Storelocal, a cooperative created by independent self-storage operators to offer member benefits with economies of scale, has named Anne Mari DeCoster as chief operating officer, effective March 23. DeCoster has more than 18 years of industry experience. Most recently, she served as executive director of the Arizona Self-Storage Association (AZSSA), a trade organization that represents the interests of self-storage professionals in the state.

During her time with AZSSA, DeCoster tripled revenue and quadrupled engagement among independent owner/operators, according to a press release. She also helped the association win “Best State Association (Small)” in 2018 and 2019 in the Inside Self-Storage “Best of Business” reader-choice poll, which solicits online votes from industry professionals who elect their favorite suppliers in 40 categories.

A graduate of Georgetown University, DeCoster previously worked for Booz Allen & Hamilton, providing strategic analysis for government entities and Fortune 500 companies. She helped direct research and development funds to technology—ranging from artificial intelligence to voice recognition—in critical early stages of development.

“We are very excited and fortunate to be able to bring Anne Mari onto the Storelocal team. Her experience in helping self-storage operators solve problems will be invaluable to Storelocal members,” said Travis M. Morrow, CEO and chairman of the board for Storelocal. “Anne Mari’s first initiative will be to deploy our new Voluntary Brand Program, allowing our members [who] wish to participate to use the Storelocal brand on their physical locations and leverage the strength of the storelocal.com domain to generate more rentals. Her skill set is uniquely aligned with this mission, and she’ll do a fantastic job rolling out the next phase of the co-op’s development plan.”

“For 18 years, I have helped independent owners remain independent and profitable, initially for one owner with ventures around the world, then for hundreds at the Arizona Self-Storage Association, and now for thousands with Storelocal,” DeCoster said. “I believe in what we do here at the co-op, and am pleased to join this effort at a time when the need for the co-op buying power, products and services is greater than ever. I look forward to helping independent owners automate, go remote, be consistently seen online, deliver the customer experience today’s consumer demands, and improve asset value.”

Storelocal leverages the combined strength of its membership for services such as customer acquisition, financing, marketing and technology. The co-op also owns online self-storage directories StorageFront.com and SelfStorageHounds.com. Its total membership includes more than 1,200 self-storage facilities through its owner-member companies.