industry Veterans Start New Self Storage Firm

Redwood City, CA - July 16th, 2010 

 

With the dramatic changes the self storage industry has seen over the last few years, Carl Touhey and Jason "Jay” Allen have started a new self storage firm called Performance Self Storage Group, Inc. The need for self storage specialist has never been greater, especially during a time when vacancies are up, revenue is down and cap rates are reaching near a 10. Performance Self Storage Group will be focusing on assisting self storage owners throughout the Country on a variety of levels including on‐site operations, management, implementing creative Gen‐Y marketing techniques and finding strong capital sources. Performance Self Storage Group is also actively looking to buy and invest in storage properties using their own capital sources and also through joint ventures with others in the industry.

Carl began his self storage career during the RTC days, purchasing storage properties throughout the United States and successfully turning them around in a short amount of time. Using creative marketing techniques and keeping a watchful eyes on the business, Carl has a proven track record for self storage success. From 1992 to 2010, Carl specialized in self storage investment sales in Northern California. He is now taking his experience and knowledge of the self storage industry and applying it to properties in need of help and assistance.

Jay began his real estate career in 1998 and has worked with some of the nation's top real estate firms, selling residential real estate, land and self storage properties throughout California. He has worked in self storage for 13 years alongside Carl Touhey and became heavily involved in the self storage industry in 2005. In that time, Jay has not only been a successful self storage investment specialist, but has assisted owners with marketing, management and has consulted on multiple storage properties throughout the state of California.

If you'd like more information about Performance Self Storage please call Carl Touhey at 650‐368‐2216 or Jason "Jay” Allen at 650‐260‐2242

San Diego, CA – July 9, 2010 – A-1 Self Storage, the premier provider of self storage in California, announced today the addition of 15 more of their locations that have partnered with GREENspot DROPoff to offer free E-Waste Recycling to the public. This brings a total of twenty-eight A-1 Self Storage locations in San Diego County, Los Angeles County, Orange County and the Bay Area that have become authorized GREENspot DROPoff Locations for the collection of old ink and toner cartridges, cell phones, computers, monitors and other electronic waste.

"A-1 Self Storage is proud to be involved with the proper disposal of E-Waste recyclables. This benefits our environment and reduces waste in landfills” Brian Caster, President and CEO of A-1 Self Storage explained, "As part of our commitment to our communities; all proceeds will benefit local schools. A-1 Self Storage recently sent proceeds from our GREENspot DROPoff / E-Waste collections to the following Union School Districts in California: Glendale, Mount Diablo (Concord), San Jose, San Diego and Vista (San Diego North County). We hope these proceeds will help out local schools that continue to experience budget cuts.”

For more information about the GREENspot DROPoff program or E-Waste Recycling, please visit http://www.greenspotdropoff.org/.

For more information about A-1 Self Storage, please visit http://www.a1storage.com/e_waste_recycling or 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 in San Diego with 17 locations in the greater San Diego area and over 40 locations across California. 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, 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 fastest growing companies.

CONTACTS:

Fran Laporga-Ching

A-1 Self Storage

(619) 287-8873 x 141

press@a1storage.com

http://www.a1storage.com/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(July 2, 2010 – Temple, GA) Janus International is pleased to introduce a new portable storage unit – MASS New Generation. This new unit offers many upgrades to Janus' standard Movable Additional Storage Structure (MASS) unit, including lighter weight, no sharp edges, easier and quicker installation times and a sleek new design. MASS New Generation is ideal for increasing self storage facility units, and can also be used for home or retail applications. MASS New Generation is available with insulation, shelving and a variety of door colors. In addition, all Janus portable storage units have leasing options available, making them a cost-effective avenue for increasing rental space.

For more information, visit our website at http://www.janusintl.com/.

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Janus International is a leading provider of roll up doors, hallways systems, portable storage solutions and rolling steel doors. Headquartered in Temple, GA, Janus has six locations worldwide. For more information, visit our website at http://www.janusintl.com/

For more information, contact:

Amy Fuhlman

Director of Marketing

J A N U S I N T E R N A T I O N A L

p. 770.562.2850

f. 770.562.1991

m. 404.787.8444

http://www.janusintl.com/

amyf@janusintl.com