SmartStop Self Storage CEO Named Semifinalist for Regional Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award

H. Michael Schwartz, CEO of SmartStop Asset Management LLC, a Ladera Ranch, Calif.-based diversified real estate company that manages 114 self-storage facilities in Canada and the United States, has been named a semifinalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2018 Orange County Region Award, according to a press release.

“I am honored to be selected as a semifinalist for the prestigious and competitive Entrepreneur of the Year awards program, amongst so many game-changing professionals who are breaking the mold,” Schwartz said.

The awards program has honored executives “whose boldness drives them to change the world and who demonstrate extraordinary success in their businesses” for more than 30 years, the release stated. It’s conducted in more than 145 cities in 60 countries.

The Orange County Region award winners will be announced during a gala event on June 22 at the Monarch Beach Resort in Dana Point, Calif. Up for recognition are “managers and owners of private or public high-growth companies in the region that demonstrate unparalleled accomplishments,” the release stated.

SmartStop has approximately $1.5 billion of real estate under management. Its self-storage portfolio comprises about 8.3 million rentable square feet. It’s also the sponsor of Strategic Storage Growth Trust Inc., Strategic Storage Trust II Inc. and Strategic Storage Trust IV Inc., all public non-traded REITs focused on self-storage assets.