A Dollar Self Storage facility in Corona, Calif., recently teamed with Charity Storage to auction off a storage unit. The $700 raised during the auction will be donated primarily to The Young Americans, a national nonprofit performing-arts and educational company, organizers said.

The auction was a hit, said Maria Smith, manager at the Dollar Self Storage facility. Several bidders were eager to win this unit because of the nice items that had been donated by our tenants, customers, friends and business partners.

Charity Storage is trying to establish a national network of participating storage facilities that serve as collection points for goods donated by tenants as well as the general public. Donated goods are stored and later sold during the facilities public auctions.

Self-storage operators that join the Charity Storage network can encourage departing tenants, current tenants, auction buyers, local residents and businesses to donate items to a designated Charity Storage unit at their facilities. Donors receive a tax-deductible receipt. When the storage facility holds a public auction, the Charity Storage unit is sold along with the other units, and any revenue earned from the sale of that unit is allocated to charity.

Net proceeds from the sale of each Charity Storage unit are split three ways, with 60 percent going to charities chosen by the self-storage facility, 30 percent to Kure It Cancer Research, and 10 percent to the Self Storage Association Foundation scholarship program.

Dollar Self Storage operates 15 facilities in Arizona, California and Nevada.

Freeport Self Storage in Freeport, Maine, went off the grid July 15 and is now electrically self-sufficient after installing solar panels, a wind turbine and a wood boiler. The self-storage facility shares a 17-acre parcel with the home of business owners Gary and Kelly Profenno and Kellys Island Girl Designs craft and gift shop.

Gary Profenno began installing solar panels on the roof of the storage facility in 2000 as a way to generate power to the 150 units comprised in separate buildings on the lot. What started with a handful of panels for lighting has evolved into a self-sustaining system that uses car batteries to store the power.

Although Profennos home, which is next to the storage business, has solar panels on its roof and is connected to the wind turbine, the house is still partially powered by Central Maine Power. Profenno estimated 30 to 35 percent of the homes power comes from the solar panels. A wood boiler supplies heat to the house as well as a select number of storage units.

Although Profenno believes his investment in alternative energy is still larger than the amount of electrical savings he has generated thus far, he is confident the solar panels and wind turbine will pay for themselves over time.

SpareFoot, an online self-storage marketplace and provider of Web-marketing tools, has started a social-media, school-supply drive called Supply Memories to benefit Communities In Schools of Central Texas, a nonprofit organization focused on dropout prevention.

Supply Memories invites Facebook and Twitter users to reveal a memento they have stored since grade school. For every memory shared, SpareFoot will donate $3 in basic school supplies for one student. Each kit includes a notebook, pens, pencils, paper, an eraser and a rulerthe symbol of the companys brand.

We launched this company while I was still in school myself, said Chuck Gordon, SpareFoot founder and CEO. Our goal with Supply Memories is to give other students a similar opportunity to succeed, no matter their circumstances.

[SpareFoot] understood that students need to arrive to school properly equipped in order to succeed and developed a unique social media campaign to accomplish that goal, said John Duck, director of community partnerships at Communities In Schools of Central Texas.

Participants can contribute via Facebook at www.facebook.com/SpareFoot and Twitter at www.supplymemories.com.

Founded in 2008 and based in Austin, Texas, SpareFoot.com helps consumers find and reserve self-storage units, with comparison shopping tools that show real-time availability and exclusive deals. The company also provides Web-marketing solutions for storage facility owners and operators including AdNetwork, SiteBuilder and GeoPages.

In todays ever-changing self-storage environment, many of us independent facility operators are forced to compete with the larger, better capitalized companies we all know as real estate investment trusts (REITs). These companies have the advantage of being able to spend more on marketing and advertising, afford larger management staffs, build more locations, and keep in the public eye. What is a REIT and why is it a formidable competitor?

REITs are owned by a number of shareholders who purchase company stock in anticipation of steady returns and, in many cases, cash flow for their personal investments. Think of Public Storage as the Mobile/Exxon of the self-storage business, Extra Space Storage as the Shell Co. in our industry, and then think of all the rest of us as the small independent gas stations competing for the same customers and selling the same products.

So the question is, how can we take on the giant corporations and not only survive but make a profit when they seem to have all the advantages? Quite simply, we need to change our attitudes. Here are five ways to alter your mindset and take on the REITs in your market.

1. Your Marketing Program

First, if you try to take on the REITs in everything they do, chances are youll lose. How can you possibly spend money on marketing like they do? You cant. What you can do is market where they dont, specifically in your neighborhood.

Instead of promoting your business to your complete market, go after your immediate local area. For example, most of you have the opportunity to join a local chamber of commerce and get involved in chamber activities. That networking group alone can bring you a number of small businesses and their employees, families, friends, etc.

Other marketing avenues include church newsletters or local schools and sports teams. Make your facility the one the neighborhood identifies and supports because you support the neighborhood. Chances are the REITs cannot do these things as effectively as you can because the decision-makers are not in your backyard and arent privy to the same information as you.

2. Act Now

One of the best parts about being a decision-maker is you can do things on a whim instead of waiting for the long drawn-out process of approval. Want to have an open house at your location to draw in crowds? No problem. Find a cause and promote it to your neighborhood. For example, maybe the local high school band needs a place for a carwash. Why not donate your parking area or driveways, then get them to promote the event? You get the traffic and they get to raise some money.

3. Change Your Curb Appeal

Want to change your window look and get a fresh start? Again, no problem, just come up with a workable design and make the change. For example, say your curbs are painted white along the street, and your office is cream with blue trim around the windows. Change it. Paint the office shell blue, paint your curbs red and paint your trim white.

Youll be surprised how many people will take notice of something as simple as a new paint color. The advantage you have is you can make changes today if you desire. For the most part, the REITs are locked in when it comes to curb appeal as they want all of their stores to have a uniform look.

4. Look for Ways to Save

How about your operational costs? Can you reduce them so your profit margin is greater, even without an increase in occupancy or rates? You better believe it. Shop around for the goods and services you need with your local vendors. You may be able to negotiate a better rate for your waste removal if you find you dont need as large a dumpster as you have, or perhaps you can reduce the frequency of pickups.

Many times, independent operators bemoan the fact that the larger companies seem to get the best deals, but you would be surprised. If you agree to pay your bills in a timely manner (not 30-days plus), youll be impressed by how much you can save. Many companies offer a 2 percent to 4 percent discount if you pay a bill within 10 to 15 days. Add that up over the course of a year, and it can be significant. The point is operators can save money if they simply take the time to look at each and every detail of their business, not just the revenue but the expenses.

5. Be a Friendly Competitor

Instead of having the attitude that youre fighting the REITs, join them. Be their ally rather than a foe. Simply put, several of the REITs recognize they might not be able to fill every potential customers need. Reach out to them and see if theyll put you on a list of preferred competitors and send you business they cannot accommodate. For example, say you have RV parking and they dont. Make sure the local REIT competitor knows that, and ask him to refer you.

This may come as a shock, but all of the REITs are comprised of people. Many, if not most REIT employees are just like you and methey care about their country, family and, yes, communities. Reach out and befriend them. You may be surprised at how much they can help you in your business.

I know its popular to bash the REITs, but I would rather look at them as an older brother who, while he may be bigger, smarter and richer than me (at least for a while), still puts his pants on one leg at a time. In business, this means theyre trying to get the same customers as us. We just have to outwork and outsmart them and well do fine.

Mel Holsinger is president of Professional Self Storage Management LLC, which oversees the operation of more than 40 facilities in Arizona, Colorado and Texas. Holsinger has been in the self-storage industry for more than 25 years. He is a frequent speaker at Inside Self-Storage World Expos and other industry events, a contributing writer to Inside Self-Storage magazine, and a founding member of the Qualified Storage Manager training program. To reach him, call 520.319.2164; e-mail mel@proselfstorage.com; visit www.proselfstorage.com.

Stor-Age, the largest operator of self-storage facilities in South Africa, recently opened its newest location in Centurion, South Africa. Construction of the two-story, 9,300-square-meter facility began last November and took eight months to complete.

The facility features about 700 self-storage units ranging in size from 3 to 30 square meters. The property has a corner location on Samrand Avenue and Rietspruit Road, with excellent visibility to commuters accessing the N1 highway.

Centurion is the fourth city in which Stor-Age has established its brand. It is in the Gauteng Province of South Africa, between Pretoria and Midrand (Johannesburg). Formerly an independent municipality with its own town council, it is now part of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality.

The company has plans to develop two other self-storage sites in the Pretoria area, said Gavin Lucas, Stor-Age CEO.

Stor-Age operates almost 20 self-storage facilities throughout South Africa, with a corporate office in Cape Town.

StorageTreasures.com, a website designed for self-storage auction hunters, has added antique picker Troy Howerton to its list of expert contributors. Known as "The Redneck Picker," Howerton has built a career out of picking and helping others do the same. He is featured on History Channel TV show "Real Deal," which features the high-pressure, drama-filled interactions between buyers and sellers of antiques, collectibles and historical artifacts as they haggle over items.

Troy is a true picking pro who knows this industry inside and out," said Lance Watkins, president and founder of StorageTreasures.com. "He knows how to work storage auctions, yard sales, estate sales and his own networks to consistently turn a profit. He's a great asset to our site and its members, as he is always willing to share insights with anyone looking to learn how to get and stay in the auction game.

StorageTreasures.com is a free storage-auction locator and self-storage facility finder covering the United States and Canada. The website offers auction schedules and site-specific guidelines for auction hunters and self-storage owners alike.

From single-story facilities surrounded by cornfields to urban properties scattered among high-rise towers, self-storage operations must employ strategies and equipment to deter crime and, if necessary, investigate incidents when they occur. As technology advances, the number and quality of security tools increases, giving operators a wealth of options for property protection.

Inside Self-Storage (ISS) has released a free report, "Self-Storage Security Technology: Tools That Keep Facilities Safe, Now and in the Future." The report synthesizes ISS survey data with insights from industry experts and operators to reveal details on the tools available now, ideas for effective facility-security strategies, and cutting-edge security products that will shape the security philosophy in the future. Topics include:

• Effectiveness and deterrence: Which products are most effective at preventing crime?
• Perception and marketing: Which products influence consumers the most?
• Facility-manager role: How does a live person fit into the security strategy?

Underwritten by Sentinel Systems Corp., the report is available for download at www.insideselfstorage.com/reports.

For more than 20 years, ISS has provided informational resources to self-storage owners, managers, developers and investors. Its educational offerings include a monthly magazine, an online store, annual tradeshows, an extensive website, an education institute and Self-Storage Talk, the industrys largest online community.

The owner of a salvage yard received permission last week from Busti, N.Y., officials to pursue a self-storage project on the property that now houses Casel Auto Wrecking. Business owner Joe Casel currently has one building on the property with 25 storage units but plans to add two more storage buildings. The property has been a salvage yard since the 1960s.

Representatives from neighboring businesses said they support the property conversion as long as lighting is limited at night. Casel said the business will be open only from dawn to dusk, and he does not have plans to install additional lighting.

The council approved the special-use permit 4-1.

The manager of a self-storage facility in Gresham, Ore., last weekend discovered the decomposed body of a woman in one of the units. The manager decided to open the unit at Money Saver Mini Storage after smelling a foul odor coming from inside.

Examiners identified the woman as Anisa Marie Swearingen, 18, of Portland, using the tattoos of musical notes and the name "Shiloh" on her body to make a positive ID. She had been reported missing since July 18. The cause of death remains under investigation.

Swearingen reportedly struggled with drug addiction and faced charges of meth possession. She also faced charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and tampering with evidence, according to the website Gather. Police said her criminal history could hinder their investigation.

Police did not report any suspects and asked anyone with information regarding the case to call the Gresham Police Tip Line at 503.618.2719.