SSA Blog

In the self storage industry, it is estimated that approximately 12% of facilities are owned by publicly-traded REITs. The other 88% of facilities are mostly owned by small and mid-sized operators.

When I walked into the fall Self Storage Association (SSA) trade show in Las Vegas in 1996, I wasn’t an owner yet. I was a broker with an interest in self storage. The atmosphere was electric.

Most California employees are entitled to two 10 minute rest breaks when working an eight hour shift. One question that has not been addressed is whether workers who are taking a rest break may be “on call” to respond to the occasional situation that requires their attention.

Growing up, I always had an innate draw towards competition. I learned to channel that energy playing multiple sports throughout the years. The things that I learned about myself was foundational to crafting my responses and outlook to both winning, losing and life.

In the early days of self storage, prior to the industry’s understanding the need for savvy marketing and better business plans, providing top-notch customer service was rarely part of the plan. Rent the unit and let the customer take care of the move in.

Sometimes when we do the same job day in and day out our eyes gloss over the most obvious. In this story it was the golf cart that I overlooked.