Storage Express has acquired a former Simply Self Storage property in Noblesville, Ind., which is about 20 miles northeast of Indianapolis.

The 63,000-square-foot property has modern tenant-security and access-control features, including full automation, a 24-hour rental center and climate-controlled spaces.

Based in Bloomington, Ind., Storage Express owns and operates self-storage properties in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio. The company has opened four locations in Indiana and Illinois within the past year, and two others are under construction.

Athena Real Estate has hired Matthew Allen as a vice president, business development. Allen faces the task of growing Athena's investment portfolio and institutional advisory business, generally through asset and property management services.

Allen worked previously for a large Connecticut private owner and operator of approximately 10 million square feet of class A and B office properties. He also worked with a private real estate investment trust with approximately $700 million of total assets. He graduated with a master's in business administration from Dartmouth University's Tuck School of Business in 2003.

Richard OBrien, chief Executive Officer and founder, stated in a news release he expects 2011 to be a solid year for acquisitions in targeted sectors. Likewise, O'Brien points to an increase of real estate for sale, which should lead to a reduction in prices, and predicts the spread between buyers and sellers will close over the next year, resulting in a favorable acquisition market.

Based in Danbury, Conn., Athena Real Estate LLC is a real estate investment and services firm focused on small property types, including self-storage facilities, mobile home parks, RV parks and resorts, and multifamily homes. Athena operates with 25 employees in five states: Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, New York, and Connecticut, and was founded in 2004.

By Kevin Bledsoe

One of the biggest challenges self-storage owners face when working with their management teams is helping them understand how to use new management tools. Unfortunately, the desired outcome for using tools such as tracking spreadsheets, marketing pieces and operations guidelines rarely meets expectations. Usually, its not that managers are lacking ability, but a breakdown in the training or implementation process.

There are four important steps to successfully introducing a new management tool to your self-storage staff. First, identify the skill set needed by each manager to make the tool a success. Second, devise an implementation strategy. Third, plan a follow-up process. Finally, review the management tool after its been successfully implemented to determine effectiveness.

Identify the Managers Skills

The first part of introducing a new tool to managers is to identify the skill each needs to make the implementation successful. For example, you may ask them to track the propertys daily traffic in a predesigned Excel spreadsheet; but while some may be proficient in Excel, others may have limited knowledge.

The managers identified as potentially struggling with the implementation will be your starting point for the implementation strategy. Each manager has strengths and weaknesses, and working to identify where he might struggle will go a long way toward improving execution.

Devise a Strategy

Next, decide how you plan to introduce the new management tool. A new tool should always come with a set of instructions to walk any user through the process. Writing a thorough set of directions will eliminate phone calls and questions, and will reduce frustration on the managers end.

If you cant travel to several properties prior to the day of implementation, send your managers the tool and instructions and conduct a conference call to go over it. Go through a tutorial, answer questions, and identify other managers who can help with the training process. The goal at the end of the day is to create a seamless training process that efficiently and effectively moves each manager toward your vision for the management tool.

Finally, now that youve identified the managers who may struggle, sit down with them one on one. Show them how to use the tool and allow them to ask questions, take notes, and practice use of the tool. Make sure each manager feels comfortable with the program.

Follow Up

You need an effective and consistent follow-up process to ensure proper use of the management tool. Initially, you may ask each manager to send weekly updates of the reporting, marketing strategy, sales process or operations goal. Once youre able to identify proper implementation, you may want to reduce the reporting period to bi-weekly, monthly or quarterly.

Heres a good example: Ask your management team to use the lead follow-up tool included in your management software. They should collect enough information about any customer who calls or walks through the door to inquire about self-storage to allow for an effective follow-up if the customer doesnt rent immediately. Create written instructions on use of the tool, and train managers how to use it at one of your sales meetings. You should then review the leads collected in your quarterly audit process.

Also, tell your team why you feel the tool is so important, and let them know there will be consistent follow-up and goals set for this tool. Without follow-up, a management tool may not be used to its full potential.

Conduct a Review

Finally, review your management tools and methods on a routine basis. If a tool has become ineffective or isnt being regularly reviewed, eliminate it. The most important thing you can do to help your staff is reduce their workload so they can focus on improving the propertys income. Keep the day-to-day operations and tools as simple and focused as possible. Youll find your entire organization will be much happier and more effective.

Training managers to use a new management tool is a process that can be extremely difficult and frustrating when the outcome isnt as you envisioned. Having a step-by-step strategy in place for implementation makes everybodys life much easier. By using a few simple rules like those outlined above will improve your success rate immediately.

Implementing new tools is important and necessary to the growth of any organization. At times, we could all do a better job of making the training process easier for our management team. Hopefully, a few of the recommendations above will lead to an improved and more successful training method for your self-storage business.

Kevin Bledsoe is a district manager of Storage Asset Management Inc. Based in York, Pa., the company provides full-service management, consulting, and website development services to self-storage owners on the East Coast. For more information call 717.779.0044.

A self-storage manager in Oregon City, Ore., Wednesday discovered a nearly dead tabby cat in a self-storage unit.

The manager at Money Saver Mini Storage heard the cat meowing and called the Oregon Humane Society. The male cat was found tied with a makeshift leash to a shopping cart. The humane societys medical team estimates the cat had gone without food or water between two to four weeks. The cat also had head wounds. The medical team expects the cat to make a full recovery.  

Investigators have identified the self-storage renter and are attempting to find the person, OHS officials said. The person could face first- and second-degree animal neglect charges.

Lone Star Self Storage in Mesquite, Texas, recently received a $1.145 million loan from StanCorp Mortgage Investors LLC.

Financing was based on a 25-year term with a 25-year amortization schedule. The facility, located at 1403 Tripp Road, has 45,000 square feet and 360 units.

Bart Dickinson, vice president of NorthMarq Capital's Dallas regional office, arranged the first mortgage financing.

A Denver man has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to improperly storing asbestos at a self-storage facility.

James Robert Soyars Jr., owner of Talon Environmental Inc., pled guilty to violating the Clean Air At. Investigators said Soyars told employees in 2005 and 2006 to store asbestos removed from buildings in a unit at a Public Storage facility.

The Clean Air Act requires anyone whos licensed to remove asbestos to dispose of it immediately at a regulated disposal site.

Soyars, 46, was sentenced to six months in prison and six months of home detention with electronic monitoring following his release. He was also ordered to pay $435,477 in restitution to Public Storage.

To be successful, self-storage facility operators need to be good with people, both customers and co-workers. Effective communication with prospects and tenants can lead to more rentals, referrals and repeat business, while positive staff relations allows for a more profitable enterprise. Tron Jordheim, chief operating officer of PhoneSmart, will present a seminar and webinar in March addressing essential people skills.

On March 2, Jordheim will offer a free webinar for self-storage professionals titled Your Customers Would Love to Talk to YouIf Only You Knew How to Talk to Them. Hell provide tips for putting customers at ease, sharing phrases and behaviors that communicate pleasantness and likability. Registration for the event, scheduled for 1 p.m. ET, can be completed at Ministoragemessenger.com.

On March 14, Jordheim will present a seminar on interpersonal conflict as part of the Inside Self-Storage World Expo in Las Vegas. His session, titled Conflict in the Workplace: Dealing With Difficult Tenants and Co-Workers, will address what to do when faced with an employee or tenant who is angry, upset or confrontational. Jordheim will walk attendees through a series of personal checks to help them keep their cool and effectively handle a clash. Hell also provide insight to diffusing difficult scenarios and knowing when to seek help.

The ISS Expo, recognized as the self-storage industrys largest conference and tradeshow, will take place March 14-16 at the Paris Hotel & Resort. The show comprises three days of education, networking and exhibits. Pre-registration discounts are available until March 11. Details are available at www.insideselfstorageworldexpo.com.

PhoneSmart provides contact-center services, sales training, secret shopping and customer-service audits for more than 700 self-storage properties across North America. Now celebrating its 10th anniversary, the company has generated more than 750,000 reservations and leads for its self-storage clients through its rollover call center.

A Westy Self-Storage Center in Chatham, N.J., is serving as a book donation collection area for The Summit College Club's annual book sale, which is April 13-17. The Summit College Club is a local non-profit organization that raises scholarship money for college-bound women.

Donors can deliver items to a secure collection area in the main lobby, which is open seven days a week during the facility's normal business hours. DVDs and tape cassettes are acceptable, but textbooks, encyclopedias and magazines are not.

Founded in 1990, Westy Self Storage is headquartered in Stamford, Conn. The company's portfolio of 16 facilities span the tri-state area of New York, Connecticut and New Jersey.

After months of debate, the Urbandale City Council in Iowa approved an amendment to its fire code Tuesday, allowing self-storage facilities under 12,000 square feet to be built without fire sprinklers.

The 3-2 vote was the third and final reading needed for the change. The International Fire Code recommends all self-storage buildings from 6,000 to 12,000 square feet be required to have fire sprinklers. 

Brad Vander Linden and business partner Eric Vander Linden requested the amendment so they wouldnt be required to install an automatic sprinkler system at a proposed self-storage site.

Despite opposition from the citys fire chief, the council gave the initial approval in January to change the fire code and allow Hickmans Self-Storage to be built without fire sprinklers.

In November, an Urbandale Board of Appeals denied the developers request, recommending the code remain at 6,000 square feet. The city code was changed in 2007, requiring sprinkler systems for self-storage buildings from 6,000 square feet or greater. Any facilities built before 2007 are not required to add a sprinkler system.

The council received a petition in January signed by 61 residents and five businesses near the property against the change. The petition asked Urbandale Mayor Bob Andeweg to veto the councils decision if the third reading was passed. Although the mayor said he was not in favor of councils decision, he declined to use his veto power during the council meeting to overturn the councils decision.