Speakers: James Bratton, CEO, MST Constructors; Matt DePrato, Director of Affiliate Services, Storage Construction; Anne Hawkins, Executive Vice President, STR Inc.; Jamie Lindau, National Sales Manager, Trachte Building Systems; Scott Wyckoff, President and Chief Development Officer, Wasatch Storage Partners
Date/Time: April 1, 8 a.m.-Noon

For the second consecutive year, we’ve divided our popular Development Workshop into two four-hour sessions to allow a deeper dive into critical aspects of planning and building.

Before you can begin construction on a self-storage project, you must complete a great deal of legwork. This workshop will provide an overview of the development climate, including some statistics on national building activity. Our presenters will address feasibility and site selection, considerations in assembling a support team, site design, and the zoning and approvals process. Discover what you need to avoid a bad investment with insight from this expert group of presenters.

Agenda

8 a.m. – Overview/Introduction
8:15 a.m. – National Development Activity
8:45 a.m. – Feasibility and Site Selection
9:30 a.m. – Assembling Your Team
10 a.m. – Break
10:15 a.m. – Site Design (Layout, Unit Mix, Options)
11 a.m. – Zoning and Approvals Process
11:30 a.m. – Conclusion and Q&A

You’ll learn:

• The state of supply growth across most major markets
• Factors that drive development activity in submarkets
• How to take a consistent and rigorous evaluation of pipeline projects
• How to determine which submarkets are best suited for self-storage development
• How to select sites for evaluation
• How to accumulate and analyze site data
• How to avoid the “pitfalls” of site selection
• How to determine the best development cost value for pro forma
• Which construction-team member should by your first hire
• The differences between design/build and design/bid/build contracts
• How to determine if you need a contractor
• Tips to hire a qualified architect
• How to select the right vendors and subcontractors
• How to determine the amount of land needed for a successful site
• The best way to maximize land coverage
• How to determine the percentage climate-controlled units to build
• Where, when and if you should incorporate large units
• When to go multi-story
• How to create a proper office and access layout 
• How to navigate the zoning and approval process
• Tools communities use to restrict or prohibit self-storage
• How to identify fatal flaws during planning   
• How to overcome municipal challenges
  

Speaker: Chris Baird, CEO, Automatit Inc.; Chris Carroll, Marketing Director, Automatit Inc.; Joe Evans, Lead Marketing Strategist, Automatit Inc.; Kylie Moss, Marketing Advisor, Automatit Inc.; Stephanie Tharpe, Senior Vice President of Operations, A+ Storage of Tennessee LLC
Date/Time: April 1, 8 a.m.-Noon

The online landscape is constantly changing, which makes keeping up with Google’s preferences and evolving consumer behaviors challenging, if not overwhelming. This workshop will take a deep dive into the marketing tactics that make the biggest
difference in filling empty self-storage units. From search engine optimization (SEO) to reputation management to molding a website that can boost your customer-conversion rate, our presenters will offer actionable steps to improve your bottom line. Through real-world examples and hands-on exercises, you’ll be prepared to improve digital-marketing results as soon as you return home.

You’ll learn:

• How SEO has changed over time and what strategies work best today
• How to set a proper Google Ads budget for your market
• How to mine data to improve all parts of your marketing
• Best practices deployed by facility managers who earn five-star reviews
• The true impact of online reviews and how to manage your business reputation
• How to increase rentals through competitive analysis, usability testing and customer intelligence
• Strategies for pricing and specials to gain a competitive advantage in your market
• How to improve digital-marketing results through real-world examples and hands-on exercises
• Much more! 

Workshop information coming soon.

Speaker: Jeffrey Greenberger, Partner, Greenberger & Brewer LLP
Date/Time: April 1, 1 p.m.-5 p.m.

There are many aspects of running a self-storage facility that involve risk, and keeping up with changing laws can be complicated. You must have a solid grasp on how to properly and legally conduct your business. Our presenter will delve into the key issues that could disrupt your operation and leave it vulnerable to lawsuits. Get valuable insight on lien sales, vehicle storage, tenant bankruptcy, bailments, rental agreements and other industry perils. No matter if your business is big or small, you could be sued. Learn how to protect yourself from liability in this informative workshop.

You’ll learn:

• Why wrongful sale is the most common type of lawsuit and how to avoid it
• A checklist to review before moving forward with a lien sale
• Scenarios in which you shouldn’t proceed with an auction
• Special risk factors involved with vehicle storage
• Information you need when storing vehicles
• Insurance requirements for vehicle storage
• What you need to know if a tenant files for bankruptcy
• The differences between bankruptcy types
• How to read an initial bankruptcy notice from a court
• What a bailment is and your duty of care
• Typical lease clauses that could cause trouble for your business 

Speaker: Bob Copper, Partner in Charge, Self Storage 101; Magen Smith, Owner, Magen Smith CPA
Date/Time: April 4, 8 a.m.-Noon

If you’re a self-storage owner who wants to take his investments to the next level, this is the session for you! From asset value to site auditing to portfolio expansion, this workshop covers it all. You’ll learn industry best practices that’ll turn a subpar or mediocre operation into a stellar business that provides a supreme customer-service experience and generates maximum income. You’ll get expert insight to facility value, site auditing and evaluation, acquisitions, and more. This high-energy, informative session will be the most important investment you make for your business all year. Get the knowledge you need to ensure your facilities run at optimum!

You’ll learn:

• What it means to be a self-storage owner today 
• How to establish, maintain and even increase asset value
• Revenue-management programs to increase revenue and profit
• Ways to improve the customer experience your business provides
• The who, what, where, why and why of audits
• How to create a system for evaluating site performance
• How to use your software and reporting to more effectively review and manage your sites
• Ways to detect and prevent employee theft
• Auditing case studies and real-life examples of problems and solutions
• Considerations for transitioning from one to multiple sites
• How an expansion of your portfolio changes your role as owner
• Much more! 
  

Speaker: Scott Zucker, Partner, Weissmann Zucker Euster Morochnik & Garber P.C.
Date/Time: April 4, 8 a.m.-Noon

There are many unique elements to running a self-storage facility. As a property owner, you must follow safety and access rules. As a landlord, you must adhere to tenant laws. As a business, you must manage growth against a backdrop of new technology and changing social media concerns. During this immersive, four-hour program, our presenter will help self-storage owners and managers navigate related laws that impact their facilities to foster greater success and lessen risk of liability.

You’ll learn:

• How to stay in legal compliance amid evolving technology
• The role and risks of tenant insurance and protection programs within the industry
• How to handle the day-to-day challenges of tenant complaints made via social media
• Your responsibilities in ensuring your facilities and websites are accessible to the disabled
• How to address stressful tenant scenarios that expose you to lawsuits and liability
• Best practices for tenant defaults, lien foreclosure, facility disasters and criminal activity
• Much more!
  

Speaker: Matthew Van Horn, Co-Founder, 3 Mile Domination
Date/Time: April 4, 1-5 p.m.

The job description for “self-storage manager” has changed drastically over the years. You’re no longer just a person behind a desk renting units and taking payments. In today’s economy, you’re required to have a dynamic skill set that includes a knowledge of sales, marketing, accounting, collections, maintenance and so much more. This workshop will provide guidance on how to develop these valuable proficiencies as well as long-term strategies to help you better compete in today’s market. There will be time for Q&A, so bring your questions!

You’ll learn:

• How the self-storage manager role has evolved and will continue to change
• The critical skills you need to be successful in today’s self-storage market
• Why the sales process is like a Broadway production (and how to manage it)
• How to close potential customers with confidence
• How to sell more ancillary items including retail product and tenant insurance
• How to defend your facility from new competition
• How to develop marketing campaigns that actually work
• Why tracking sales and marketing data is essential in today’s economy
• How to identify the numbers your owner cares about and why they’re so important
• How to identify and understand the critical reports in your management software
• The importance of revenue management
• How to defend your facility from the “Piranha affect”
• How to prevent tenant delinquency and squash it when it occurs
• The most critical elements to site upkeep
• How to create a maintenance strategy for your site
• How to keep your skills fresh and expand your own professional development
• Much more!
  

Speaker: Susan Haviland, Owner, Haviland Storage Services
Date/Time: April 4, 1-5 p.m.

Effective staff management means consistently having the right employees in the right positions—and enough of them to meet your business needs. Team members who are well-managed and properly trained are better prepared to do their jobs and serve your customers. This leads to higher profit, happier tenants and an increase in repeat business. Unfortunately, many self-storage owners aren’t prepared for the interview phase, let alone what comes after the initial hiring process. In this in-depth workshop, we’ll walk through best practices to set you on the path to successful staffing. You’ll get expert insight and learn practical strategies to maximize your greatest resource: your people!

You’ll learn:

• The true cost of hiring in self-storage
• An overview of the recruitment process and tips for finding candidates
• Best practices for interviewing, including questions to ask and red flags to watch for
• Manager compensation and incentives: options and things to consider
• Plans for initial and ongoing training
• Tips for team motivation and retention      
• How to make good time-management decisions for you and your employees
• Five of the most commons staffing problems and how to fix them
• How to handle sensitive employees and situations with diplomacy, including tactics to deal with difficult staff
• How to detect misbehavior, including misuse of company time or resources
• How to deal quickly and professionally with performance problems, including drug and alcohol abuse
• And more!