A lot has happened in the self-storage market since we concluded last year’s Inside Self-Storage Top-Operators campaign, which annually ranks the industry’s top 100 facility owners and top 50 third-party management companies by rentable square feet. For starters, consumer demand has waned in many areas, causing rental and occupancy rates to fall. This, of course, directly impacts net operating income, which affects property value. All of this has been occurring in the midst of persistent economic uncertainty and concern about rising interest rates, so as we get set to kick off the 2023 campaign later this month, I’m eager to see how the last few months influence this year’s rankings.

Based on industry trends and our development and real estate transaction reporting, there continues to be a healthy amount of new construction from regional and national operators, while established players and rising investment firms scour the nation for advantageous buys, particularly those with favorable zoning and room for expansion. It’s difficult to know precisely how much supply-chain issues, including inflationary effects on pricing, are impacting the pace of new builds, but I anticipate we’ll see some healthy year-over-year growth in the figures.

One of the most interesting aspects of the yearly campaign is getting a glimpse into which power players are in aggressive growth mode, who’s holding steady and who’s selling assets. It also gives us an inkling into who’s lost and gained management contracts as a result of properties changing hands and brands. Both lists record the ebb and flow of portfolio growth and contraction.

This is why having regular participation from year to year is so important. It allows us to chart square-footage fluctuations over time as well as chronicle the rise of recent aggressors and new players on the scene. Not only are we able to track the activity of the industry’s six consistently largest players, we’re able to put their numbers in context with each other as well as the larger rankings.

The platform for data collection this year will once again be via JotForm. Those who have previously been ranked or submitted a form will receive an email invitation toward the end of the month to confirm or update their company information, square footage and unit numbers, brand names, and so on. The email will link to a prepopulated form with the figures and information you last reported.

Many other facility owners and management companies that haven’t previously submitted a Top-Operators listing will receive an email invitation to fill out a blank form. To be considered for the rankings, you must submit your rentable square-footage totals. Data for owned and managed properties should be reported separately.

Keep an eye out for our official launch announcements on the ISS website, print magazine, social media, e-newsletter and elsewhere. Data collection for the 2023 Top-Operators campaign will conclude on June 23. If you wish to participate but haven’t received an email invitation by May 26, please reach out to me via email ([email protected]), so I can send you a link to your form. A link to the general submission form will also be posted on our Top-Operators Lists page.

For a tidy recap of how last year’s rankings unfolded, you can revisit the rankings, view this insightful gallery, or take a deep dive into the lists with analysis through our annual package offered through the ISS Store.

Thank you to all who make this yearly initiative such a valuable resource for the industry.