B² Interactive, a firm specializing in Internet marketing, website design and software development for the self-storage industry, has taken over day-to-day operation of Storage.com, an online directory and search engine optimization (SEO) tool for storage facilities. The two companies signed a licensing, marketing and development agreement last month, under which Storage.com agreed to move its operation to Omaha, Neb., where B² is based.

To accommodate the relationship, control of the website has been transferred to servers at B², and the company has more than doubled the size of its offices and staff, officials said in a press release. The move created more than a dozen new technology positions and about 20 call-center openings in the local market. Consumers can use the call center to reserve storage units by phone, and agents will assist customers find the best deals in their area, officials said.

B² co-founder Bill Hipsher will oversee the operation of Storage.com, while continuing to lead the business-development and Internet-marketing departments at B². Co-founder Brandon Taylor will oversee Storage.com website development, software development and creative teams. The recently expanded creative and development teams at B² will continue to work with the companys local, regional and national clients, officials said.

Sales and marketing activities for Storage.com will be directed by Nick Bilava, who helped build this websites directory and several others during the last seven years. He will be assisted by Weston Cooper, who was responsible for the Storage.com sales department.

Storage.com was designed to help storage businesses compete more effectively in the online marketplace and allow potential customers to search for self-storage in their area, according to company officials. The website features software integration with property-management systems and offers inventory-management tools for facilities without such a system. It delivers reservations to operators and provides a SEO package.

B² was founded in Omaha late last year and also counts StorageUnit.com and USstoragesearch.com among its clients. The group first developed a self-storage directory for Omaha 15 years ago. Since then, Hipsher and Taylor have built, managed and maintained directory websites on a national level as well as individual websites for independent storage operators.

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