CubeSmart Chief Operating Officer to Retire After 30-Year Self-Storage Career, Promotions AnnouncedCubeSmart Chief Operating Officer to Retire After 30-Year Self-Storage Career, Promotions Announced
January 17, 2025

Self-storage real estate investment trust (REIT) CubeSmart announced that its chief operating officer (COO), Joel D. Keaton, will retire on April 30 after a 30-year career in the industry. Two company executives received promotions to assume his responsibilities, and Keaton will serve as a consultant in retirement to ensure a smooth transition, according to a press release.
Keaton joined CubeSmart in 2010 as director of revenue management and was named vice president of marketing the following year. From 2014 to 2020, he was senior vice president of operations, then assumed the role of COO in 2020. In this position, he oversaw store operations, the company’s national sales center, revenue management, marketing and information technology (IT).
Prior to joining CubeSmart, Keaton was vice president of operations at United Stor-All Management from 2006 to 2010. He also held various operations positions with Storage USA and REIT Extra Space Storage Inc. from 1993 to 2006.
“I am grateful to have been a part of the CubeSmart team and extremely proud of what we have accomplished during my time at the company including streamlining our operations, refining our digital platforms and improving the overall customer experience,” Keaton said. “I look forward to working closely with the leadership team to ensure a seamless transition and maintain and build on CubeSmart’s position at the forefront of the self-storage industry.”
In light of Keaton’s upcoming exit, Amy Cross has been named senior vice president of IT and revenue management. She was previously executive vice president of technology, data science and marketing. She’ll report to CubeSmart President and CEO Christopher Marr.
Cross joined CubeSmart in 2018, leading the transformation of its IT function and the evolution of its data-driven operational platform. Prior to joining the company, she was vice president of digital technology and strategy at Aramark, a food-services and facilities-management company.
In addition, Guy Middlebrooks was promoted to executive vice president of operations after serving as senior vice president of third-party management for three years. In his new role, he’ll oversee the company’s field operations and store transitions. He’ll also report to Marr.
During his 19 years with the company, Middlebrooks has served as a district manager and director of operations. He was instrumental in growing CubeSmart’s managed portfolio over the last decade, the release stated.
“On behalf of the board and our entire CubeSmart team, I congratulate Joel on his successful career, including his nearly 15 years at our company, and thank him for his strategic guidance and innumerable contributions to CubeSmart’s growth and success,” Marr said. “We are proud to have cultivated such a deep bench of talent across the organization and know that Amy and Guy have the right skills and experience to continue advancing our strategy, refine our industry-leading platform, exceed the expectations of customers and grow our business. I am confident CubeSmart is poised for continued value creation both near-term and for decades to come.”
CubeSmart owns or manages 1,507 self-storage facilities across the United States. Its operating portfolio comprises more than 94 million square feet.
Sources:
CubeSmart, CubeSmart’s Chief Operating Officer Joel Keaton to Retire Following an Over 30 Year Career in the Self-Storage Industry
CubeSmart, Joel D. Keaton bio
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