Self-Storage Directory Storage.com Acquires USstoragesearch.com

Self-storage directory Storage.com has purchased US Storage Search Inc., including its online directory, USstoragesearch.com. The two companies officially partnered in March 2011, and leaders from both firms have been involved of the websites since they were first launched. The acquisition comes one year after Storage.com was purchased by B2 Interactive, a firm specializing in Internet marketing, website design and software development for the self-storage industry.

US Storage Search traces its roots back to the late 1990s when the ownership group built a regional network of self-storage websites operating independently in several Midwest markets. With the launch of USstoragesearch.com in 2004, the group combined the regional sites into a single platform. The company’s initial offering for self-storage operators was an online directory that connected facilities with consumers searching for available storage units. In 2009, it built a real-time self-storage reservation system and became a shop-and-compare website for unit rentals.

Storage.com launched in 2011 as a website for consumers to find, compare and rent available storage units across the United States. Initially, it was powered with USstoragesearch.com listings and inventory. Shortly thereafter, it began adding its own storage-facility clients.

In 2012, both websites became clients of B2 Interactive, which was launched by former US Storage Search executives Bill Hipsher and Brandon Taylor. The sites used the agency's Web development, SEO and other marketing services.

"For many years, we worked for these two websites that shared inventory and offered similar services to the storage industry, but had very little in common besides that," said Hipsher, who is also CEO of Storage.com. "We had different ownership groups wanting very different things, and we kept seeing more opportunity if they worked on a parallel path. Brandon and I approached the owners of both websites with an offer to acquire their businesses and websites at the same time, with this day in mind from the beginning. It just took a little bit longer to make the deal with the ownership group of USstoragesearch.com."

USstoragesearch.com members will see little impact to their services as a result of the acquisition, according to a company press release. The current management team will remain in place.

"For the shareholders, this deal made sense for many reasons and the timing was perfect," said Michael Kucera, former CEO and president of US Storage Search. "For me personally, the timing was perfect as well. I came into USstoragesearch.com after many, many years in commercial real estate. Over the last 12 years or so, I've had the opportunity to meet some really great people within the self-storage industry, and as I've watched what so many have done successfully, my background in commercial real estate development has been calling to me."

The relationships Kucera built have led to new opportunities to be a part of the acquisition, development and management of storage facilities, he said. “Doing this and competing against our clients is something I couldn't in good conscience do while working for USstoragesearch.com's clients,” Kucera added. “I look forward to continuing in the storage industry, and I definitely know who to use for the online marketing needs of my future storage endeavors."

Storage.com provides online-marketing and website-development services to self-storage operators. It works with operations of all sizes but is focused on small- and mid-sized operators, the release said. The company is owned and operated by former storage operators who built their first website for the self-storage industry in 1997.

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