With so many commercial buildings sitting empty these days, developers interested in conversion to self-storage have many options from which to choose; but not every structure is primed for success. There are many factors to this type of development, from market viability and location visibility to the rentable square footage a building can yield. In this interview recorded at the 2023 Inside Self-Storage World Expo, facility owner and developer James Reid discusses ideal site characteristics, project timelines, working with contractors, mistakes to avoid and more.
Reid is a founding principal of Investa Group and founder of StorCo Storage, where he’s the primary acquisition and development liaison. He started his career in self-storage after a fire destroyed his home and business, and he saw the positive impact the product could have on customers. As an award-winning developer, his goal is to amass a self-storage portfolio of 500 stores by 2050.
Read more about the 2023 ISS World Expo in this article recapping the event.
