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DSI Expands New Divisions

San Clemente, Calif.-based Development Services Inc. (DSI) expanded two new divisions, enabling the company to provide services nationwide. Jay Graham will serve as vice president of the new Northwest division and Benjamin Burkhart as vice president of the Eastern division. DSI specializes in self-storage and RV/boat-storage consulting. Info: www.storagefeasibility.com. 

PhoneSmart Writes 300,000th Lead

PhoneSmart, which provides a self-storage call center, secret-shopping service, sales-training programs and online facility locator, held a contest for people to guess when they estimated PhoneSmart would write its 300,000th lead or reservation for one of its 500 self-storage facility clients. The milestone was reached Aug. 28. The winner with the exact date was self-storage veteran Jim Chiswell of Virginia, whose prize is a trip to Kansas City, Mo. Info: www.phone-smart.info. 

Nash Starts Own Company

Kirk Nash, CEO and president of On The Move Inc., has started his own company, The KW Nash Group Inc., providing truck leasing, rentals and insurance. The company is based in San Antonio, Texas. Info: www.kwnashgroup.com. 

In Memory of Dick Kerwin

Inside Self-Storage sends its condolences to Beacon Realty Capital employees as they mourn the passing of colleague and friend, Dick Kerwin, who served as a senior vice president of the firm.

Mr. Kerwin died Sept. 20 while traveling in Little Rock, Ark. He joined Beacon in 1995 and was known for his warmth, great sense of humor and driving focus on addressing the needs of others. He brought true expertise to his professional life, supporting the self-storage industry through his involvement in the Mortgage Bankers Association of America and as a director of the Chicago Real Estate Council.

Mr. Kerwin is survived by his wife, Trudy; children Brian, Kelly, Hillary and Heidi; and grandchildren, Meghan and Maeve.

Mosaic to Grace Upscale Storage

MW Group Ltd., developer of the Hawaii Self Storage in Kaimuki, has commissioned a local artists mosaics to grace the building, reported The Star Bulletin. Mosaic artist Leah Rigg is putting the finishing touches on a mural made from thousands of pieces of hand-glazed tile. Approximately 15 feet wide and about 5 feet tall, the piece will be nearly two stories tall. The developers of the 171,000-square-foot facility under construction say the mosaic is an example of what the company is doing to earn goodwill from the community.

NAREIT to Host Convention and Global Summit

The National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT), the representative voice for U.S. REITs and publicly traded real estate companies worldwide, presents its annual convention and the first-ever global real estate summit, Nov. 8-10, at the Marriott in San Francisco. The event brings together executives, investors, financiers and professionals from all over the world to discuss the state of the industry as well as issues and policies critical to its growth.

This year, the convention will kick off with a half-day Global Summit featuring leading executives from the Americas, Asia and Europe. Open to all attendees, the talk will address key real estate issues and trends in the speakers respective regions.

Other convention highlights include topical sessions on M&A activity, capital raising and fund flows, and a CEO Marketplace luncheon. More than 150 companies and 300 institutions and analysts will be in attendance. Info: www.nareit.com. 

PACK RATs Invade Phoenix

A new portable-storage provider entered the Phoenix market this fall: 1-800-PACK-RAT, which will be able to service as many as 500,000 customers out of its 40,000-square-foot warehouse. Based in Washington, D.C., the company plans to open at least four facilities in Arizona in coming years.

Were very excited to be entering the Arizona market, particularly Phoenix, said company CEO Robert Poirier. The Greater Phoenix population is growing at an astonishing ratemore than three times as fast as the average U.S. rateand we plan to grow right along with it.

Launched in February 2003 by Tim Lockamy, the owner of a North Carolina self-storage business, 1-800-PACK-RAT was acquired by private investors in May 2005. The company now has 15 facilities in 11 states, and is expected to have 30 facilities nationwide by the end of the year. It has more than 100 sites under contract and scheduled to open over the next few years. Info: www.1800packrat.com.