(Un)Altered State

If I said thatwe'd witnessed dramatic changes in the self-storage industry over the past year, thatowners and developers are fearful of a downturn, and that 2000 is clouded withuncertainty, would you believe me? Good. Don't. It isn't nearly the case, and besides,pessimism is not the most fruitful state of mind.

After speaking with many of this industry's experts, attempting to predict whether thegenerally prosperous climate of self-storage will continue throughout the upcoming year,what I've got is a lot of conservative responses--and rightly so. The industry that was sohard-hit at the beginning of the decade has evolved considerably--well-recognized now byWall Street, commonplace among American households, accepted by businesses as a viablesolution to dilemmas of space requirements. But as one insider put it, "I thought twoyears ago things couldn't get any better. But they have. The question now is, how longwill it last?"

While it doesn't appear that participants in self-storage are waiting with baitedbreath for a shocking turn of events, they are cautious in their enthusiasm for futuresuccess. What trends and changes may occur in 2000? Refer to the "State of theIndustry Report," to read what is foreseen by the experts in this field.

What is certain for the upcoming year is that you as an owner, operator or manager ofself-storage, will be faced with many of the same issues that have plagued you in thepast: providing optimum customer service, increasing your bottom line, maintainingawareness of legal pitfalls, etc. For example, how many of you have made pains to ensureyour facility is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act? If you haven't, youshould. It's certain to become a greater issue for businesses in upcoming years. ScottZucker explains how the ADA relates specifically to self-storage. And William and PattiFeldman demonstrate the potential contribution of occupant-responsive lighting controls tothe safety of your facility, as well as your bottom line. Think how that may tie in toyour ADA requirements, also.

Finally, we hope to be seeing you all at the biggest tradeshow in the business nextmonth, Feb. 2-4, at the Rio Suite Resort & Hotel in Las Vegas. Not only will you bemade privy to the latest products and services in the industry, but you'll have access tosome phenomenal education seminars and networking opportunities. We'd also like toannounce that the Grand Ole Opry Hotel in Nashville, Tenn., will serve as our Eastern hubtradeshow location in 2000--a development we're extremely excited about. See  thisissue for some tips on getting the most out of a tradeshow event, and don't forget to stopby our booth. We always look forward to meeting our readers and gathering feedback forfuture issues.

Best wishes for the new year,

Teri L. Lanza
Editor
[email protected]