Storage Inc.

Deck systems and unique projects

Whenhe made the decision in 1988 to convert a mill building in downtown Manchester,N.H., into one of the state's first heated self-storage facilities, BennettChandler was surprised to find no one in the Northeast who could do the job.Chandler, then the developer of RatPack Self Storage, had been in thereal-estate development and construction industry for 10 years. Undaunted, hedecided to take on the task himself. He assembled his own crew to build thefacility and called his new construction company Storage Inc. Being thatinterior conversions were new to the New England market, the facility drew theattention of other owners and developers, who wanted to know how it was done.

Over the next couple of years, Storage Inc. was mobilized to build severalfacilities in New England and New York markets, ultimately building for suchvenerable operators as Public Storage and Manhattan Mini-Storage. While thereal-estate market was crashing and burning in the early '90s, Storage Inc.found there was a niche of property owners who had empty buildings and cash,looking for unique ways to make their underutilized properties profitable.Conversion to self-storage was a viable answer.

Present-Day Operations

Today,Storage Inc. employs 25 people including project managers, field supervisors andin-house engineering and design professionals. Having developed a full line ofhigh-quality, pre-engineered products for the self-storage industry, the companysupplies and installs single- and multistory buildings, modular buildings, decksystems and conversions.

"When we looked at the competition, we found many suppliers couldprovide products--I call them mail-order buildings. Though their products aregenerally good, delivering the building is the easy part. The hardest part ofconstructing a great facility is designing it and erecting it correctly,"says Chandler. "Quality products backed by excellent in-field service iswhat we have strived to provide. There are few things more disappointing thanbuying a quality building, deck or conversion system, only to have it devaluedby sloppy or poorly supervised installation." By controlling this criticalpart of the process, Storage Inc. believes it provides higher-quality finishedproducts than most.

Storage Inc. strives for expediency, unlike much of its competition, whichcan take a surprisingly long time to deliver Chandler says. "We're talkingmajor portions of a year here--eight, 10, even 12 weeks for some companies. Aswe put together our supply chain, we've insisted on manufacturers who coulddeliver finished product in three to four weeks."

Storage Inc. has its own in-house crews, as well as a select group ofsubcontractors who have been performing their work for years. All projects arevisited on a weekly basis by the company's field-supervision personnel to ensureschedules are met and the quality of workmanship is up to snuff.

Important, too, is a company's ability to provide quick and accurate designand engineering services to backup the sales and project management departments."We've found that when a customer calls, he wants to see somethingquickly," says Chandler. "Oftentimes, we'll even go into the field andmeasure the customer's premises. Typically, we can generate very completeprofessional CAD drawings and unit mixes within a week of the firstcontact."

Deck Systems

Lightweightstructural deck systems have been a particularly popular product for StorageInc. As real-estate in Northeastern suburban and urban markets has become scarceand expensive, many developers have been looking for ways to maximize thepotential of existing commercial and industrial properties. Storage Inc.'s decksystem has proven to be a very cost-effective way of achieving this.

For example, an existing high-bay building (15 feet or greater) with afootprint of 35,000 square feet can be converted into a completed facility with55,000 square feet of rentable space. There are many benefits to building thisway, such as significantly lower per-square-foot construction costs andabbreviated permitting times. "We have gone from the customer's closing togrand opening in as little as three months," claims Chandler. "Thesavvy developer understands and appreciates this ability to get into a marketand open quickly. One can swiftly grab market share, while discouragingcompetition."

Unlike the point-load mezzanine systems out there, Storage Inc.'s designspreads much of the structural load across large portions of the floor, therebyeliminating the need to modify the existing structure in most cases. At the sametime, a comparison will show the company's typical deck system will cost severaldollars less per square foot, and will go in faster than other types of decks.

Keep IT Original

Unique projects are another trademark of Storage Inc's work. "From theconstruction of high-end art storage or the conversion of parking garages andbomb factories--we've seen it all. Our latest unique project is purportedly thelargest wine-storage facility in New England," Chandler says. The company'sflexibility, coupled with its tight control over installation services, allowsit to take on unusual projects. "Most suppliers just want to sell youvanilla, chocolate or strawberry. We can do that and do it well, but where weshine is taking the odd property and turning it into a well-designed,well-utilized facility with the least amount of hassle."

For more information, call 800.445.8775; visit www.storageinc.com.