PhoneSmart, an off-site sales and reservation center for the self-storage industry, reached a new record April 17, writing the companys 900,000th lead reservation. The reservation was for a storage unit at StorageMart in Lake Charles, La.

I remember when we wrote our very first self-storage reservation, said Tron Jordheim, director of operations. To think wed write 900,000 of them in just over 11 years is really something else. It is a tribute to our fantastic employees and our wonderful clients who work together to keep the phone lines buzzing.

PhoneSmart wrote its first lead reservation in December 2000. Approximately 11 months passed between the companys 600,000 and 700,000 reservation, and again between the 700,000 and 800,000. However, it took less than nine months to reach 900,000 reservations logged by the call center.

PhoneSmart answers self-storage rental inquiries for more than 100 client companies and more than 800 individual properties in the United States, Canada and Mexico. The company was founded in the fall of 2000 to serve its parent company, StorageMart, and offers off-site sales support to other companies in the self-storage and property-management industries.

Self-storage real estate investment trust CubeSmart is preparing to hit a significant milestone in its Plant a Tree initiative, which launched as part of Earth Day in April 2010. By the end of June, the company will have planted more than 20,000 trees.

The program works through American Forests' Global ReLeaf program. Customers of any CubeSmart location can request that a tree be planted on their behalf by visiting CubeSmart.com or calling the national sales center. CubeSmart then makes a donation to American Forests to plant a native tree at no cost to the customer.

"We are very excited about our continued involvement with American Forests and are pleased to be reaching this milestone in the Plant a Tree program," says Joel Keaton, vice president of marketing at CubeSmart. "It has been a successful partnership from the start and gives us a great opportunity to join with our Customers in an effort to preserve our environment."

American Forests is national nonprofit conservation organization that advocates for the protection and expansion of Americas forests. The organization has planted more than 40 million trees since 1990.

CubeSmart owns or manages 487 facilities across the United States and operates the CubeSmart Network, which consists of approximately 825 additional self-storage facilities.

The William Warren Group Inc. (WWG), a real estate company that operates the StorQuest Self Storage chain, has named Kent Christensen as its chief operating officer. Christensen is the former executive vice president and chief financial officer of Extra Space Storage Inc., a position he held for five years. For the eight previous years, he was the company's senior vice president and CFO. At WWG, he will be in charge of institutional capital relationships, internal infrastructure development and will assist in strategic partnerships to lead the company in various growth strategies.

Christensen was an instrumental figure in the development of Extra Space into a publically traded real estate investment trust. In his new role, he will work closely with Bill Hobin, WWG's president and CEO, in the expansion of the companys growing self-storage portfolio in the western United States.

In the past few years, self-storage has matured as a property type in the eyes of Wall Street, investors and banks," Christensen said. "There has been and will continue to be a difference in the performance of a self-storage property depending on the owner or manager of the property. The difference in performance of the properties will allow larger companies to consolidate the industry. I have teamed with a very experienced management team to participate in this consolidation. I know we have some great opportunities in front of us, and I am excited about growing another business.

Before joining Extra Space, Christensen worked for 10 years as the CFO at Source One Management, designing  and installing financial and accounting systems. Additionally, he worked at KPMG Peat Marwick.

Based in Santa Monica, Calif., WWG is a privately held real estate company that develops, acquires and operates income-producing real estate assets in Arizona, California, Colorado and Hawaii. For the past 12 years, the company has focused on the self-storage industry, operating facilities under the StorQuest trade name. It is also interested in pursuing property types including multi-tenant incubator industrial parks, live-work-hobby loft space and mini contractor storage yards.

California self-storage operator A-1 Self Storage is donating money in support of Team Strammer/Browns five-year Olympic campaign to win gold in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro with their two-person 49er skiff.

Fred Strammer and Zach Brown have been competing in annual U.S. and World Championships before earning All-American honors in college sailing. Theyll be training and competing around the world. Currently, theyre traveling across Europe and racing in six events at the ISAF Sailing World Cup Tour. Theyve created a website, www.ourroadtorio.com, to chronicle their experiences and progress updates to share with families, friends and supporters.

A-1 Self Storage is excited to support Fred and Zach, said Brian Caster, President and CEO of Caster Cos. Its going to be quite an amazing journey for these Olympic sailors and we wish them the very best on their road to the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio.

A-1 Self Storage has 17 locations in the San Diego County area and 40 locations statewide. It is the self-storage division of the Caster Cos., a third-generation, family-owned company headquartered in South California since 1959. Caster Cos. develops and manages A-1 Self Storage, A-1 Car Storage and other commercial properties in California. Its portfolio includes more than 4 million square feet of real estate.

By Kenneth Carrell

Self-storage has evolved into a more sophisticated product since the first facilities were built in the late 1960s, when they werent much more than garages. Now modern materials, new construction techniques and advanced technology have elevated self-storage sites into safe and secure places for customers to leave their belongings. Lets take a look at how facility design has changed to enhance curb appeal and create a more secure and sustainable environment.

Onsite Security

Self-storage security has come a long way since the development of first-generation facilities. The overall facility design, including the placement of buildings, the manager's apartment, the entrance and exit all play a factor.

One design element that has dramatically changed is the managers residence. Not that many years ago, the facility office had an apartment attached as housing for the manager. It was thought that having staff live on site meant better security for the facility. But that's not always the case, particularly with today's large projects. More and more, the manager apartment is being eliminated.

Instead, facilities are being built with better security systems and components. With more advanced cameras that can record at night and better computer systems to record data, security in modern self-storage can be even better than that of some banks.

Security considerations have also changed the way developers and architects think about the overall facility layout. It used to be that sites were graded as flat as possible to maximize their potential. Now developers try to take advantage the existing site topography. This has an added benefit of insulating a large portion of the building for climate control.

Many developers and architects these days like to surround the site with buildings in a fortress style. This gives you a 12-to-14-foot-high perimeter security wall vs. a little 7- or 8-foot wall. By arranging storage buildings in this manner, potential security breeches to the gate areas are closed.

Site and Office Design Elements

A popular design feature added to many projects is a tower element. This is used to get sign placement up higher for better visibility. An added benefit is the building tower can be used to hide a cell tower. Many jurisdictions don't allow a plain cell tower any more, so incorporating a tower element into the design allows it to be installed and disguised. The potential income from having a cell tower on a self-storage site is tremendous.

New offices are using display units to help customers choose the unit they need. Signage is used to describe what can fit in each size, and retail merchandise is displayed in the units to maximize space. The advantage is the manager doesn't have to lock the office and take the customer out to the back 40 to show him a unit, potentially losing business in his absence. One facility used this feature so successfully that 95 percent of the owner's customers selected their unit from the display.

Energy Efficiency

The hot-ticket item in self-storage design right now is energy generation. With so much bare roofing on self-storage sites, a number of operators are installing solar panels on their buildings, selling excess energy to the local utility.

Another growing trend is green roofs, or living roofs, which involve the installation of living plants on the roof top. The benefit is the roof will last a lot longer and reduce the amount of rain-water runoff. Using a green roof in combination with solar panels will improve the efficiency of the panels by helping them stay cooler.

Another trend is the use of recycled materials in the construction of new self-storage facilities. Almost all steel used now in storage buildings has recycled content. Fly ash, a by-product of coal burning, is used in concrete. Various other products contain recycled material as well. And because more people are using recycled products, the cost to produce them is getting cheaper.

There are even advancements in climate-controlled buildings. New high-efficiency HVAC units can control the temperature over a larger area, but sometimes low-tech works, too. A new form of cooling employs an earthtube, a simple device that uses very little electricity. A PVC tube is laid in a long trench under the building, then air from outside the building is pulled through the tube by a fan. Since the temperature of the earth is around 50 degrees, the air is cooled as it's pulled through the tube, thereby cooling the building.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification is becoming more important all the time. The benefits of a LEED-certified building or project go beyond the tax breaks. Such a building will run more efficiently, saving money in the long run.

Ideally, LEED certification should be achieved in the early planning stages of a self-storage facility, but it can be accomplished after the business is open and operating. In any case, you don't need certification to enjoy the benefits of an efficient building.

Quartz Drive Self-Storage of Auburn, Calif., incorporated number of eco-friendly features as part of its design. The topography allowed for a two-story, climate-control building. The owner installed solar panels to generate electricity and installed cutting-edge technology in the landscaping. The facility's newly developed irrigation system places the water right at the plants' roots so there is very little evaporation. The HVAC system is a super-efficient heat pump, and the facility includes compact fluorescent lights.

Modern storage facilities incorporate the latest technology into the buildings as well as everyday operation. From the layout and design as well as the use of advanced technology and materials, storage facilities built today provide a high level of security and ease of use.

Kenneth Carrell is the principal architect at ARE Associates in Lake Forest, Calif., an award-winning architectural firm specializing in the self-storage industry. For more information, call 949.305.4752; visit www.areassociates.com.

By Anita Huedepohl

Everything we know about lending has undergone a 180-degree turn. Those outside the self-storage industry are now running their businesses with virtually no working knowledge of the underpinnings of a successful loan transaction. Government-appointed bureaucrats are now in charge of the show, and have taken away many of the programs that were essential to successfully closing a loan for clients. Armed with what seems an endless supply of red tape, theyve snared even the finest mortgage loan professionals in a web of controversy created by the very system that produced a lions share of revenue for the very entities that are now crying foul.

The ironic thing is I hear myself telling self-storage owners the same thing over and over again:  If youre looking for any cash out, be prepared to document its usage. In other words, no Mexico money! Cash is the latest four-letter word in the English language. It may sound like a joke, but its an unfortunate reality in todays mortgage landscape where we suffer daily the slings and arrows of government intervention that has helped the residential sector but hampered the commercial sector in more ways than one.

Facility owners who wish to refinance an existing loan on a commercial property are subject to more intense scrutiny just for a rate and term, but when you couple that with a request for cash out, be prepared. The lender will require a well-documented explanation of why you need your own money and where its going to be spent. Amazing, isnt it? You have to explain to a complete stranger where youre putting the very equity you spent your career building.

Thats modern-day America at its finest, and we can place the blame squarely on the shoulders of the folks who got rich quick in the finance industry by allowing fraudulent loans to be underwritten. Although the industry is now on the other side of the upheaval in 2008, were still paying the price for the less-than-ethical business practices that led us here. So how do we fix the problem?

A Deal That Makes Sense

The remedy is to be responsible and ask only for whats practical given the current economic climate. I often hear from owners who want to expand their current facility and need cash out to build some additional units and improve the shell space they have onsite. One of the first logical questions is: What is the current occupancy? If they tell me 65 percent, then we have to wonder if the funds are genuinely going to build more units since theyre at less than adequate occupancy now. When we march through the rent roll and profit-and-loss statement, theres often a disparity of cash flow that precludes the borrower from moving forward.

While we understand a borrowers excitement for growing the business, the deal has to make sense. Of course, if youre overflowing with business and occupancy is maxed out, we can see the window to using some cash out to offer more units to your waiting list or boat-storage space because the other facility that once offered it is now a retail store.

Its not enough to ask for the amount of money with a sticky note that says plumbing and electrical next to it. Lets say youre refinancing your property for $3.5 million and need an additional $750,000 for property improvements. Take that $750,000 and get estimates from real contractors for all of the work that needs to be completed. Heres an example of what estimates would look like for XYZ Self-Storage.

If you couple the accompanying chart with legitimate estimates from verifiable contractors, youll likely be staring down the face of an approval stamp. The tact and organization of the approach you take can go a long way to securing the funds youre seeking.

I recently received a hand-written note from a client asking for $150,000 to fix up her buildings. When I explained her request in this format would never be approved by a lender, she became indignant and demanded we get the cash based on her request. You can imagine how things went from there.

On the other hand, another client sent a pristine letter for a loan request outlining his exact needs for improved lighting, repainting the recently hail-damaged buildings, and adding landscaping to improve the appearance to attract new customers. His desire to improve the facilitys curb appeal was spurred by a new 1,200-unit apartment complex opening less than a mile away. In addition, he sent us maps of the area showing a new shopping center with a coffer shop opening nearby, which clearly illustrated the need to make improvements, even to an underwriter sitting in a cubicle some 2,000 miles away!

Getting cash from lenders depends heavily on how you present the facilitys needs. Cash doesnt always have to be a four-letter word.

Anita Huedepohl brings more than 25 years entrepreneurial experience to her current position as owner of Liberty Funding. Shes worked in the financial sector for more than 10 years and is experienced in all types of mortgage financing. She launched Liberty with the goal of providing market expertise to underserved sectors, namely the self-storage industry. To reach her, call 615.417.4710; visit www.libertynationwide.com.

Maryland and Virginia self-storage operator Storage Village has established a partnership with Moveable Feast, a Baltimore-based nonprofit that provides food to homebound people with life-threatening illnesses. The organization is now the beneficiary of the storage operators year-long community-service campaigns.

With each new move-in at Storage Village, a tenant can get his first month of rent for $1 if he donates at least non-perishable food items to the facilitys canned-food collection center, with all donations going to Moveable Feast. Last year, Storage Village donated more than 2,000 pounds of food.

Additionally, Storage Village assists Moveable Feast by purchasing and selling water bottles. Each bottle costs $1, and all money collected from the sale is donated.

Finally, Storage Village pays all full-time employees to donate at least eight hours each month to volunteer work. Though employees can volunteer wherever they want, Moveable Feast is the recommended organization for employees based in Baltimore. All volunteer opportunities at Moveable Feast are listed in Storage Villages new Volunteer Resource Book.

We are thrilled to be able to help Moveable Feast serve people in need in the Baltimore community who because of overwhelming health-related difficulties dont have the mobility to take care of some of their most basic needs. said Michael Goldberg, chief operations officer for Storage Village.

Storage Village has five locations, including four in Maryland and one in Virginia.

Five self-storage real estate investment trusts (REIT), including the four U.S.-based entities and U.K.-based Big Yellow Group PLC, have announced when and how they will reveal their earnings statements for the fiscal quarter that ended on March 31.

Big Yellow Self Storage

Big Yellow will release its statement May 22. This is a year-end statement, as the company's fiscal year runs April 1 to March 31, so figures for the entire year as well as the quarter will be available. The source did not reveal the delivery method. The company has 53 wholly owned and 65 total facilities in the United Kingdom, with most concentrated in Greater London.

CubeSmart

CubeSmart will release its quarterly financial results on May 3. An accompanying conference call will be held at 11 a.m. ET on May 4. A live webcast of the conference call will be available online from the investor relations page of CubeSmart.com. The dial-in numbers are 877.317.6789 for U.S. callers and 412.317.6789 for international callers.

After the live webcast, the call will remain available on CubeSmart's website for 30 days. In addition, a telephonic replay of the call will be available until June 4. The replay dial-in number is 877.344.7529 for domestic callers and 412.317.0088 for international callers. The reservation number for both is 10011887.

CubeSmart owns or manages 479 self-storage facilities across the United States and operates the CubeSmart Network, which consists of approximately 825 additional self-storage facilities.

Extra Space Storage Inc.

Extra Space will release its quarterly-earnings results on April 30 after the market closes. The company will host a conference call at 2 p.m. ET on May 1 to discuss the results. Hosting the call will be CEO and Chairman Spencer Kirk. Joining him will be Scott Stubbs, executive vice president and chief financial officer, and Karl Haas, executive vice president and chief operations officer.

During the call, company officers will review first-quarter performance, discuss recent events and conduct a question-and-answer period, which will be limited to registered financial analysts. All other participants will have listen-only capability.

The phone number for the call is 866.314.9013 for U.S. callers and 617.213.8053 for international callers. The conference ID is 75181361. The conference call playback, which will be available through June 1, will be accessible at 888.286.8010 in the United States or 617.801.6888 internationally. The conference ID is 68111867.

The conference call will also be available on the investor relations page of ExtraSpace.com. Those who wish to listen online  should visit the website at least 15 before the event start time to register and install any necessary audio software. A replay of the call will be available online for 30 days.

Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Extra Space owns or operates 882 self-storage properties in 34 states and Washington, D.C. The company's properties comprise approximately 585,000 units and approximately 64 million square feet of rentable space.

Public Storage Inc.

Public Storage will release its quarterly-earnings results on May 3. A conference call is scheduled for May 4 at 1 p.m. ET to discuss the results.

For the live conference call, the domestic dial-in number is 866.406.5408. The international dial-in number is 973.582.2770. The conference ID number is 70705313. The live webcast will be available through the investor relations page of PublicStorage.com, and will be accessible on-demand until May 11. For the conference-call replay, the domestic dial-in number is 800.585.8367, the international dial-in number is 404.537.3406 and the conference ID number is 70705313.

Based in Glendale, Calif., Public Storage has interests in more than 2,056 self-storage facilities in at least 38 U.S. states with approximately 131 million net rentable square feet. Operating under the Shurgard brand name, the company also has 189 facilities in seven European countries, with approximately 10 million net rentable square feet.

Sovran Self Storage Inc.

Sovran will issue its quarterly results after the market closes on May 2. The company will conduct a conference call to review financial results and discuss operations on May 3 at 9 a.m. ET.

The call can be accessed at 877.407.8033 within the United States or 201.689.8033 internationally. Management will accept questions from registered financial analysts after prepared remarks. All others are encouraged to listen to the call via webcast at UncleBobs.com. The webcast will be archived for 90 days. A telephone replay will be available for 72 hours after the meeting by calling 877.660.6853 and entering pass codes 286 and 392038.

Sovran, which operates facilities under the brand Uncle Bob's Self Storage, has more than 430  facilities in 25 states, with a large presence in Texas.

Fernley Mini-Storage Center in Reno, Nev., will be the host site for the annual Spring Rummage Sale Fundraiser for the American Legion Gerald C. Daniel Post 37.

The event, April 21-22, will raise funds to support numerous organizations including the local High Schools Oratorical Constitutional Speech Scholarship Contest, several veteran services and the Christmas for Kids program. It will also aid the American Legions ongoing assistance with community veterans and service members.

The sale will be Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Residents can donate items by contacting the American Legion Post 37 or bring them to the event.