Monday Sessions

Practicing Green: How to Reduce Operational Costs and Improve Your Facility Image
Monday, Jan. 26, 10:30-11:30 am
Green thinking is the wave of the future for self-storage and many other industries. Whether you operate a new facility or an older one, using eco-friendly practices and technologies can save you money on operating expenses and serve as a valuable marketing tool. Our speaker will discuss the possibilities of incorporating green procedures into your storage operation to create a new image for your facility and reduce day-to-day costs.
Speaker: Charles Plunkett, Artistic Builders Inc.

Collecting Delinquent Rent: Making the Best of a Bad Situation
Monday, Jan. 26, 1-2 pm
Delinquent rent is a reality with which all self-storage owners and managers must contend. This session walks you through the ins and outs of collecting past-due payments and how to turn an unpleasant situation into a manageable one. Our presenter will detail preventive measures you can take to avoid delinquencies as well as policies and procedures to follow when you do need to collect.
Speaker: Mel Holsinger, Professional Self Storage Management LLC

Facility Auditing and Potential Theft in Self-Storage
Monday, Jan. 26, 2:15-3:15 pm
This presentation will explain some of the exposures self-storage facilities have to tenant and employee theft and fraud in today’s market. Our speaker will highlight statistics of employee theft, the top ways and reasons employees steal, auditing and problems with audits, how to handle discrepancies, and steps to insulate your organization from these types of risks. This session may change the way you are currently operating your business―a must see!
Speaker: Bryan Byrd, Landvest Corp.

Running Your Self-Storage Operation With a Retail Mentality
Monday, Jan. 26, 3:30-4:30 pm
This powerful session will teach you how to compete in a challenging economy. Join our presenter as he shares creative ways for improving occupancy through sales, marketing and operational effectiveness. You’ll learn how to convert more callers to renters while maximizing the return on your marketing dollar. You’ll also hear strategies for increasing store referrals, encouraging productivity, and ensuring higher profit and long-term facility success.
Speaker: Brad North, Advantage Business Consulting

Tuesday Sessions

Key Indicators for Self-Storage Success
Tuesday, Jan. 27, 8-8:50 am
This brisk, lively presentation will cover the key indicators of success for any self-storage operation. Some of the items to be discussed include same-store sales growth, sales growth between locations, recovery rates for delinquencies and auctions, box sales per tenant lease, cost per lease, traffic numbers, conversion rates, rate management, expenses per square foot and more.
Speaker: Anne Ballard, Universal Management Co.

Retail Marketing: The Movie
Tuesday, Jan. 27, 9-9:50 am
When the economy is in a downslide, business is fluttering and the outlook isn’t rosy, to where can your mind escape? The movies, of course! During this entertaining session, our speaker will examine self-storage retail sales and marketing from the perspectives of the great movie heroes. He'll show how you can apply the lessons of classic films to everything from employee sales training to product selection to the creation of retails displays. You’ll also learn how to compete with retail adversaries … and win! Finally, he’ll share some useful, no-nonsense secrets you can use to become the star of your business epic.
Speaker: Rob Kaminski, Supply Source One (A division of Schwarz Supply Source)

Manager Compensation: Getting the Most out of Your Employees
Tuesday, Jan. 27, 10-10:50 am
Learn about traditional and more modern approaches to manager and employee compensation. In this session, you’ll hear about proven techniques to motivate and reward employee performance for mutual success. The discussion will address monetary and non-monetary compensation packages, including health insurance and 401(k) programs. You’ll even have an opportunity to share information regarding your own programs and experiences with other owner/operators.
Speaker: Travis M. Morrow, National Self Storage Management Inc

Help Yourself Storage: How Self-Service Increases Net Operating Income
Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2009, 11-11:50 am
Leading companies in many industries are turning to self-serve solutions to enhance customer service and improve their bottom line. Learn how self-storage operators are taking advantage of self-service at their own facilities to capture more rentals, reduce operating expenses, extend hours of operation and improve customer satisfaction. You’ll hear about an actual case study that outlines the financial and day-to-day operational impact experienced by a self-storage owner since integrating self-serve technology at his facilities.
Speakers: Michael Tolva, The Store House Co., and Larry Rolando, OpenTech Alliance Inc.