Atlas Self Storage in Chester, N.Y., sold to Guardian Self Storage of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., in an all-cash transaction.

The facility has 31,200 square feet and 239 units of self-storage with additional land and approvals to build 48,900 square feet for a total of 80,100 square feet. The facility was 74 percent occupied at the time of sale. 

The property features a rental office and showroom, back office space, cameras, keypad gate and fully fenced exterior. To sell the property, a subdivision had to be approved, which was a 6- month process, to separate the office building located on the front portion of the parcel.

John H. Gilliland of Investment Real Estate brokered the transaction. Investment Real Estate provides self-storage brokerage, construction, feasibility and consulting services in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states. 

Family-owned Guardian Self-Storage opened its doors in Fishkill, N.Y., 25 years ago. Since that time the business has grown with locations throughout Dutchess, Orange and Ulster counties.

 

 

Locks were forcibly removed from 23 self-storage units at Lake Julian Storage in Cary, Ill., between Sunday evening and Monday morning, according to police.  Property was stolen from some but not all of the units. Storage-unit renters were notified on Monday evening.

Anyone with information about the burglaries is encouraged to contact Cary Police, or CrimeStoppers at 800.762.STOP. CrimeStoppers will pay up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest of the individuals responsible.

Founded in 1980, Lake Julian Storage is on the same property as Lake Julian Fishing, off of Northwest Highway in Cary. It offers indoor storage as well as outdoor space for recreational and other vehicles. The business is a member of the Cary Chamber of Commerce.

Thieves broke into A-1 Mini Storage in Oakhurst, Calif., and stole an estimated $15,000 in goods. Madera County Sheriffs Deputies are investigating a break-in that occurred Saturday at A-1 Mini Storage on Oak Park Way off Highway 49. Several items are missing including a grandfather clock, dresser, couch, bed and an antique doll trunk.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Madera County Sheriffs Department at 559.675.7770.

Fox Self Storage, a self-storage company with several locations in the United Kingdom, recently opened a new facility in Newport. The facility is in the Leeway Industrial Estate, an area populated with restaurants, retail businesses, hotels and other companies.

The three-story facility encompasses 17,000 square feet of storage space. The 120 self-storage units are available in a variety of sizes from 15 square feet to 200 square feet. The facility also offers mailboxes and small lockers.

Fox Self Storage spent £1 million ($1.6 million) to develop the new facility. Newports site mayor, Bill Langsford, inaugurated it.

Headquartered in Cwmbran, Fox Moving and Storage has been in business for 40 years. The company now has four locations in the United Kingdom.

By David Mastovich

Have you ever driven past a billboard that would cause an accident if anyone actually read the whole thing? Or wished a salesperson would stop blabbering about how perfect his product or service is? Worse yet, have you ever sat through a presentation that featured a bunch of PowerPoint slides being read to you by the speaker?

In cases like these, the advertiser, salesperson or speaker misses the opportunity to truly reach and influence their target audiences. Time and money are wasted. Productivity suffers. Its time for an extreme messaging makeover. Here are five ways to achieve one.

Focus on One Big Idea

Were bombarded with messages from the time we wake up until we crash at the end of a long day. We cant afford to spend more time processing information unless were sure we need it. But we remember creative messages that make an emotional impact. We relate to them because theyre focused on a single main idea. Think about ads or slogans you probably couldnt forget even if you wanted to, such as Can you hear me now?, Dont leave home without it and Got milk?

Try to remember the last time a salesperson made just the right pitch, or you thoroughly enjoyed a presentation or speaker. The message was focused on you and one big idea you still remember today. The next time youre creating an ad, talking with a customer, or composing an e-mail, improve your message by asking yourself: Whats the big idea?

Tell Your Story by Telling Stories

Stories resonate and help us relate to others. We remember vivid details of stories from our childhood. The most influential speakers tell memorable stories that stir multiple emotions. The most successful advertising campaigns use storytelling to make a lasting impact. The best media coverage is created by compelling stories.

When talking with prospective self-storage tenants, take your messaging to another level with meaningful and memorable stories. Build your self-storage brand by telling multiple stories that become your key message points, convey your real narrative and create the image you deserve. Tell your facilitys story in a way that focuses on your target audiences. Make it about them and their wants and needs.

Instead of sending boring press releases to the media that end up being ignored, tell interesting, real-life stories people will want to read and hear. The media then becomes your conduit.

Use Startling Stats, Numbered Lists and Acronyms

People tend to remember memorable facts or numbers rather than theories or abstract ideas. Beginning with a relevant fact or statistic can be an effective way to grab a customers attention and provide him with an easy-to-remember point. Trident gum famously used the phrase Four out of five dentists surveyed would recommend sugarless gum to their patients who chew gum in its advertising for decades. Why? It was a startling statistic that made a memorable impact. Trident provided a key takeaway that gained credibility with its target audiences.

We also remember numbered lists better than a simple statement of facts. If you number points in accordance to importance or relevance, your audience will at least remember the top few and maybe more. Think back to when a speaker used this technique and said he was going to talk about three major points. Once he said the first two, you were waiting for the third. After the presentation, you probably even tried to remember the three main points to tell others who were not at the presentation.

Acronyms and abbreviations are also an effective way to help your customers remember things they might not normally retain. Within many organizations and industries, this practice is so popular that a maze of acronyms can actually lead to confusion. When that happens, you might find a CQI team is developed to focus on PI and maximizing ROI to reduce stress and avoid increased visits to doctors in the companys PPO or HMO.  Try not to overuse this tactic.

Get Them to Feel Something

Your messaging must make an emotional impact with your target audience. They have to feel something. When we listen to a political candidate, entertainer, coach, religious leader or rock star, we typically feel something. Were emotionally tied to the subject and the speaker. These communicators know how to stir emotions and engage their audiences.

While you might not see yourself as a rock star or view your message near the level of a coach or politician, you still need to think about how you can make an emotional impact on your customer. Dont fall back on the same old speak. Do you touch on emotions like excitement, fear, happiness or sadness? If not, youre reducing the likelihood of your message resonating and being remembered for more than a brief time.
Touch emotions to capture peoples attention. Focus on what customers stand to lose as well as what they stand to gain. Put the message in their terms and focus on the impact on them, positive or negative.

Tell the Truth

Most marketers have heard the phrase truth in advertising. Theres even a spoof on YouTube about the lack thereof. The term spin doctor pretty much covers the perception of truth in PR. And as far as sales, nobody likes to be sold, right?

As our parents and kindergarten teachers taught us, telling the truth is the ethical way to go. Its also the practical approach. Telling the truth is essential to successful public relations. Pick your favorite media gaffe that resulted from a public figure being less than truthful. The media will find and report contradictions and the story can potentially reach the masses within minutes online. If you hide behind a no comment or offer a less than truthful response, youll be perceived negatively when the reporter eventually does break the story (and someone will).

With regard to truth in sales, think about how you feel when a salesperson goes on and on. You probably wish he would shut up and listen to what youre saying so you can tell him what you want. Salespeople need to listen, ask probing questions and match needs based on the strengths of their product or service. Admit weaknesses early because the prospect will usually figure out your product isnt perfect. Focus on true strengths and leave the hyperbole to your competitors.

Truth in advertising does exist, and the winning companies adhere to it. Truth in PR must exist or you and your facility will lose credibility. Truth in sales will help you stand out from the competition and ultimately lead to more business for your facility.

An extreme messaging makeover can truly make a difference for your facility. Follow these strategies and make it happen!

David M. Mastovich is president of MASSolutions Inc., which focuses on improving the bottom line for clients through creative selling, messaging and PR solutions. In his recent book, Get Where You Want to Go: How to Achieve Personal and Professional Growth Through Marketing, Selling and Story Telling, Mastovich offers strategies to improve sales and generate new customers; management and leadership approaches; and creative marketing, PR and communications ideas. For more information, visit www.massolutions.biz .

Members of the Rochester, N.H., Planning Board did a site walk last week to assess concerns from neighbors of the proposed Rochester Self Storage development on Winter Street. The storage company has applied to build four self-storage buildings consisting of 4,300 square feet of rental space on an empty lot near the back of the property.

The applicant, Brian Cassidy, and project engineer Scott Lawler of Norway Plains Associates Inc. showed the site to several planning-board members as well as property abutter Adam Keyser. Keyser raised issues of the propertys potential security risks at the July 11 planning-board meeting. His concerns included insufficient fending, a proposed snow-storage area, the infringement of video cameras on neighbor privacy, and light disturbance.

Some of Keysers worries were alleviated by the site walk, but he was still skeptical about others. It doesnt appear the development will be impeded, however.

Ideal Shield, a manufacturer of bollard covers and guarding products for self-storage and other industries, has released the decorative Skyline bollard cover, a sleek, modern bollard cover with an angled top and smooth sides. Made from .25-inch high-density polyethylene plastic, the cover fits over any standard six-inch bollard post and is available in almost any color. It is resistant to harsh weather and fading.

The idea for the new bollard style came from an Ideal Shield customer, said Linzie Venegas, sales and marketing manager.

Including the new Skyline cover, Ideal Shield offers seven decorative bollard-cover styles as well as a UV- or hardwire-lighted bollard cover. Decorative bollards offer stylish, architecturally appealing bollard protection and are a great option for municipalities with strict visual ordinances and non-industrial settings.

Detroit-based Ideal Shield manufactures bollard covers, decorative bollards, handrails, guardrails, roof rails and goal posts. In business since 1996, the company has five manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and is the holder of 43 patents, with another seven patents pending. It is a division of the Ideal Group.

The first half of 2011 has shown the markets are healthy again for the self-storage industry, according to The BSC Group LLC, a financial firm that services this product type. The company has already originated $75 million in total transaction volume this year, and has a pipeline of more than $80 million in commercial mortgage-backed security (CMBS) loans.

Shawn Hill, a BSC principal, tells GlobeSt.com that after focusing on distress for the past few years, hes excited to find that debt and equity capital necessary to bring these transactions to fruition is now readily available.

Were actively seeing borrowers with problems getting deals worked out, special servicers have gotten their arms around the methodology and have staffed up, and equity is looking to invest again, Hill said. The grease has hit the sprockets, and the machine is working.

He says the company had been a traditional mortgage bank to the self-storage industry before the downturn, but the firm began to focus on distress to help their clientele. You had borrowers who might have bought a property for $5 million and did it at 80 percent. Now the debt is coming due and they can only get a 65 percent loan. Theyll need to put up $1 million they dont have, Hill said. These borrowers havent done really anything wrong. We wanted to find ways to help them stay in their deals to live another day.

To this aim, BSC partnered with Dallas-based First Service Solutions. We didnt want to be the workout experts, so we found people who are, Hill said. As a result, weve done more than $100 million in workout transactions in self-storage.

The BSC Group is involved in a number of deals, including funding for a recent $186 million deal, which Hill said he cant discuss further, and another 10-property portfolio that got extra messy, with three special servicers and two more banks fighting over various mortgages on the properties. We closed on the first transaction June 15, when the special servicer, Berkadia Commercial Mortgage, agreed to the payoff. The principal balance was $5 million, and they took $3.8 million, he said. BSC identified a self-storage real estate investment trust to join a venture into the property with the borrower. Were in the process of cleaning up the rest of the portfolio in a similar fashion.

Formed in 2009, Chicago-based The BSC Group LLC offers financial and loan advisory, mortgage brokerage and loan-workout solutions to commercial real estate property owners and investors, with a special emphasis on the self-storage market. Through its capital source network, the company provides clients with access to debt and equity financing for commercial real estate investments nationwide.

Strategic Storage Trust Inc., a publicly registered non-traded real estate investment trust targeting the self-storage market, acquired three facilities totaling 2,100 units for a value of about $12.2 million. All three facilities will be rebranded SmartStop Self Storage.

"These acquisitions are perfect examples as to why we are targeting specific high-growth markets in the United States," said H. Michael Schwartz, chairman and CEO. "These cities are strong economic markets with positive population growth potential."

The 640-unit San Francisco Bay Area property, 2300 Grant Ave. in San Lorenzo, Calif., has approximately 62,000 rentable square feet of drive-up accessible self-storage. The companys now has three facilities totaling approximately 2,000 units in the Bay Area.

The 790-unit Nevada property, 4770 South Pecos Ave. in Las Vegas, has 88,000 rentable square feet on approximately 2.6 acres of land. Strategic Storage Trust now owns eight facilities in the Las Vegas market, totaling approximately 4,700 units.

The 640-unit self-storage facility, 815 LaSalle Ave. in Hampton, Va., includes 70,200 rentable square feet and offers interior and drive-up units on three acres of land. This three-story building is located near one of the largest naval stations in the world. The company now owns four facilities in Virginia, totaling approximately 2,450 units.

Since the companys launch in 2008, Strategic Storage Trusts portfolio of wholly-owned properties has expanded to include 76 properties in 17 states and Canada.