Police in Tucson, Ariz., have arrested and charged a self-storage employee for allegedly stealing as many as 191 firearms, rare artwork, knives and other valuables over a three-year period from the facility where he works. Now police are trying to find owners of many of the stolen goods.

Andrew Hill, 20, who works at Kolb Road Self-Storage in Tucson, was charged this week with five counts of trafficking in stolen property, and one count each of burglary and theft by control for incidents between 2006 and 2009. Six people reported 191 missing guns, but police have recovered only 50 guns. Of those 50, gun owners have claimed only 34. Because the storage units show no signs of forced entry, the tenants who stored the remaining 16 guns may not be aware their property was stolen.

The owners of the recovered artwork, knives and other items have not come forward. Police are asking anyone who stored items at Kolb Road Self-Storage at any time between 2006 and 2009 to check their units to make sure nothing is missing.

Jeffrey Rogatz had been elected to the board of trustees for U-Store-It Trust effective Jan. 31. He is expected to stand for re-election at the June shareholders meeting, when his current term of office expires. Daniel Hurwitz has resigned from the board as of Jan. 31.

Rogatz, 49, is the co-founder of Palladian Realty Capital, which provides consulting and advisory services to public and private real estate companies. He is also the founder and president of real estate asset management company Triangle Real Estate Advisors LLC, as well as Ridgeway Capital LLC, a real estate investment and advisory firm that invests in office, industrial and retail leased assets in the mid-Atlantic area.

Prior to founding Ridgeway in 2001, Rogatz was chief financial officer of Brandywine Realty Trust, a New York Stock Exchange listed real estate investment trust. Before joining Brandywine in 1999, he was a managing director and head of the REIT practice for Legg Mason Wood Walker Inc.

A resident of Wilmington, Del., Rogatz is a member of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, Urban Land Institute and the International Council of Shopping Centers. He is a board member of CapLease, the Friends of Woodlawn Library Inc. and Opera Delaware, and a member of the William and Mary Business School Foundation Board. Rogatz received an MBA from the College of William and Mary in 1987 and a bachelors degree from the University of Virginia in 1983.

U-Store-It Trust is a real estate investment trust that owns or manages 455 self-storage facilities across the United States, and operates the U-Store-It Network, which consists of approximately 692 additional storage facilities.

On Feb. 23, Sovran Self Storage Inc. will issue financial results for the fourth quarter of 2010, which ended Dec. 31. The company will also conduct on conference call on Feb. 24, 10 a.m. ET, to review those results and discuss operations.

To access the conference call, listeners should dial 877.407.8033 (domestic) or 201.689.8033 (international) at least five minutes prior to the scheduled start time. Company management will accept questions from registered financial analysts after prepared remarks; all others are encouraged to listen to the call via webcast at www.unclebobs.com/company/investment/events.

The webcast will be archived for 90 days. A telephone replay will be available for 72 hours by calling 877.660.6853 and entering pass codes 286/364666.

Sovran is a real estate investment trust in the business of acquiring and managing self-storage facilities. The company operates 371 facilities in 24 states under the name Uncle Bobs Self Storage.

Two people accused of smuggling and storing £2 million (more than $3.2 million) worth of tobacco at a British self-storage facility are now standing trial in Leeds Crown Court for fraudulent duty evasion.

Managers at a Big Yellow Storage facility in Leeds alerted customs agents of a pervasive smell coming from three units in April of last year. At first, staff thought it was drugs. An investigation revealed tobacco was concealed in the soles of thousands of pairs of flip-flops in 915 cardboard boxes.

The tobacco warranted a £1.2 million (more than $1.9 million) duty to the British government. Authorities used the tenants' address on file with the facility to track down the tobacco source. When they went to the adddress, they found evidence of a tobacco repackaging enterprise. Suspects Zhi Qing Cai and Liu Hua Zhu, who had been renting the storage unit since Dec. 11, 2009, were eventually arrested.

The prosecuting attorney told the jury a semi-trailer arrived at the facility Jan. 14, 2010, and Zhu and Cai spent the day unloading cardboard boxes. Big Yellow employees arranged for the tenants to get a second unit because of the size of the delivery. After unloading, the suspects reportedly offered flip-flops to facility staff as gifts.

The tenants would frequently visit the unit, the prosecutor said in court, often bringing their children to ride on the facility's play trolley while they would access the unit. A particularly large and suspicious delivery in April, along with the smell, inspired facility staff to call the police.

Zhu was arrested immediately after the initial investigation in April. Cai wasn't arrested until October when he was reprimanded in Scotland.

Southern Rib Roof Inc., a manufacturer and installer of metal roofing and building systems, is now affiliated with Chief Buildings as an Independent Chief Authorized Builder.

With manufacturing facilities in Grand Island, Neb., and Rensselaer, Ind., Chief Buildings designs and manufactures metal-building systems for commercial and industrial applications to specific customer requirements.  

By becoming an authorized builder, Southern Rib Roof is expanding its capabilities and projects it offers. Two members of the Rib Roof team recently attended Chiefs Builder School in Merrillville, Ind., where they were instructed on pre-engineered steel-design techniques, as well as Chiefs quotation and order procedures.  To showcase the new product line, a new division named SRR Pre-Engineered Building Systems has been created.

Safeguard Self Storage, a provider of self-storage solutions, recently opened its 17th facility in the New York self-storage market.

The facility has 878 units and offers a variety of amenities including climate-controlled units, a drive-in loading area, computer-controlled recorded access to the building, video surveillance, and individual door alarms on each unit. Gloria Alexander is the site manager.

"Something that makes Safeguard unique is the relationships that we develop with our customers. They are very important to us," said Christine Zimmerman, district manager. "We look forward to getting to know and serve the residents and business people of Jamaica. It's a great community and we're proud to be part of it."

Founded in 1989, Safeguard Self Storage has more than 60 self-storage locations across the nation. The self-storage operator has 23 locations in the metro New York and New Jersey areas. Safeguard is a privately held company with a financial partnership with Morgan Stanley.

Self-storage technology is rapidly evolving, leaving many facility operators confused about which products and tools are right for their businesses. The Inside Self-Storage World Expo in Las Vegas, March 14-16, will offer them a convenient and comprehensive venue for comparing tools such as management software, security innovations, kiosks, mobile devices and more.

The expo includes several events focused on self-storage technology and software, including an education track and a Technology Marketplace. Two moderated and interactive seminars on March 14 will address essential topics such as choosing software, advanced software features and reporting, site security, training employees to use technology, tech support, call centers, self-storage kiosks and online self-storage directories. Two additional seminars will cover the advent of mobile technology in self-storage and how to best leverage social media.

The Technology Marketplace, March 15, 8-10 a.m., will provide attendees the opportunity to ask questions of industry experts in an intimate setting and demo the latest products and tools. More than 20 self-storage suppliers will host tables at which participants can discuss specific offerings including software, door alarms, video cameras, Web optimization tools, directories, kiosks, payment and reservations systems and more. The Technology Marketplace is accessible as part of all expo registration packages.

The ISS Expo features four comprehensive education tracks covering the industrys hottest topics, two days in the exhibit hall with nearly 100 vendors, and four add-on intensive workshops covering legal issues, construction and development, facility management, and online marketing.

Attendees can take advantage of discount room rates through Feb. 15 by calling 1.800.HARRAHS and mentioning the expo.

Details about the industrys largest conference and tradeshow can be found at www.insideselfstorageworldexpo.com. Registration can be completed online or by calling 800.230.2311.

California self-storage provider A-1 Self Storage has donated a multi-year grant in an undisclosed amount to support Scripps Mercy Hospital and its annual Mercy Ball, which raises funds for the Scripps Cancer Center. This years event, themed Experience Paradise, will take place on April 9 at the Paradise Point Resort & Spa in San Diegos Mission Bay.

With help from the community, Scripps Cancer Center will be able to offer the latest facilities, technology and services to identify and treat cancer at its earliest stages. At both the Chula Vista and San Diego campuses, funds will also be used to support important cancer programs and services, such as clinical research, comprehensive and compassionate patient care, patient/family support services, education and early detection programs, and nurse/physician training and education in the fields of Oncology and Palliative Care. In addition, funds will be used to support vital capital improvements for their San Diego campus to enhance the growing Cancer Center. Details can be found at MercyBall.org.

A-1 Self Storage has16 facilities in the San Diego County area and more than 40 statewide. It is the self-storage division of the Caster Cos., a third-generation, family-owned company headquartered in South California since 1959.

A building that houses a Toys R Us store in Cincinnati will be converted into Glenway Storage, a 600-unit self-storage facility, by John Imbus, general partner of Imbus Enterprises Limited Partnership. Imbus plans to spend $2 million on conversion of the approximately 120,000-square-foot retail building. The new climate-controlled storage facility is expected to open in May or June.

Imbus Enterprises purchased the building from Kimco Realty Corp. on Jan. 7 for $1.13 million, according to Hamilton County property records. Imbus worked with self-storage consultant RK Kliebenstein, founder and president of Atlantis, Fla.-based Coast-To-Coast Storage, to determine if the building was a good fit for the use.

Imbus Enterprises also operates nearly 250,000 square feet of storage space at three other storage facilities: Fairfield Storage, Milford Storage and Milford Self Storage.