United Storage Nation

We're almost through day 2 of the ISS Expo in Las Vegas, Mandalay Bay, and I continue to be astonished by the incredibly diverse attendance here. As ISS Publisher Troy Bix pointed out at the beginning of this morning's keynote session, this year's show has attendees from all over the globe: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Nepal, Netherlands, Singapore, Slovenia and the United Kingdom. We're hoping to meet in the morning with a gentleman representing the largest storage operator in Japan. More on that tomorrow.

Thinking beyond what's going on here in this hotel, I'd like to get feedback from some storage professionals regarding a sensitive issue that emerged in today's LA Times. The story is about a facility that refused to rent a unit to a man a homeless man who could not provide proof of residence.

The article paints Santa Monica storage operators as being a heartless, close-knit breed who might go on a rampage, evicting homeless tenants out of sheer maliciousness and a tendency to accommdate the desires of upscale neighboring businesses. But those of us who work in the industry understand the risks — those related to personal business needs as well as national security — involved in renting units to customers who lack certain credentials. Read the article and let me know what you think.

Later today, I'll post photos from the ISS Scholarship Program presentation.