The Tennessee Self Storage Association (TNSSA) has become the first state association to partner with FindSelfStorageAuctions.com, a free public service that assists people in finding self-storage auctions nationwide. By joining with this online auction directory, TNSSA has provided its member self-storage operators another way to publicize their lien sales.

 Our board immediately saw the value of this partnership and the benefits it would bring to our members, said TNSSA President Dee Wiseman Sharp. FindSelfStorageAuctions provides our owners an additional, and very affordable, venue to advertise their lien sales. This partnership will allow TNSSA to be the official source of auction listings in Tennessee.

Free to public search, the website generally assesses a charge to self-storage operators for posting auction listings. While any self-storage operator in Tennessee can list his auctions on the website, TNSSA members will receive a substantial discount, Sharp said.

The website was launched in 2009 by Richard Marmor and James Appleton, both executive members of the Arizona Self Storage Association. It allows users to search for self-storage auctions based on parameters such as date/time, state, city, ZIP code, facility name, number of units being auctioned, unit contents and even auctioneer.

Pre-registration discounts for the Inside Self-Storage World Expo in Las Vegas, March 14-16, at the Paris Hotel & Resort, will end on March 11. Attendees who register before the deadline will save $75 on the standard Education Package, $150 on the Premium Package and $25 on the Expo-Hall Package. They can also save money on each of four specialized workshops: Management Workshop, Legal Learning Live, Online Marketing Workshop and Developers Seminar.

The standard education package includes access to 36 seminars, the cocktail reception, the expo hall and all networking events including the Self-Storage Q&A, Roundtable Discussions, Technology Marketplace and the Buyers & Sellers Meeting. The Premium Packages includes the components of the standard package plus a choice of two workshops (Developers Seminar excluded).

The two-day exhibit hallopen on March 15, noon to 5 p.m., and March 16, 9 a.m. to noonwill showcase the products and services of nearly 150 self-storage suppliers from all areas of the industry. Offerings include self-storage building components, security products, management software, third-party online directories, loan products, marketing services, consulting services, retail merchandise, brokerage services, and much more.

Details about the self-storage industrys largest conference and tradeshow can be found at www.insideselfstorageworldexpo.com. Registration can be completed online or by calling 800.230.2311. Attendees can also register on site at the full rate.

A-1 Self Storage, a provider of self-storage in California, is donating funds to support a golf fundraising event March 11.

The Jackalope Inc. 2011 Spring Charity Golf Classic will be held at the Cottonwood Golf Club in El Cajon, Calif. Jackalope is celebrating more than two dozen years as a non-profit charity. Members of the organization volunteer and provide assistance to needy individuals and organizations throughout San Diego County.

Funds donated to the golf fundraiser will help charities that aim to provide comfort and assistance to children, families and community programs.

A-1 Self Storage is proud to support Jackalope Inc. and its founders, said Brian Caster, president and CEO of A-1 Self Storage. We believe its important to support organizations that promote the betterment of self and healthy living.

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.

The U-Haul Co. of Northern Louisiana is offering 30 days of free storage to Rayne and Southeast Louisiana residents who have been affected by tornados.

"These tornados have caused tremendous damage throughout the communities we serve," said Warren Iles, president, U-Haul Co. of Northern Louisiana. "I hope this effort will provide assistance to families that need a helping hand.  We will continue to help our friends and neighbors in this time of need."

Those in need of storage should contact the U-Haul Moving & Storage of Lafayette at 337.993.9898.

U-Haul is also encouraging residents to participate in its Take a Box, Leave a Box program, which enables customers to return reusable boxes and other customers to take them as needed, free of charge. Box donations can be made at any U-Haul location.

Since 1989, AMERCO Real Estate Co., an affiliate of U-Haul International Inc., has been responsible for providing real estate services to AMERCO subsidiaries that include more than 1,350 U-Haul moving and storage centers throughout the United States and Canada.

Police arrested a woman in Red Bluff, Calif., after pulling over her car and discovering property that had been reported stolen from a local self-storage facility.

South Main Mini Storage reported a burglary midday March 2. Facility employees reported three men and a woman had pulled up to a unit in a white Dodge Neon, cut a lock, and began loading items into the vehicle before taking off. The stolen items included a metal lockbox containing birth certificates and a marriage license, and three other boxes containing personal property valued at about $500.

About an hour later, police spotted a Dodge Neon that fit the description, stopped the car and discovered the stolen items. Police arrested Deborah Lynn Hendrie, 50, a transient in the Red Bluff area. She was charged with receiving stolen property. Police are still investigating and searching for other suspects.

South Main Mini Storage is located at 12149 State Route 99W just southeast of Red Bluff, a town of about 13,000 people 30 miles south of Redding and 125 miles north of Sacramento in northern California.

This week representatives from the national Self Storage Association and the Florida Self Storage Association will meet with legislators to discuss House Bill 459 and Senate Bill 1772, pieces of legislation that propose improvements to the states self-storage lien law. The associations will answer questions about the proposed changes to the House Civil Justice Subcommittee. They will also provide testimony on the laws at a hearing in Tallahassee, Fla., on Wednesday.

The associations aim to save Floridas self-storage operators money by updating the mail-notification and newspaper-publishing requirements surrounding industry lien sales. HB 459 revises the notice requirements relating to lien enforcement and addresses limitations on liability. SB 1772 also revises notice requirements, allowing postal notice by First Class Mail with a certificate of mailing as well as e-mail notification. It also deletes provisions relating to advertisement requirements and clarifies provisions relating to the right to create contractual liens or limitations on liability.

HB 459 (www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2011/0459), sponsored by Rep. Matthew Caldwell (R), was referred to Committee on Feb. 7. SB 1772 (www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2011/1772), sponsored by Sen. Alan Hays (R), was filed with the Senate on March 4.

The SSA and FSSA attempted to introduce legislation that would improve the self-storage lien law last spring, but the larger bill to which the proposed measure was added was removed in the House Rules Committee before a vote was taken.

Florida has more than 2,500 self-storage facilities statewide. The FSSA is running a Capital for the Capitol donation drive to raise money for its legislative action team. With a goal of $60,000, the campaign was kicked off with a $15,000 donation from the SSA.  SSA will also match any FSSA member contributions dollar for dollar. Donations can be made at www.floridassa.org/donate.asp.

Police in Visalia, Calif., arrested a 58-year-old man after a self-storage auction buyer discovered child pornography within the contents of the man's unit at a Derrel's Mini Storage.

Benjamin Bencomo, 58, was delinquent on his unit, which prompted the auction. The buyer reported finding three boxes of magazines and prints showing young children. The items were apparently downloaded from the Internet.

Police investigated for two months, including obtaining a warrant and searching Bencomo's home last week, before arresting him. They reported finding hundreds of images of suspected child pornography downloaded to his personal computer. Bencomo was not listed as a sex offender in California.

Derrel's Mini Storage has 53 locations throughout coastal and central California, including three in Visalia. The source did not reveal which specific location had rented to Bencomo.

SpareFoot.com, an online marketplace for self-storage customers, closed a $1.5 million extension to its Series B round of funding, bringing the total round size to $3.5 million.  Silverton Partners and FLOODGATE led the round with participation from Capital Factory. SpareFoot will use the proceeds to diversify its product offering.

Founded in 2008, SpareFoot.com lists more than 5,000 self-storage facilities in its nationwide directory, which allows consumers to compare sites before renting. Through multiple websites including SpareFoot.com, SelfStorage.com, Apartments.com and many others, SpareFoot helps self-storage operators find new tenants through a pay-for-performance model.

Based in Austin, Texas, Silverton Partners is an early-stage venture-capital firm that collaborates with entrepreneurs in growth markets. Its principals have more than two decades of venture experience in IT infrastructure and management software, having been the startup investors in Tivoli Systems (acquired by IBM), Motive Communications (acquired by Alcatel-Lucent), Waveset (acquired by Sun Microsystems) and SailPoint (privately held).

FLOODGATE, based in Silicon Valley, Calif., is an early-stage super angel fund focused on business startups. The firm works with consumer-focused companies such as Twitter, Chegg, ngmoco, digg, Kongregate, IMVU and Smule, as well as business-focused companies such as SwiftTest, Solarwinds, Spiceworks, Demandforce and YuMe Networks.

A Storage Inn of Nashville in Tennessee purchased a self-storage facility in Murfreesboro, Tenn., from Storage House LLC for $4.05 million.

The single-story facility is at 2615 South Rutherford Blvd. in the in the Southeast Industrial submarket of Rutherford County. Built in 2004, the facility encompasses 84,857 square feet.

Steve Mellon of Grubb & Ellis Co., a provider of integrated real estate services, represented Storage House LLC in the sale. The buyer was self-represented.