Speakers
Linnea Appleby
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
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.
Anne Ballard
Anne Ballard is founder and president of Atlanta-based Universal Management Co., which manages a portfolio of 40-plus self-storage facilities in 12 states. The company provides management, marketing and financial accounting to property owners. Industry activism is an integral part of Anne’s and Universal's decade-plus of storage experience and service. Her wide range of activities includes co-authoring the original Georgia copyrighted Rental Agreement and Employment Agreement and assisting in two changes to Georgia self-storage statutes. She is a former president of the Georgia Self Storage Association and now serves on the board. She is also a frequent speaker at international, national and state tradeshows and conferences. Anne directly provides the training, marketing, design and planning services for Universal's management and consulting clients.
Nick Bilava
Nick Bilava is an account executive with USstoragesearch.com, an independent website connecting consumers searching online for storage to self-storage and mobile-storage companies in their area. Nick works with storage facilities as they integrate Internet marketing into their business models. Over the past three years, he has worked with hundreds of storage facilities to help them succeed in the online marketplace. USstoragesearch.com is one of the largest storage directories in the industry, providing service to more than 14,000 self-storage and mobile-storage facilities nationwide.
Marc Boorstein
Marc Boorstein is a principal and co-founder of MJ Partners Real Estate Services and its affiliates, MJ Partners Self Storage Group and MJ Partners Capital Services. Marc has more than 20 years of real estate experience and has been involved in more than $1 billion in real estate transactions. He represents self-storage operators and institutional investors in the acquisition, disposition and financing of portfolios and single-assets nationwide. Marc is a regular speaker at national self-storage conventions and a published author regarding industry trends. He is also a partner in the development and management of award-winning self-storage facilities.
Brian Bremer
Brian Bremer is the reservation-center manager for USstoragesearch.com, an independent website connecting consumers searching online for storage to self-storage and mobile-storage companies in their area. Brian has been working with call centers across the world for seven years. He has managed, developed and adapted sales and customer-service teams for some of the largest Fortune 500 companies in the financial, insurance and retail industries. Brian’s experience in managing programs across the United States, Philippines and South America have helped USstoragesearch.com’s reservation center develop a bilingual line group and produce high conversion rates for the self-storage industry.
Sean Cargo
Sean Cargo is a self-storage consultant and senior account executive for QuikStor Security & Software, an innovator in the self-storage industry for more than 22 years. Sean has provided direction to hundreds of storage facilities nationwide by guiding them through QuikStor’s unique “concept-to-profit” business plan for new and existing facilities. He was born and raised in Southern California and achieved a bachelor’s degree from California State University Northridge. He is a California Department of Real Estate licensee and has years of experience in low-voltage systems including sales and installation. His knowledge of business management and unique ways to put technology to work allow him to consult self-storage owners to a more profitable operation.
Patt Carlson
Patt Carlson is director of operations for Pogoda Cos. Patt has more than 20 years of management, consulting, team-building, real estate sales and marketing experience with service organizations and real estate industry leaders. Prior to joining Pogoda, Patt was the lead listing agent for a $49 million real estate team in suburban Chicago. In addition to successfully securing, negotiating and facilitating the closing of real estate transactions, Patt facilitated operations and provided consultation to buyers’ agents, delivering excellence in lead generation, new-business development, strategic goal planning, and teaching and development. Patt has conducted classes on strategies to increase productivity, the importance of networking in business, and the power of team-building.
Jim Chiswell
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
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.
Sherri Elliott
Sherri Elliott is the founder and CEO of human-resources consulting companies Optimance Workforce Strategies and Gen InsYght, and author of Ties to Tattoos: Turning Generational Differences into a Competitive Advantage. She has more than 15 years experience as an advisor and human-resources consultant to companies ranging from small startups to large international corporations. Sherri manages a team of experts who help companies overcome standard HR challenges and unleash the performance potential of people, leaders and organizations. Optimance offers career continuation services, executive development and talent-management programs, and age-impact preparedness education. Sherri’s book examines the profound differences between the four generations in the workplace, and the problems that can arise as a result of generational gaps—including talent-retention issues, employee turnover, corporate communication and sexual-harassment claims. She is a senior professional in human resources and holds an associate designation in risk management.
Scott Frank
Attorney Scott Frank is a partner in the real estate practice group of the West Palm Beach and Boca Raton, Fla., offices of Arnstein & Lehr LLP. He has extensive experience in real estate law, representing clients in acquisitions, dispositions, development, financing, land use and condominium law. Scott has significant leasing experience, representing tenants and landlords with respect to retail, office and industrial properties. He has represented building owners in all aspects of development and leasing, from purchase and sales agreements through closing, financing, permitting and construction contracts. Scott also represents self-storage owners and operators in the acquisition, construction, permitting, financing and management of self-storage facilities in South Florida.
Lawrence Friedman
Larry Friedman was appointed president of Bader Co. in April 2009 and is responsible for the company’s daily operation. His innovative strategies in the storage and rental insurance industry have benefited Bader’s clients across the United States. In 2008, Larry formed Bankruptcy Insurance Solutions, a joint venture with Bader Co., and Friedman Partners LLC. He continues to consult with major financial institutions in the bankruptcy arena. He also serves as an adjunct professor of law at Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Mich. Larry is the former director of the executive office for U.S. Trustees. Prior to his appointment as president of Bader, Friedman had a private law practice and served as a panel trustee in the Eastern District of Michigan. He then spent three years as a managing director with Bear Stearns Cos. in New York City, where he assisted the Max Recovery/eCast business in expanding its operations into Australia, France, Germany and Hong Kong.
John H. Gilliland
John Gilliland is CEO and founder of Investment Real Estate LLC, Investment Real Estate Management LLC and Investment Real Estate Construction LLC. John and his companies have constructed more than 1.5 million square feet of self-storage in the past three years, performed more than 150 feasibility studies, brokered the sale of more than 250 self-storage properties, and currently manage 50 facilities in eight states. Gilliland served as president of the Pennsylvania Self Storage Association from 2002 to 2006, and is a member of the New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania Self-Storage Associations. He was elected to the board of directors of the national Self Storage Association in 2003, and served as chairman in 2007. John also owns 14 self-storage facilities in central Pennsylvania.
Jeffrey Greenberger
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
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 the Altschuler, Melvoin and Glasser accounting firm, where he focused on real estate and financial-services assignments.
Matthew Harrison
Matthew Harrison has been involved with design, sales and project management of solar projects throughout the United States. As a North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners Certified Photovoltaic designer, Matthew has extensive knowledge of solar-electric system design coupled with 20 years of construction and construction-management experience. He is well-versed in federal, state and local incentive programs for renewable-energy grants, credits, rebates and other financial-incentive programs, and innovative programs for generating alternative revenue streams.
Bob Hayworth
Bob Hayworth is owner and CEO of Baja Construction Co. Inc., 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 5 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
Robin Heuer is chief operating officer, 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
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 tradeshows and a contributing writer for several industry 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
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.
Andrew Hyde
Andy Hyde is an experienced real estate developer with Storage Affiliates, helping clients find locations to build and lease facilities. As an investment advisor, he also helps clients buy and sell existing self-storage. 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.
Barry Keyes
Barry Keyes is CEO and founder of Coastal Recycling Centers, which was founded in 2004. He is also chairman of GREENspot DROPoff Inc., Integrated Management Inc. and other business ventures in which he works with his wife and business partner, Gail Keyes. Barry, Gail and their growing team are working to provide services that help clean up the planet and raise funds for local, state and national schools, not-for-profits and social programs. Through Coastal and GREENspot DROPoff, Barry and his team are putting together one of the first nationwide programs for e-waste drop-off. His unique outsourcing program using self-storage facilities as the drop and accredited, licensed recycling companies for pickup, demolition and reuse, creates a branding opportunity for the drop-off spot and is expanding Coastal’s connections to green products, services and related companies to ensure a cleaner planet.
RK Kliebenstein
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.
Jamie Lindau
Jamie Lindau, national sales manager for Trachte Building Systems, has more than 25 years of experience in self-storage building and consulting. During his career, he has assisted more than 1,100 self-storage owners with the acquisition, layout, feasibility, building design and purchase of their sites. He is a regular contributor to Inside Self-Storage magazine and other industry publications. Jamie has conducted more than 220 self-storage development seminars for Trachte since 1987.
Tom Litton
Tom Litton, a well-known industry expert, heads Litton Property Management 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 serves on the ISS Editorial Advisory Board, and has written numerous books and operational guides sold throughout the industry.
Stacie Maxwell
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 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.
Bruce McCardle
Bruce McCardle is vice president of eastern division operations for Mako Steel Inc. He has worked in architectural design, development, construction and the metal-building manufacturing business since 1977, and specifically in the self-storage industry for more than 20 years. He is a member of the Florida Self-Storage Association board of directors. He contributes articles to industry publications, and is a speaker at industry tradeshows.
Scott Meyers
Scott Meyers is a self-storage educator who travels the country revealing why the industry has become the hottest sector in commercial real estate over the past 30 years. After becoming a penniless millionaire in the single-family housing and apartment businesses and experiencing near bankruptcy, he began investing in storage. Scott is the owner and president of Indianapolis-based Alcatraz Storage, which operates several facilities in the Midwest. He is a Certified Self Storage Manager through the Self Storage Association. He has been a real estate investor since 1993 and speaks to investor groups nationwide.
Derek Naylor
Derek Naylor is the president of Storage Marketing Solutions, which implements hundreds of innovative and results-oriented marketing strategies for its self- and mobile-storage clients nationwide. 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.
Brad North
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.
Joseph Niemczyk
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 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.
Emmett (Buster) Owens
Buster Owens is president of The Rabco Corp. and has been active in the self-storage industry since 1985. Buster holds general-contracting licenses 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 Inside Self-Storage Editorial Advisory Board, and is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council.
Maurice Pogoda
Maurice Pogoda is the principal and president of Pogoda Cos., a Farmington Hills, Mich., company specializing in the brokerage, management and development of self-storage facilities and manufactured-housing communities. Maurice formed Pogoda Cos. in 1987, creating a nationally known company that has brokered more than $100 million of storage and housing properties. Maurice has been profiled in several industry and business publications, and was awarded the Elite Eight Award in property management by a Michigan commercial real estate magazine. He has also been a featured speaker at many self-storage conventions, and has been published and quoted in more than 30 articles in self-storage trade publications.
Gina Six Kudo
Gina Six Kudo became enthralled with a self-storage conversion property in the 1960s when a 100-year-old barn built by her great-great grandfather was converted into storage by her great-grandmother and rented to a local mattress retailer. A child’s curiosity about what could be in that space appears to have never been satiated. Although Gina did a temporary stint as a weekend-relief self-storage manager, she embarked on a career in the high-tech arena, most recently as a hardware-support engineer. Silicon Valley layoffs in the ’90s landed her back in self-storage. She’s now the general manager of Cochrane Road Self Storage in Morgan Hill, Calif., where she’s discovered a talent for community marketing.
Georgia Ragsdale
Georgia Ragsdale is the president and CEO of Best American Financial Services LLC, a commercial-mortgage brokerage firm focusing on clients in the self-storage industry to provide acquisition and refinance options. Over the past 8 years, Georgia has used her results-focused drive to close millions of dollars in loans in the commercial-property and construction sectors. She has brokered for a hard-money lending source and acquired land for development companies. Georgia has also coached the corporate sales teams of Fortune 500 companies such as GMAC, Charles Schwab, Bank of America, Daum Commercial Real Estate and Grubb & Ellis. She is a graduate of Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
David Rose
David Rose joined Michaels Wilder Inc. in 2008 and served as the director of operations for the Yellow Pages Division until his promotion to executive vice president and director of operations for Storage Property Protection. David has an extensive self-storage background with industry giant U-Haul, where he enjoyed a 17-year career, with the last seven as the senior program manager for the Independent Dealer Network in the United States and Canada. The network was comprised of a variety of businesses, most notably more than 4,000 self-storage facilities.
John Roser
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.
Stephan A. Ross
Stephan Ross began his self-storage career in 1984, working as city manager for Arizona-based National Self Storage. He later worked as regional director of Executive Self-Storage. In 1996, he became the vice president of operations for Extra Space Management where he directed the daily operation of more than 1.5 million square feet of storage. Stephan has performed feasibility studies all over the United States and Canada for private investors as well as CitiBank, First Union Bank, Wells Fargo Bank and others. In February 2000, he and his wife, Tammy, formed Cutting Edge Self-Storage Management & Consulting. With 25 years of experience, Cutting Edge has become one of the fastest growing management companies in the industry. The company currently manages facilities in Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Missouri, Nevada, Texas and Utah.
Tammy Ross
Tammy Ross began her career in the self-storage industry in 1984 as a resident manager for National Self Storage. She later joined Executive Self Storage and relocated to the East Coast to become a regional manager. Nearly 10 years later, she returned to Salt Lake City and continued her employment with Executive Self Storage. In 2000, she and her husband, Stephan, formed Cutting Edge Self Storage Management & Consulting, which provides feasibility studies, consulting and management services. She is also the owner of Midvale Main Street Theatre, where she directs and produces musical and dramatic productions.
Eric Shanfelt
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.
Harry Sleighel
Harry Sleighel entered the Travelers Insurance Management Program upon graduation from college and earned a Group 1 license, enjoying a successful career. Five years later, he moved to Phoenix to manage and market MiniCo Inc.’s customer storage insurance program, the largest in the industry at the time. After successfully running the division for two years, he was promoted to vice president of marketing, and later to executive vice president, responsible for marketing and selling all of MiniCo’s products. Harry left MiniCo in 1989 and launched Michaels Wilder with a partner. Michaels Wilder recently added recruitment advertising and human-resources consulting to its product offerings.
Jim Stevens
Jim Stevens joined Shurgard Capital Group in 1983 and spent his first year managing a self-storage facility in Puyallup, Wash. He then raised limited partnership funds through regional brokerage houses for three years. In 1988, Jim joined Public Storage as an area manager in Michigan and spent 13 years working his way through the operational ranks, most of that time as the regional manager for Florida. Jim joined Extra Space Storage in 2001, moving to Salt Lake City to become the divisional vice president for the West Coast. He held that position until November 2006 when 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
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.
John Traver
John Traver is owner and CEO of XPS Solutions LLC, a Richardson, Texas-based provider of reservation and property-marketing solutions for the self-storage industry. John’s background includes nearly 20 years as a consultant in customer-relationship management solutions. From 1991 to 2000, his previous company provided appointment reservation and customer relationship management solutions for Toyota, GM, Lexus and Chrysler. During this time, his company built more than 1,500 call center solutions for automotive retailers providing customer retention solutions. He sold the company in 2000, and acquired XPS in 2004. The company now employs more than 100 full-time associates. John has been a speaker for numerous well-known organizations including Toyota and the National Automobile Dealers Association, led training workshops, and contributed articles to numerous trade publications.
Ben Vestal
Ben Vestal has been involved in the management, development, construction and brokerage of commercial real estate since 1996. He began his career as a partner in the development of several industrial properties throughout the United States totaling more than 500,000 square feet, and has since been involved in the leasing and management of an office, retail and industrial portfolio of 350,000 square feet. Ben obtained financing for several real estate projects and is familiar with conduit, bank and life-insurance company loans. He has been involved in more than $250 million of commercial real estate brokerage transactions. In 2006, Ben acquired an ownership interest in the Argus Self Storage Sales Network Inc., an independent network of real estate brokers specializing in self-storage properties. He is actively involved with the management and growth of the company, as Argus continues to provide marketing and consulting solutions for self-storage sellers and buyers.
Paul Wills
Paul Wills, senior vice president of Michaels Wilder Inc., has 17 years of experience in human resources. Prior to joining Michaels Wilder, Paul was with TMP Worldwide, a recruitment advertising subsidiary of Monster Worldwide. In multiple senior roles, Paul has directed the recruitment-advertising strategies and marshaled the brands of such Fortune 500 companies as Verizon, Dell and USAA. In his tenure with Michaels Wilder, Paul has directed solutions that address the challenges companies face in finding quality employees, then successfully integrating them into the workplace. These solutions are varied and customized to each company, and measured by a detailed metrics platform.
Charles Ray Wilson
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 nation’s top self-storage analysts on valuation and performance matters.
David Wolf
David Wolf is managing partner and owner of National Yellow Pages Media and YellowWord Interactive, which provide directional marketing solutions to more than 75 mid-sized, regional and Fortune 1000 clients. Dave’s responsibilities include overseeing major clients, new business development, search marketing and structuring pay-per-call campaigns. He and his team have designed a number of online content-management, Internet marketing and print Yellow Pages solutions for self-storage operators. Prior to joining NYPM and YellowWord, Dave worked for Symphoni Interactive LLC, a digital professional services firm that was acquired by IGATE Technologies. Through this exposure, he developed a broad understanding of various client-relationship management strategies and how they can be integrated to change traditional business models for clients such as GE Capital, GE Finance, Outboard Marine and The United Way.
Caesar Wright
Caesar Wright is president of Mako Steel Inc., which specializes in self-storage design and construction. Caesar has been in the steel business for more than 20 years. His enterprising skills have helped launch Mako Steel to the forefront of the industry. He is well-known and respected in the industry for his ability to manage, negotiate and succeed without compromising his integrity or 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.
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