Westy Self Storage will host the Connecticut Real Estate Investors Association (CT REIA) and Fairfield County Real Estate Investors Association (FCREIA) quarterly meeting Feb. 16.

The event will take place from 6:45 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Westy Self Storage, 2070 Kings Highway, in Fairfield. Admission is free for CT REIA members and $20 for non-members.

The Fairfield County REIA quarterly meetings allow real estate investors to connect with other investors in Fairfield County and Lower New Haven County.

Founded in 1990, Westy Self Storage is headquartered in Stamford, Conn. The companys portfolio of facilities span the tri-state area with eight centers in New York, six in Connecticut and three in New Jersey.

A man allegedly living in a self-storage unit in Belgrade, Mont., was shot and killed by sheriffs deputies in a standoff last weekend.

James Parker Coogler, 50, was killed after he fired a rifle at officers at Ostermans Mini Storage in the early morning hours Saturday.

Gallatin County sheriffs deputies were called to the self-storage facility around 11 p.m. to investigate reports of a trespasser. When they arrived, Coogler pointed a rifle at deputies, who then began negotiations with him.

After several hours, Coogler stopped communicating with officers, then fired multiple rounds from a high-powered rifle around 3:30 a.m., according to police reports. Deputy Sheriff Don Peterson returned fire, killing Coogler.

A woman who works in the Bruce Industrial Park where the facility is located told the Bozeman Daily Chronicle Coogler had been living in the storage unit, and facility management had informed him it was prohibited.

The facility remained closed Saturday while police continued their investigation.

Noahs Ark Development opened the first phase of its newest self-storage facility, Noahs Ark RV and Self Storage in San Antonio, Texas. The facility is within the southwestern quadrant of Baileys Prairie, close to several state parks and wilderness areas.

The 36,875-square-foot facility has 268 non-temperature and temperature-controlled units in a variety of sizes, plus 37 open parking spaces, 90 canopied spaces and 24 fully enclosed RV/boat-storage units. Additional RV and boat amenities include a waste station, individual 20-amp electrical services and full interior lighting for canopied and enclosed RV/boat units.

Noahs Ark RV and Self Storage was designed and constructed by NDS Construction. The management team and operations will be directed by Joshua Management with Manager Daniel Keller at the helm.

Noahs Ark Development, NDS Construction and Joshua Management are all Parham Group member companies and are headquartered north of San Antonio, Texas. 

A new retrofit device that will help businesses save money on the energy used by their air-conditioning or refrigeration units was recently deployed in 13 self-storage facilities operated by Veritage Management Inc. The ECO3, produced by Smartcool Systems Inc. and distributed by Global Energy Services (GES), can be installed on any air conditioning or refrigeration unit with one or two compressors, and will save an average of 15 percent of the energy used by that system.

Prompted to action by record-high temperatures in summer 2010, Vertiage Vice President Matt Lundstrom said the company needed an answer to high electricity bills. The 214-device deployment of ECO3 in its self-storage facilities is part of the companys solution. The device was first evaluated at Bee Ridge Storage facility in Sarasota, Fla., where the 11 air-conditioning units included in the trial experienced a 26 percent gain in efficiency, according to Bob Burton, VP Sales for GES.

According to the GES website, the most significant feature of the ECO3 is its ability to save energy on the cooling and heating cycles of compressor-driven heat pumps, significantly increasing the opportunity for energy savings. The device can be installed quickly in any location without additional protection from the elements. The large display screen allows for easy monitoring of the amount of energy it is saving.

Global Energy Services, headquartered in St. Petersburg, Fla., specializes in sustainable energy, conservation, green initiatives and new technologies.

Smartcool Systems manufactures and distributes the Energy Saving Module (ESM) and the ECO3, which make refrigeration and air conditioning systems more efficient, resulting in proven cost savings, reduced energy consumption, and a smaller carbon footprint. More than 26,000 units have been installed worldwide for customers such as supermarkets, food distributors, telecom, hospitals and hotels.

A self-storage building expansion at AA Storage at Shackleford will be the first of its kind in Arkansas to incorporate green technology in the building design.

Construction on the 31,050-square-foot expansion in Little Rock begins this month, with completion expected by July 2011. The expansion is on the same property as the companys existing facility at 4324 South Shackleford Road. The addition will include one climate-controlled building and two conventional non-climate buildings.

The climate-controlled building will incorporate an energy-efficient metal-roof system thats expected to reduce radiant heat by up to 40 percent while doubling the life expectancy of traditional composition roofs, according to David Dodge, president of Paramount Metal Systems. The building will be an engineered steel structure thats being designed by Paramounts design team.

The climate-controlled building design incorporates new roof technology using a combination of THERMAXTM rigid foam insulation and FROTH-PAKTM Foam Sealant products from Dow Building Solutions, cool metal roofing-reflective paint, and controlled ventilation, Dodge said. Energy usage will be reduced significantly.

Paramount Metal Systems recently completed a project for the Department of Energys Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Oak Ridge, Tenn., on an existing 50-year-old building using this and other green technologies. Preliminary results showed a 75 percent reduction in heat gain, resulting in lower cooling requirements, Dodge said. ORNL will partner with Paramount to monitor heat flow at the new climate-controlled self-storage structure to quantify results from this roof design technology.

Dodge adds that by reducing the thermal requirements, it will also reduce the size and the investment in the heating, cooling and ventilation systems, which will enhance the return on investment.

Roof designs of this type may qualify for a variety of sustainable-building programs, including federal tax credits as well as local state incentives.

Paramount Metal Systems is a design/build contractor specializing in pre-engineered steel structures and metal-roof systems for new and existing buildings. The company has offices in Little Rock, Rossville, Tenn., and Austin, Texas.

Self-Storage Talk, the self-storage industry's largest online community, registered its 4,000th member Friday, Feb. 4, a significant milestone in the site's growth.

SST surpassed 3,000 members on May 3, 2010, meaning the site added 1,000 new members in the past nine months, or an average of nearly four per day.

In a guessing contest among posters, member Hogan was closest to predicting the day and time when the forum would exceed 4,000 members. Hogan guessed Feb. 5.

"I'm very enthused about the participation level on Self-Storage Talk and that so many SST members have referred their friends and coworkers to join," said John Carlisle, community manager for the forum. "Members spreading the word is No. 1 reason the site continues to thrive."

SST members include self-storage managers, operators, owners, investors, developers and suppliers. Members discuss a diverse range of topics, from day-to-day management challenges to legal issues to construction-related questions. SST also includes state-specific forums, in which members can communicate about issues and developments within their local areas.

Live and growing since January 2008, Self-Storage Talk is the official forum of Inside Self-Storage, a dynamic services company that provides publications, events and educational resources for the self-storage industry. In addition to more than 4,000 registered members, SST has approximately 4,015 discussion threads and 35,170 posts in 23 different topical subforums. Registration is completely free and can be done at http://www.selfstoragetalk.com/register.php.

A proposed self-storage development in Vista, N.Y., was nearly rejected in January by the citys planning department because of ambiguity about the towns codes.

Fisher & Kaplan Holding Corp. presented development plans for a self-storage facility to the citys planning board Jan. 25. However, the planning board wasnt certain the development was permitted under the Town Code.  City planners briefly put the application on hold while they discussed if a self-storage business fit one of the categories of businesses allowed in a general-business zoning district in the Town Code.

Planning board members debated whether self-storage qualified as a personal service business under the code. At least one planning board member said self-storage didnt fit the definition. After some discussion and input from the citys building inspector, the planning board determined self-storage is allowable under the Town Code.

The proposed development on the vacant .93-acre lot will include three building, ranging from 1,500 square feet to 3,370 square feet. The facility would include an access-controlled entry gate and video surveillance.

By Brandon Honeycutt

A well-designed website is a vital yet commonly overlooked part of marketing a business. With search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing gradually replacing traditional print directories, a phone-book listing just isnt worth what it used to be. Todays consumers want to find what theyre looking for fast and are turning to search engines, which can retrieve results much faster than flipping through a phone book.

A poll taken by PollDaddy.com revealed some surprising statistics on the steady decline of phone-book use. According to the poll, 20 percent of people rarely use the phone book, 76 percent never use the phone book, and only 4 percent definitely use the phone book on a regular basis. While some may still consider these print directories valuable marketing tools, others have chosen to cut their phone-book listings completely and reallocate marketing dollars to more effective advertising mediums, such as website optimization and online advertising.

Usage Stats

The percentage of Internet users who use search engines varies by study, so its difficult to define the exact percentage. However, a 2008 report released by TNS Global Market Research titled Digital World, Digital Life stated 81 percent of Internet surfers used search engines to find what they were looking for.

There were 1.73 billion Internet users worldwide as of September 2009, according to Internet World Stats. When you do the math, it equates to approximately 1.4 billion people using search engines to find what they need. Compare that to the world population of around 6.7 billion, and that means nearly 21 percent of the Earths inhabitants is using online search engines. Keep in mind this number reflects the entire population of the world, including impoverished and underprivileged nations with little or no Internet activity. North America, with approximately 252,908,000 Internet users, is near the top of the scale, coming in third after Asia (738,257,230) and Europe (418,029,796).

Considering these hefty numbers, maintaining an optimized online presence has never been more important for small to mid-size self-storage companies, allowing them to reach Internet users who are already searching for self-storage in their areas.

Impressing Visitors

Consider your self-storage website a full-page color spread in a phone book. You have one shot to impress the viewer and convince him to choose you over your competition before he flips the page. This should be kept in mind when allocating your website development and search-engine optimization (SEO) budget. If the user doesnt like what he sees online, he likely wont even bother checking your prices before moving on to the next search result.

Its inevitable that youre competing for search-engine ranking with many other self-storage websites. Aside from ranking well in the search engines, having a website thats both visually appealing and user-friendly can often be the determining factor in whether visitors will choose you over competition. Having a disorganized or difficult-to-navigate website will often drive users away, no matter where you rank in the search engines or how low your prices are.

Many, if not most, small self-storage companies have websites that arent optimized or properly maintained. This is partially due to operators underestimating the importance of this component as part of a good overall marketing strategy.

A high-quality website should consist of a well-designed and easy-to-navigate internal-link architecture, with easily accessible and quality original content. A basic rule of thumb is all content should be accessible within no more than four clicks. This makes website navigation easy for users, which mitigates the risk of them getting frustrated with your site and moving on to the next one.

Building On-Page Optimization

Once you have a website thats visually appealing with a user-friendly interface, on-page optimization is the next step to gaining visibility in search engines. Titles, descriptions, keyword targeting, internal anchor text and other on-page attributes must be optimized for search-engine crawlers, commonly called spiders. This requires keyword research and term/phrase selection that will help you rank well for your targeted key terms. 

An SEO consultant can help you determine the best titles, keywords, descriptions and more for your website to get you the top search-engine result placement. Once youre finished with the development and optimization of your website, link building, content creation, social media and viral marketing are the next actions to reach page-one ranking on the search engines. Your SEO consultant can handle all of this as well.

Having followed the aforementioned suggestions, your final result should be an impressive-looking and fully functional website that satisfies visitors and search engines. When someone uses a search engine to find self-storage in your city, youll be among the top results with an attractive website. This will give consumers the good first impression thats necessary to convert them from website visitors to paying tenants.

Get on Board

In the fast-paced, ever-changing world, business owners must observe and adapt to the way consumers behave to most effectively market their services. With more people using search engines than ever before, having an optimized website is more of a necessity than an extravagance.

With search engines currently at the top of how people are finding what they need, theres never been a more opportune time for self-storage operators to use the Internet as a targeted and cost-effective marketing tool. Why wait for your competitors to take advantage of SEO before you do? Be the first on board and make your online presence known with a fully optimized website designed to showcase your self-storage facility and draw in the potential tenants you may be missingthe ones using online search engines rather than phone books.

Brandon Honeycutt is a content writer and marketing consultant for Storage Marketing Strategies, a full-service website-design and online-marketing company catering exclusively to the self-storage industry. For more information, e-mail info@storagemarketingstrategies.com; visit www.storagemarketingstrategies.com.

By Walt Zeglinski

Does your self-storage business have what it takes to win consistently in todays market? Does it have a contingent of loyal customers? If you think the price of your products or services is why youre attracting and maintaining tenants, think again. Todays customers are savvy and want much more than low cost. 

Customers are looking for the unique value that comes from relationships. By learning to tap into this deeper level of emotional satisfaction, your business can increase its revenue with current customers and uncover a steady stream of new ones.

Are Your Customers Emotionally Satisfied?

You may have asked your customers if they were satisfied storing at your facility. But the true measure is if your customers are repeat customers and if theyre referring you to others. In an average customer poll, you may find that eight out of 10 customers were satisfied. That sounds great, but studies show that only four or five out of 10 will become repeat customers. Why? Because rational satisfaction is only part of the equation. Customers return when they are emotionally satisfied. Moreover, emotionally satisfied customers will also recommend your facility to others.

Here is the bottom line on measuring emotional satisfaction:

• How many of your customers intend to store with you again?
• How many of your customers would endorse your company to others?

Creating Exceptional Value

Exceptional value occurs when your customer perceives your product or service to be worth more to them than the price they pay. There are two components in any strategy for creating exceptional value with customers. The first is how well youre communicating the unique value of your products and services as compared to alternatives. This is important and can result in a high level of rational satisfaction. However, it takes emotional satisfaction to develop a loyal customer. Its the second strategic componentbuilding deeper, trust-based relationshipsthats the key to emotionally satisfied customers. This happens when your employees understand your customers needs and deliver more than whats expected.

Exceptional value stems from exceptional managers. Your staff is the secret sauce in your organizations ability to deliver on its value promise. You have to hire and retain the right people to make it work. These employees are those who do not need management mandates to engage customers and adhere to company values. These employees are your customers problem-solvers. They provide the discretionary effort and intellectual capital that can take your customers from satisfied to loyal. Additionally, studies have shown that an increase of only 5 percent in customer loyalty can add from 25 percent to more than 100 percent to your bottom line.

Tapping the Emotional Fountain

Developing emotionally satisfied customers who enjoy value (beyond functional benefits) might seem like a pie-in-the-sky ideal, but there are several notable examples. Think about a Rolex watch and your reaction when you see one. Any watch can give you the time, but theyre not all Rolexes. What captivates us about a Rolex isnt its function; its the prestige. Wearing a Rolex suggests more than your need to tell the time. It says you appreciate the finer things. It shows you have earned enough success to purchase one. It means youre knowledgeable about the value of the craftsmanship and precision it represents.

Thats the connection you should seek to develop with your customers. You want to deliver more value than the functional benefits inherent in your product or service. You want your customers to experience the added value you bring to the relationship by being emotionally engaged throughout the buying process.

It Pays to Be Ethical

A recent USA Today poll revealed 72 percent of consumers will pay more to use the services and products of a company they perceive to be ethical. An easy example of this for consumer products is the higher prices consumers pay at eco-friendly stores such as Whole Foods Market. Another example is the movement of customers away from large banks that leave customers navigating though a labyrinth of automated phone systems to credit unions and community banks where a real person answers the phone.

These are examples of how the perception of ethical business practices can make a difference. It reflects the influence of emotionally satisfied customers. People feel better about themselves when they believe theyre dealing with an organization that cares about doing the right thing. 

By optimizing the behaviors that create value, you can successfully tap the emotional bonds within your customer relationships. The investment your company makes in aligning your people, processes and products with what loyal customers want and need, will enrich your core business and provide new opportunities to increase market share. If you stay engaged and stay ethical, youll transform your business.

Walt Zeglinski is the former CEO of Integrity Solutions and current managing partner for Vital Factors Inc., a training and consulting organization that helps its clients accelerate strategic execution. Zeglinski has almost 30 years of experience in applying his expertise to diagnose, plan and implement practical solutions for building customer-centric organizations. For more information, e-mail wzeglinski@vitalfactorsinc.com .