The Latest Industry News

Alhambra, CA – March 20, 2015
A-1 Self Storage, the premier provider of self-storage in Los Angeles County, California, announced today the official ribbon cutting ceremony with the Alhambra Chamber of Commerce was held on March 10, 2015. This state-of-the-art self storage facility opened on February 24, 2015 and is located at 2300 Poplar Boulevard, Alhambra, CA.

The event was attended by Cecilia Garcia, Alhambra Chamber Ambassador, Dr. Steve Placido, Alhambra City Councilman, and Frank Chen, Alhambra Chamber of Commerce Immediate Past President.

“We are very excited to be a part of the diverse and vibrant Alhambra community,” said Brian Caster, President and CEO of A-1 Self Storage. “Thank you to the community members and town officials who made our Chamber ribbon cutting ceremony a success.”

To learn more about the newest A-1 Self Storage location in Alhambra, visit our website at http://a1stor.co/A1Alhambra.

About A-1 Self Storage:
A-1 Self Storage is one of the leading providers of storage units in California, with 8 self-storage locations in Los Angeles County. A-1 Self-Storage is the Self-Storage division of the Caster Companies, a third generation family owned company headquartered in San Diego, California serving local communities since 1959. The Caster Companies specializes in acquisitions, development, and management of A-1 Self-Storage. Our real estate portfolio includes over 5 million square feet in real estate properties, including 48 self-storage locations with over 33,000 customers. It is one of California’s largest independent self-storage and car storage owner/operators.

CONTACTS:
Cori Garrod | A-1 Self Storage | (800) 219-4854 x 122| press@a1storage.com | www.a1storage.com
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Richardson, TX – March 6, 2015: XPS Solutions has announced the new promotion of one of their veteran employees, Michael Roberts. Formerly Vice President of Business Development, Roberts is now Executive Vice President of Business Development and Operations.

With 17 years of previous sales management experience, Roberts became a valuable asset for XPS Solutions when he joined the team eight years ago, and has since been an integral part of business development. From managing daily business activities and sales, to furthering the vision and execution of company expansion, Roberts has made fundamental contributions to XPS Solutions that have helped shape the organization into the industry leader it is today.

“Michael knows the self-storage industry,” says John Traver, Chief Executive Officer of XPS Solutions. “He knows what works and what doesn’t, and is able to critically analyze exactly what independent self-storage owners need to succeed and grow their business. His knowledge and experience are essential to our team as we continue to innovate the solutions we offer to our clients.”

Roberts’ promotion is the result of big advances at XPS Solutions. In June 2014, the company moved headquarters to expand their space and capacity by 50 percent. The state-of-the-art XPS facility in Richardson, Texas, is the Centralized Sales and Support Center for thousands of independent self-storage sites, and facilitates business growth within the self-storage industry. XPS Solutions has also unveiled a new product suite featuring unique programs that enable Big Data collection and analysis, enhanced prospect conversion rates, and complete call and web lead coverage.

For more information, visit www.xpsusa.com, or call (877) XPS.USA1 with specific inquiries.

WORLD RECOGNITION OF DISTINGUISHED GENERAL COUNSEL:
STEVEN M. GLICK
UPON HIS RETIREMENT AS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT,
CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER
& CORPORATE SECRETARY OF PUBLIC STORAGE
(2010 – 2015)

Tuesday, March 10, 2015, 8:30 – 10:45 A.M. (8:00 Registration)
Gibson Dunn Conference Center, 333 South Grand Ave., Los Angeles

There is no fee to attend and continental breakfast will be served.
Two hours of California CLE credits will be provided.

General Counsel are more important than ever in history. Boards of Directors look increasingly to them to enhance financial and business strategy, compliance, and integrity of corporate operations. In recognition of our distinguished Guest of Honor’s personal accomplishments in his career and his leadership in the profession, we are honoring Steven M. Glick, General Counsel of Public Storage during 2010 – 2015, with the leading global honor for General Counsel. Public Storage is a real estate investment trust that primarily acquires, develops, owns and operates self-storage facilities. It is one of the largest real estate companies and landlords in the world. (The national and worldwide operations are described further below.) His address will focus on key issues facing the General Counsel of an international business during the course of his legal career including 16 years of practice in Europe. The panelists’ additional topics include international business & law; mergers & acquisitions; intellectual property; tax strategies; and litigation. The transcript of this event will be made available worldwide in electronic copy.

The Directors Roundtable is a civic group which organizes the preeminent worldwide programming for Directors and their advisors including General Counsel.

GUEST OF HONOR: Steven M. Glick Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, and Corporate Secretary, Public Storage (2010 – 2015)

DISTINGUISHED PANELISTS:

Mark Pecheck Partner, Gibson Dunn LLP

Michael Quigley Partner, Kim & Chang (Korea)

Joshua Zielinski Partner, McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter LLP

John Marzulli Partner, Shearman & Sterling LLP

Jack Friedman (Moderator) Chairman, Directors Roundtable


REGISTRATION: To register, log on to our Website www.directorsroundtable.com and click on "Current Events and Registration". To contact us, call Karen Todd at (727) 493-2067 or e-mail to Jack Friedman, Chairman of the Directors Roundtable, at karen.f.todd@gmail.com.
Directors Roundtable is a State Bar of California approved MCLE provider. This activity has been approved for 2.0 hours of general MCLE credit.

Public Storage,a member of the S&P 500 and FT Global 500, with a market capitalization of approximately $35 billion, is a real estate investment trust that primarily acquires, develops, owns and operates self-storage facilities. The Company has interests in approximately 2,250 self-storage facilities located in 38 states with almost 150 million net rentable square feet in the United States and 188 storage facilities located in seven Western European nations with approximately ten million net rentable square feet operated under the “Shurgard” brand. [The Company also owns a 42% common equity interest in PS Business Parks, Inc. (NYSE:PSB) which owns and operates approximately 30 million rentable square feet of commercial space, primarily flex, multi-tenant office and industrial space.]

Walnut Creek, CA  March 2, 2015

Storage Pro continues to grow with 6 new management accounts bringing its total to 40 locations owned or managed.

Storage Pro Walnut Creek, CA is pleased to announce 6 new management accounts in Antioch, Pittsburg, Martinez, San Leandro, Fairfield, and Truckee. Storage Pro continues to grow with 40 locations owned or 3rd party managed.

Steve Mirabito, President, states , “Our years of experience constantly improving results of our properties has been recognized by owners. We have shown substantial increases in the performance of new properties. We continue to look for additional assets in California and other Western States that would benefit our management company program.”

Steve is past President of California Self Storage Association industry trade association and is a frequent speaker on industry panels. Storage Pro was founded in 1990 in Stockton, CA.

Richardson, TX – February 25, 2015: XPS Solutions is innovating yet again, and has launched a new Competitive Market Audit program. The XPS Marketing Team has been hard at work conducting Self-Storage Market Research Audits in a variety of areas, and is making the data discoveries available to self-storage proprietors for free.

Independent site owners will now have the opportunity to access valuable R&D findings specific to their facility. The market data will help site owners know if their marketing strategy is actually translating to rental conversions, and how their self-storage site directly compares to the competition. 

In addition to the launch of this comprehensive audit program, XPS is continuing to provide turn-key solutions for site owners looking to grow their self-storage business. With their state-of-the-art Centralized Sales and Support Center, XPS is able to provide complete call, web lead, live chat, and pay-by-phone coverage, while minimizing cost and maximizing quality.

One of the newest ways XPS is helping independent self-storage proprietors increase show and rental rates is through Prospect Conversion, a program that provides a unique system where every prospect gets followed up on, no matter what. “We’ve discovered that most independent self-storage sites don’t have a follow-up strategy,” says Michael Roberts, Executive VP of Business Development and Operations at XPS Solutions. “Considering how incredibly competitive this industry is, that’s shocking.”

John Traver, CEO of XPS Solutions, goes on to add, “The fact is, one and done selling doesn’t work most of the time. In order to get your share of the market, you have to be following up with your prospects. If you don’t, you’re leaving rentals on the table for your competitors.” The Prospect Conversion program leverages professional contact systems to capture self-storage shoppers that are not a first call or visit close and increase rentals.

To support the launch of these latest XPS programs and solutions, XPS has created a brand new website that can be found at www.xpsusa.com. Self-storage site owners are now able to submit their general company information via this website to find out their qualifying status for access to free site-specific Competitive Market Audit findings.

For more information, visit www.xpsusa.com, or contact Michael Roberts (mroberts@xpsusa.com; 972.865.4312) with specific inquiries. 

Alhambra, CA – February 24, 2015: A-1 Self Storage, the premier provider of self-storage in Los Angeles County, California, announced today the opening of its newest self-storage location in Alhambra, CA. This 105,033 sq. ft. state-of-the-art facility offers 744 storage units and is located at 2300 Poplar Boulevard.

Featuring 24 hour video surveillance, coded keypad entry, and cylinder locks, this brand new facility offers the very best in security. Access to the facility is available from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily; some of the longest access hours in the area. Wide loading/unloading areas with easy building access were designed to make moving quick and convenient. This facility is centrally located near the Costco/Target Shopping Center, providing affordable self-storage to businesses and residents in the western San Gabriel Valley including Alhambra, Monterey Park, South Pasadena, and San Gabriel.

“We designed this property to offer the very best self-storage experience possible,” said Brian Caster, President and CEO of A-1 Self Storage. “We wanted to add value to the neighborhood with the right kind of storage at the right price. We are excited to be a part of the Alhambra community.”

A-1 Self Storage is scheduled for an official ribbon cutting ceremony with the Alhambra Chamber of Commerce on March 10th at 11 a.m. We encourage businesses and residents of the city of Alhambra to join us for this brief ceremony and refreshments. Facility tours will be available to the general public following the ceremony.

To learn more about the newest A-1 Self Storage location in Alhambra, visit our website at http://a1stor.co/A1Alhambra.

About A-1 Self Storage:
A-1 Self Storage is one of the leading providers of storage units in California, with 8 self-storage locations in Los Angeles County. A-1 Self-Storage is the Self-Storage division of the Caster Companies, a third generation family owned company headquartered in San Diego, California serving local communities since 1959. The Caster Companies specializes in acquisitions, development, and management of A-1 Self-Storage. Our real estate portfolio includes over 5 million square feet in real estate properties, including 48 self-storage locations with over 33,000 customers. It is one of California’s largest independent self-storage and car storage owner/operators.

CONTACTS:
Cori Garrod | A-1 Self Storage | (800) 219-4854 x 122| press@a1storage.com | www.a1storage.com

Westwood, KS, February 2, 2015 — Meet storEDGE, the new brand name for the family of management and marketing solutions from Red Nova Labs, Inc. The storEDGE brand, formerly known as StorageAhead (WebWorks, WebReady, StorageFront, StorageHounds), encompasses Red Nova’s entire platform of integrated products for the self storage industry.

 

The release of this new branding is the latest in a series of strategic moves the company has taken to transform Red Nova into the leading technology provider in the industry. In the past several months, Red Nova sold its StorageFront and StorageHounds lead aggregation sites to StoreLocal, launched hundreds of new marketing websites, doubled its investment in facility management software, and is repositioning itself under one consolidated name.

 

“We’ve taken on this significant transformation because we want to further emphasize the benefits of our integrated marketing and management solutions for self storage,” said Dirk Wakeham, CEO of Red Nova. “Our platform is the only 100% cloud-based solution designed for self storage operators of all sizes. It combines an operator’s online marketing presence and facility management functions into a single platform, allowing operators to move seamlessly from reservation to move-out using a single solution from a single vendor.”

 

Red Nova has developed storEDGE as a unifying brand under which its existing products can fall. This move will reinforce the company’s vision to deliver an integrated solution for the self storage industry.

 

“As much as I love my closet full of StorageAhead swag, it was the right time to make the change,” Dan Miller, Founder and President of Red Nova, said. “We are investing heavily in our technology and wanted a brand that better showed the depth and capabilities of our platform.”

 

For more information on the storEDGE platform, visit storEDGE.com.

 

About storEDGE

The storEDGE platform, by Red Nova, is a comprehensive suite of web-based solutions designed specifically for the self storage industry. With the tools provided by storEDGE, storage operators now have a competitive edge in boosting rentals, tracking leads, managing operations, and maximizing ROI. Together, our experience in online marketing and our knowledge of the industry is what makes our technologies — and your storage facility — succeed.

Janus International Group, LLC 135 

Janus International Blvd.

Temple, GA 30179

Phone: 770.562.2850

Fax: 770.562.1991

Contact: Leeann Fleming

marketing@janusintl.com

www.janusintl.com

Janus International Group, LLC Hires Bagley as Vice President

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Temple, GA – January 16, 2015) Janus International Group LLC, a manufacturer of steel roll up doors and building components designed for the self storage, industrial and commercial door dealer markets hired Terry Bagley as Vice President of Business Development. 

Bagley has been involved in the self storage industry for 14 years in various capacities. Previously, Mr. Bagley was the President & CEO of Centershift, Inc., an innovative and leading rental management and point-of-sale software solution to the self storage industry. He also set the strategy and led the successful acquisition of Hi-Tech Smart Systems RentPlus management software and customer base in 2011.

Mr. Bagley currently serves on the national (and international) Self Storage Association (SSA) board of directors and is the Co-Chair of the Utah Technology Council (UTC) Public Policy committee.  Previously he served on the Board of Centershift, Inc. (2005-2013), the Utah Self Storage Association Board of Directors (2007-2010). In 2012, Mr. Bagley was appointed to a two-year term on the Utah State Board of Education Nominating & Selection Committee by the Governor of Utah.

Mr. Bagley also speaks at industry trade shows/conferences and he is a frequent editorial contributor to industry trade publications and magazines, including the SSA Globe, Inside Self-Storage, and Mini-Storage Messenger.

Before entering the self storage industry, Mr. Bagley spent almost 20 years in the technology industry in various leadership positions in business development, sales and marketing and management  for both private and publicly traded companies that included 3Com (acquired by Hewlett-Packard), US Robotics and Megahertz.

Mr. Bagley earned a bachelors degree in Accounting from Brigham Young University as well as an MBA from San Jose State University. He has also attended post graduate training courses in various business-related subjects, including executive education courses from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He resides in Salt Lake City, Utah with his wife and family.

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Janus International Group is a global manufacturer of roll up doors, as well as a provider of self storage solutions.  Headquartered in Temple, Georgia, Janus has eight U.S. locations, including the United Kingdom and a joint venture in Mexico.  Janus is owned by Saw Mill Capital located in New York.  For more company information, visit our website at www.janusintl.com.  

Co-op expands services to include lead aggregation

Irvine, CA (January 6, 2015) – StoreLocal, the industry's first member owned co-op for self storage operators, announced today the acquisition of StorageFront.com and SelfStorgeHounds.com from Red Nova Labs, Inc. As part of this acquisition, StoreLocal will place a significant investment in increasing both sites’ lead volume and their overall user experience. Existing self storage operators will continue to receive leads under their existing agreements.

Red Nova, based in Kansas City, began developing StorageFront.com in 2009 at the urging of several store operators who were frustrated by lack of affordable options for advertising their facilities and attracting new customers. The site quickly grew to one of the most trafficked storage search engines and a significant source of leads for thousands of store operators.

“StoreLocal’s mission since the beginning has been to provide independent, privately owned store operators the same benefits and scale as the larger publicly owned conglomerates,” said Lance Watkins, CEO of StoreLocal. “StorageFront is a fantastic opportunity for us to provide the industry an affordable alternative to performance based lead aggregation sites.”

“I am pleased to have worked with Lance and the founders of StoreLocal to transition StorageFront.com into an industry owned lead aggregation site and an alternative to some of the costly venture backed alternatives,” said Dirk Wakeham, CEO of Red Nova. “The acquisition of StorageFront.com and SelfStorageHounds.com by StoreLocal will allow us to focus all of our resources and development team on the recently launched storEDGE management suite. Our vision of building an integrated platform that combines store level websites, CRM, lead management, and property management software into a single, easy to use cloud-based system continues to be our primary focus.”

Operators interested in learning more about the StoreLocal co-op or the benfits of listing their facility on StorageFront.com should contact Peter Soto at peter.soto@storelocal.com - (949) 629-4142

About StoreLocal

StoreLocal is a cooperative of self storage owners and operators working together to solve industry challenges. The co-op members leverage existing and new resources to provide solutions for customer acquisition, operational services and technology products, thereby bridging the efficiency gap between the top national operators and online reservation systems. To learn more about the StoreLocal co-op, visit the StoreLocal website, www.storelocal.com.

About storEDGE

storEDGE, powered by Red Nova, is a comprehensive suite of web-based solutions designed specifically for the self storage industry. The storEDGE self storage platform gives storage operators a competitive edge by providing tools to boost rentals, track leads, manage operations, and maximize ROI. Together, our experience in online marketing and our knowledge of the industry is what makes our technologies – and your storage facility – succeed.

 

Katelyn Wyss (kwyss@storEDGE.com) - 913-954-4110

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 SSA Promotes Timothy J. Dietz to Chief Operating Officer

Alexandria, VA - Self Storage Association (SSA) President & CEO Michael T.Scanlon, Jr., today announced that Sr. VP of Government Relations Timothy J. Dietz, CAE, has been promoted to the position of chief operating officer (COO) effective immediately. Scanlon said Dietz will take on additional executive responsibilities while continuing to manage advocacy duties for the SSA and its 5,500 members throughout 2015.

Scanlon, who previously announced his intent to retire this September, said the organizational adjustments will ensure continuity of administrative coordination during the transition process. Dietz joined the organization in 2004 and has filled various executive functions, most recently overseeing lobbying activities nationwide that have significantly improved the business arena for the 48,000-plus property real estate sector.

"I have had the opportunity to work with Tim Dietz for many years, and as I look toward retirement this fall, I know for sure that he is prepared to take on additional responsibilities that will take the SSA to the next level," said Scanlon. "As COO, Tim will become more involved in the Association's decision-making process and interactions with the board of directors. He has done great work in managing our communications activities - including the development of SSA Globe magazine into the largest-circulation publication in the self storage industry - and leading our many lobbying successes in states throughout the country."

Prior to joining SSA, Dietz held government relations and communications roles for various nationally-focused organizations, including chief lobbyist for MACTEC, Inc., a Colorado-based environmental remediation government contractor; and management of investor relations for Alexandria, Virginia-based Metrocall, Inc. In 2011 the George Mason University graduate completed his Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation through ASAE, the Center for Association Leadership, which is based in Washington, D.C.

"Over the past decade, Mike Scanlon has overseen tremendous progress in the development of the national Self Storage Association (SSA), an organization that represents a still-young yet robust real estate segment," said Dietz. "Under his leadership, this organization has consistently provided improved benefits and important representation for self storage owner/operators. I look forward to working closely with Mike and the entire SSA team as we continue to provide our members with a superb association experience."

Follow Tim Dietz throughout the year on Twitter at @SSA_TDietz and feel free to email him at tdietz@selfstorage.org.

About the Self Storage Association (SSA)

The Self Storage Association (SSA) is the only national not-for-profit trade organization for the industry and the registered lobbying organization before the U.S. Congress and federal agencies. SSA is official voice of the $24 billion (revenues) self storage industry that currently numbers 48,500 self storage facilities nationwide. The SSA directly represents some 5,500 direct and indirect member companies that own and operate some 22,000 self storage facilities throughout the United States. The SSA is affiliated with more than thirty (38) state and regional associations in the U.S. and several international associations representing Asia, Australia, Canada, Europe, Japan, Latin America and South America. SSA members range from individual facility owner-operators to multiple-facility companies, to vendors, to large publicly traded firms and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs).

 

SSA was founded in 1975 and is incorporated in the State of Virginia as a (501-c-6) not-for-profit corporation; headquarters offices are located in Alexandria, VA. For more information about the national Self Storage Association, please visit our website at selfstorage.org