SPEAKERS

Linnea Appleby is president of PDQ Management Solutions Inc., a Sarasota, Fla.-based company specializing in self-storage facility management, operations consulting, new facility startup, property audits and the “Income Finder Service.” She launched the company to serve the growing number of owners looking for expert leadership, experience and guidance in successful facility management. Linnea has been actively involved in the self-storage industry since 1998, and has a 27-year background in management and finance. In addition to being a past president of the Florida Self Storage Association, she is an instructor for the Self-Storage Training Institute, a contributing writer to Inside Self-Storage, and a frequent speaker at industry tradeshows and events.

Christopher Baird, CEO of Automatit Inc., has been involved in website development and marketing since 1996. He is a Google Certified Adwords Specialist and manages about 500 websites. Chris has partnered with several start-up companies whose websites now produce more than $1 million in revenue. His self-storage website development referral partners include CallMaximizer, Universal Management Co. and SMD Software.

Brandon Braud is vice president of sales for Upickstorage.com. He has made more than 2,000 public speaking appearances and has 10 years of experience as a professional speaker. Personally trained by motivational speaker Tom Hopkins, Brandon learned how to deliver practical solutions to challenges in the workplace. His down-to-earth yet humorous speaking style keeps his audiences engaged and entertained. He has been named a Merrill Lynch's Paths of Achievement Sales Trainer.

Terry Campbell is the vice president of sales and marketing for BETCO Inc., where he has worked for more than 14 years, rising through the ranks of the engineering, estimating and sales departments. Terry has been an owner/investor in a 76,000-square-foot self-storage facility and served as a managing member of the LLC that owned it. He has also been an owner/operator of a residential rental property. Terry has served on the board of directors for the North Carolina Self Storage Association and is a speaker at BETCO-sponsored seminars nationwide. Terry is a contributing writer to industry trade publications including Inside Self-Storage.

With 25 years of industry experience, Jim Chiswell provides his consulting services exclusively to the self-storage industry. He has conducted countless project feasibility studies for clients building new projects, and created acquisition due-diligence reports for clients purchasing existing facilities. Prior to starting Chiswell & Associates LLC in 1990, Jim was vice president of Sovran Self Storage, responsible for the management of 34 facilities in 10 states. Jim has authored the “Thoughts From the Road” column for Inside Self-Storage magazine for eight years, and is a member of the Inside Self-Storage Editorial Advisory Board. He is a past member of the board of directors of the Self Storage Association, and a past president of the New York Self Storage Association. Jim is also a faculty member of the Self Storage Training Institute, and a moderator for Self-Storage Talk, the industry’s largest online community.

Bob Copper is the owner of Self Storage 101, a consulting firm specializing in operational improvement, training, audits, feasibility and market studies, and due diligence. Bob has worked with hundreds of owners and managers to improve sales, collections techniques and overall operational expertise. As a self-storage owner, Bob has a unique perspective that relates to working with other operators. He has provided oversight to industry leaders in such areas as strategic growth, staff effectiveness, marketing, asset-value improvement and acquisitions. Bob formerly worked as a regional manager for Metro Storage, where he was responsible for locations throughout Florida, Georgia, Indiana and Ohio, and as a district manager for Public Storage, overseeing facilities in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. He is a frequent speaker at the Inside Self-Storage World Expo.

Jeffrey Greenberger is a partner in the Cincinnati law firm of Katz, Greenberger & Norton LLP, where he focuses his practice on commercial real estate, with a concentration in self-storage. Jeff assists operators around the country in the design and implementation of legal policies and procedures as well as other operational issues, with a focus on litigation avoidance and liability reduction. Jeff is the legal advisor to several state self-storage associations and is a featured speaker for national and state self-storage tradeshows. As part of the Inside Self-Storage Editorial Advisory Board, he contributes regularly to the magazine, and is also a member of the ISS Education Advisory Committee. He is the star presenter of the ISS Legal Learning webinar series, and plays key roles in other ISS ventures, serving as an instructor for the Self-Storage Training Institute and as a moderator for Self-Storage Talk, the industry’s largest online community.

Neal Gussis is a principal at The BSC Group, a full-service financial-services firm. Neal actively secures debt and equity for commercial property nationwide as well as provides consulting services. He is one of the self-storage industry’s best-known finance executives, and is a frequent speaker at national and regional self-storage tradeshows and seminars. During his career, Neal has secured more than $1 billion in self-storage financing for client transactions nationwide. Prior to The BSC Group, he was a principal at Beacon Realty Capital Inc., where he managed the Self Storage Financing Group. He was also a founding member of First Security Commercial Mortgage, one of the first conduit lenders that focused on the self-storage industry. Neal began his career with Altschuler, Melvoin and Glasser accounting firm, where he focused on real estate and financial-services assignments. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accountancy from Indiana University.

Randy Hatch is president of the Michaels Wilder Yellow Pages and Interactive division. He began his career in Yellow Pages advertising more than 26 years ago in local sales, and has served several key roles including corporate trainer, manager of premise and telephone-sales teams, staff manager, national sales manager and director. As the director of a national sales team for R.H.Donnelley/Dex, he was responsible for more than $431 million, working with certified marketing representatives and national clients before retiring. While at Dex, Randy started the Colorado State University Education for Excellence program, received the Yellow Page Accuracy Award, and was named the President's Circle of Excellence Winner six times.

James Hawley is president of Supply Side USA, a national provider of retail supplies including boxes, protective products and locks. James has a diverse background in retail-consumer programs, marketing, new business development, retail merchandising, retail location development, planogramming, packaging and retail promotion. He has been a speaker at numerous association shows including the International Housewares Association, Office Products International, China Office Products Manufacturers and a variety of university programs at Ohio State. He’s also taught seminars on consumer branding and retail merchandising. Jim has developed concepts around store demographics, customer and competitor base, along with “store of the community” concepts for major retailers. He’s experienced in all aspects of new product, new business platform and new global market development in retail consumer products.

Bob Hayworth is owner and CEO of Baja Construction, the largest carport, RV/boat storage, design/build company in the United States. Baja has been in business for 25 years, and has estimated annual revenue in excess of $25 million. Bob designed the patent-pending Solar Support System, which Baja has successfully implemented in the installation of more than five megawatts of fully integrated solar and RV-shading structures. Bob is a renowned leader in the industry and is frequently invited to speak at industry events about solar-integrated carports and RV ports.

Robin Heuer is the chief operating officer, the chief learning officer and a board member of iParkSolar, a developer of solar-integrated carports, RV/boat storage and integrated electrical-vehicle charging stations. Robin is responsible for overseeing the company’s business operation including sales, marketing, business development, human resources, public policy and communications. She is instrumental in the strategy, development and negotiation of the corporate strategy and relationships in furtherance of the iParkSystem.

Shawn Hill is a principal at The BSC Group, where he is responsible for advising clients regarding debt and equity financing and loan workout services for all commercial property types, with an emphasis on self-storage. Shawn is a frequent speaker at self-storage industry tradeshows and a contributing writer for several self-storage publications. His professional background includes work at two credit-rating agencies: Duff and Phelps and Fitch Ratings Inc. Shawn has also worked for Wells Fargo Bank as a commercial mortgage underwriter and credit analyst, and was most recently a senior vice president with Beacon Realty Capital Inc. He holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with a core emphasis on economic development and real estate finance.

Mel Holsinger began his self-storage career in 1983 with National Self-Storage in Tucson, Ariz. After leaving the company in 1987, Mel started and was a principal in Executive Self-Storage Associates, a position he held for 17 years. He founded Tucson, Ariz.-based Professional Self-Storage management in 2004 and is the principal, president and CEO of the company. As part of the Inside Self-Storage Editorial Advisory Board, he contributes regularly to the magazine, and is also a member of the ISS Education Advisory Committee. He’s a faculty member of the Self Storage Training Institute, a frequent speaker at the Inside Self-Storage World Expo, and a moderator for Self-Storage Talk, the industry’s largest online community.

Devin Huber is a principal at The BSC Group, where he is responsible for arranging debt and equity for clients’ real estate transactions, providing a solution for the entire capital stack. Devin has been actively involved in the real estate industry since 2001. He has been invited to speak at several conferences throughout the United States and written many articles for industry trade publications. Devin’s professional background includes working at GE Commercial Finance Business Property, Heller Financial and Arthur Andersen in its Transaction Advisory Group. He holds a bachelor’s of science degree in accountancy from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Andy Hyde is an experienced real estate developer with Storage Affiliates, helping clients find locations, build facilities and lease them. As an investment advisor, he helps clients buy and sell storage facilities. Andy is a member of the Appraisal Institute and has completed most of the MAI educational requirements. He serves on the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Self Storage Association and the Self Storage Association membership committee. He has given presentations to the Financial Analysis Federation, American Council of Life Insurance and University of Chicago. He has also written articles on valuation, demand and site selection. Prior to joining Storage Affiliates, Andy served at Public Storage, where he managed the eastern development office.

RK Kliebenstein is the president of Coast-To-Coast Storage, a self-storage consultancy firm, offering feasibility studies, site selection, financing, management and marketing services. RK began his self-storage career in 1985, converting incubator space to storage. He then joined National Self Storage, acting as partner in Self-Storage Mortgage Corp. During his tenure, he was team leader on a project that led to the first major self-storage mortgage-backed securities transaction. RK is an industry speaker, author and expert witness in acquiring, developing, managing and financing self-storage properties. He is co-author of How to Invest in Self-Storage, and author of How to Make More Money in Self-Storage. As a communicator, author and corporate leader, RK has had multiple articles published in industry trade journals including Inside Self-Storage, and is considered an authority on self-storage, mobile storage and vehicle storage.

Tom Litton, a well-known industry expert, heads the self-storage management division of Litton Management & Consulting Inc. Tom began his career in the self-storage industry during its infancy and has managed more than 150 self-storage facilities in 11 states. He served as operations manager for Tucson, Ariz.-based National Self Storage, which was one of the largest storage companies in the United States. Most recently, Tom managed the Mister Space Self Storage division of The Grupe Co., based in Stockton, Calif. He currently fee manages and consults throughout Australia, Canada, England, France and the United States. Tom has written more than 100 articles that have been published in several self-storage publications and newspapers including Inside Self-Storage and the San Francisco Chronicle. He has served on the ISS Editorial Advisory Board, and written numerous books and operational guides that are sold throughout the industry.

Nick Malagisi is the national director of self-storage and a senior advisor for Sperry Van Ness, specializing in the purchase and sale of self-storage properties. Since 1993, Nick has participated in the sale of more than 70 properties valued at $350 million. He began his real estate career with Public Storage, where he was responsible for site acquisition and development of new properties. Prior to joining Sperry Van Ness, he was the principal broker/owner of Storage Realty Advisors, where he specialized in the marketing, sales and disposition of self-storage throughout the Northeast. As a consultant, Nick prepares feasibility studies for new developments, testifies in court as a self-storage expert, and prepares property valuations. He is a frequent speaker at industry tradeshows. He is also a member of the national and New York Self Storage Associations, among others, and a charter member of the New York State Commercial Association of Realtors.

Stacie Maxwell is the director of marketing and communications for Universal Management Co., a full-service self-storage management and consulting company. With more than eight years of self-storage-related experience, Stacie is responsible for branding, design, marketing-program planning and implementation, and Internet and e-mail marketing for the 40-plus facilities in the UMC portfolio. She works closely with Anne Ballard and David Dixon on new facility development and feasibility studies, from concept to opening day and onward.

After a 20-year career in the U.S. military, Hal Moore applied his electronics expertise and leadership skills to management positions in training, sales and marketing for GE Commercial Real Estate, StorageUSA, computer-training companies and major consumer-electronics retailers. Hal currently designs and delivers customized training programs, learning products, and marketing support primarily for the self-storage industry. His company, Moore Creative Concepts, has delivered training materials and operational support sessions to thousand of owners, operators and managers across the United States.

Derek Naylor is the president of Storage Marketing Solutions, which implements hundreds of unique, innovative and results-oriented marketing strategies for its self- and mobile-storage clients across the United States. Derek has consulted in the area of marketing and sales for a diverse assortment of businesses, and his strategies for these entities are directly responsible for generating more than $250 million in increased sales revenue. His professional passion starts and ends with business-growth strategy. In 2004, he was retained by a large, privately owned self-storage company to revamp its marketing and advertising systems. After achieving record-breaking results, Derek founded SMS to help facility operators increase occupancy with lower advertising budgets. He is a frequent contributor to Inside Self-Storage magazine.

In 1981, Joe Niemczyk joined National Self Storage as its controller and later became president, overseeing the construction and operation of more than 40 locations throughout the United States. He also created the first formal resident-manager training program in the industry. After leaving National in 1986, Joe co-created Executive Self Storage Associates Inc. Since its inception, the company has been involved in the management, consulting, development and manager training of more than 1,000 facilities across Australia, China, Europe, the United States and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The company oversees the daily operation of more than 3 million square feet of storage across the nation, in addition to providing ongoing market analysis and development of several other projects. Joe is a featured speaker at industry tradeshows seminars and workshops focused on manager training, advertising and legal issues.

Brad North is proficient at maximizing the profitability of a self-storage location through sales, marketing and operational effectiveness. Since 1989, he has excelled as an owner, general contractor, developer, general manager, trainer and consultant. He has built more than 350,000 square feet of storage, and trained and consulted with thousands of owners and developers throughout the world. Brad has written and produced a DVD and workbook training tools, “Maximizing your Sales and Marketing Program.” He is a contributor to Inside Self-Storage, a speaker at state and national self-storage conventions, and a moderator for Self-Storage Talk, the industry’s largest online community. Brad provides onsite consulting, manager training workshops, seminars and feasibility studies. His company, Advantage Business Consulting & Management, offers complete turnkey management services. The company manages more than 1 million square feet of self-storage throughout the Southeast and Midwest, and continues to expand.

Buster Owens is president of The Rabco Corp. and has been active in the self-storage industry since 1985. Buster holds general-contracting licenses in states including Arizona, California and Florida, is a licensed roofing contractor in Florida, and holds an LEED AP Certification in new construction and major renovation issued through the Green Building Certification Institute. Buster serves on the ISS Editorial Advisory Board, and is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council.

Georgia Ragsdale is the CEO of Watermark Financial Inc., a boutique mortgage-brokerage firm specializing in acquisition, refinance and construction finance for self-storage properties nationwide. With more than a decade of commercial real estate experience, Georgia has a strong and proven track record in self-storage, land development, multi-family, construction, commercial real estate investments and financing. She is an active member of the California Self Storage Association. Georgia has written finance-related topics for several leading publications, including Inside Self-Storage. She is often engaged as a speaker, presenting to Fortune 500 companies such as GMAC, Charles Schwab and Bank of America.

John Roser has broad industry experience as a facility manager, regional manager, sales and marketing trainer, and founder of USA Storage Resource, a self-storage enterprise devoted to the support of small and independent facility owners and operators. He is the creator of the “Adventures In Storage” cartoon featured monthly in Inside Self-Storage magazine, a member of the ISS Education Advisory Committee and a moderator for Self-Storage Talk, the industry’s largest online community.

Kevin Senn is the CEO, co-founder and chairman of the board of iParkSolar, a developer of solar-integrated carports, RV/boat storage, and integrated electric-vehicle charging stations. iParkSolar offers a turnkey, fully integrated, solar shading structure that incorporates Baja Contruction’s Solar Support System. Kevin is responsible for setting the vision, strategies and tactics for the company.

Eric Shanfelt is executive vice president of e-media for Virgo Publishing. Prior to this, he served in executive management roles at Penton Media and Aspire Media, and as an industry consultant helping companies evaluate and grow their online media businesses. Shanfelt has an extensive e-media background spanning 18 years and specializes in practical, revenue-generating e-media strategies for companies.

Jeff Shouse is a regional managing director of PGP Valuation Inc., and the national director of the company’s Self-Storage Team. Jeff has been appraising self-storage facilities for more than 10 years, with clients ranging from local banks to large international institutions, including lenders, developers, owners, attorneys, insurance companies, and re-development groups. PGP is a commercial and industrial appraising firm with teams of specialists devoted to every major asset class. Its Self-Storage Team, headquartered in Roseville, Calif., has appraised facilities in nearly every state. Seeking to expand its global market share, the team publishes a self-storage market newsletter twice per year.

Jim Stevens joined Shurgard Capital Group in 1983 and spent his first year managing a storage facility in Puyallup, Wash. This was followed by three years of raising limited-partnership funds through regional brokerage houses. Jim joined Public Storage in 1988 as an area manager in Michigan. For 13 years, he worked his way through the operational ranks, most of that time as the regional manager for Florida. In 2001, Jim joined Extra Space Storage as the divisional vice president for the West Coast. In 2006, he became the senior vice president of acquisitions and business development. Since that time he has overseen more than $465 million in acquisitions.

Randy Tipton owns and operates Universal Insurance Facilities Ltd., an entrepreneurial business that has created and provided specialized insurance coverages to the self-storage industry for nearly 15 years. Randy is a seasoned industry professional with more than 30 years of insurance underwriting, marketing and management experience. She speaks at industry tradeshows, holds insurance seminars and speaks with facility owners nationwide. She is viewed by many as one of the leading self-storage insurance experts in the country and is called upon for advice regarding coverage options. She is a contributor to Inside Self-Storage, an instructor for the Self-Storage Training Institute and a moderator for Self-Storage Talk, the industry’s largest online community.

Paul Talley is the vice president of construction and the inventor of self-storage automation at The Pugliese Co./Roman Construction Co. Inc. Paul works in tandem with planning and development teams, architects, interior designers and master trades people in the development of custom-designed and constructed luxury homes and commercial projects. He has extensive knowledge of U.S. Green Building Council LEED certification, environmental laws, building codes and innovative practices.

Ray Wilson is an internationally recognized authority on self-storage investment analysis and a regular speaker at industry tradeshows. He is a frequent contributor to self-storage trade journals and is often quoted, most notably in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. He founded Charles R. Wilson & Associates Inc. in 1976, serving as president until he sold the company to Integra Realty Resources-Metro LA in 2007. He remains a director of the firm, which continues to specialize in the valuation of self-storage facilities. In 1992, he founded Self Storage Data Services Inc. (SSDS), a research company with a database of more than 45,000 facilities that tracks the operating performance of several thousand facilities every 90 days. As the owner of SSDS, the sole provider of quarterly self-storage operating performance and investment data, Ray consults regularly with the nations’ top self-storage analysts on valuation and performance matters.

Caesar Wright is president of Mako Steel Inc., a leader in the self-storage construction industry. Caesar been in the steel business his entire career and has risen from an entry-level sales position to CEO at a remarkably young age. He is respected in the industry for his ability to manage, negotiate and succeed without compromising his integrity or his sense of humor. As part of the Inside Self-Storage Editorial Advisory Board, he contributes regularly to the magazine, and is also a moderator for Self-Storage Talk, the industry’s largest online community.