Stories Behind the Door

I sit down with Scott Chase, President of U-Haul of Eastern Massachusetts and Board Director of the Northeast Self Storage Association (NESSA), for a grounded, behind-the-scenes look at leadership, culture, and operational strategy within one of commercial real estate's legacy operators.

Scott started with U-Haul nearly 30 years ago fresh out of high school, taking a part-time job behind the counter to support his young family. Over the course of three decades, he rose through field management and has led the Eastern Massachusetts market for the past 15 years. In this episode, Scott shares how U-Haul maintains an entrepreneurial, low-bureaucracy environment where executives are promoted from within, and operational decisions can be cleared in as few as three phone calls.

We examine U-Haul's deliberate counter-cultural stance on rate increases: while major REITs leaned into aggressive Existing Customer Rate Increases (ECRIs) post-COVID, U-Haul implemented rate-lock guarantees and modest rent bumps tied strictly to property improvements to safeguard customer trust and retain long-term occupancy. Scott also breaks down how his team navigates Boston's chaotic September 1 university lease turnover, why technology must deliver tangible tenant value to justify its cost, and why regional associations like NESSA are vital for the independent operators managing 48% of the country's self-storage supply.

• The Promote-From-Within Engine: How U-Haul cultivates deep loyalty and operational fluency by ensuring every leader has spent real time working the counter.

• Rethinking Rate Management: Why U-Haul rejected the REIT playbook of aggressive move-in discounts followed by steep ECRIs, opting instead for rate stability and long-term customer goodwill.

• Operational Humility: Why Scott still works front counters during peak move-in weekends to stay grounded in customer realities and lead by example.

• The Independent Operator Moat: How regional and state associations like NESSA protect local facility owners through localized legislative advocacy and operational education.

• Pragmatic PropTech Adoption: Why facility operators should prioritize technologies that directly enhance customer experience rather than adopting tools that only serve internal vanity metrics.

Whether you operate a portfolio of stores or manage boots-on-the-ground facility teams, Scott's candor and thirty-year operational perspective provide a masterclass in people-first leadership.

Learn More About NESSA: Visit nessa.org to get involved with regional self-storage education and networking.

Sponsor Shoutout: This episode is brought to you by Kiwi II Construction. Wayne Woolsey and his team bring over 30 years of premier experience erecting structural steel for self-storage and small-bay industrial flex builds. Visit kiwisteel.com early in your planning phase to put three decades of steel construction expertise to work on your next ground-up development.

I sit down with Ethan Gallowitsch, Chief Product Officer at TractIQ, for an inside look at how two former college lacrosse teammates teamed up to transform data transparency in self-storage.

Ethan and TractIQ CEO Noah Starr spent their college years at the University of Texas at Austin as co-captains running their club lacrosse program, dreaming up business concepts on their apartment rooftop after graduation. While Noah pursued real estate acquisitions, Ethan ran an early startup before joining Google, where he worked on YouTube ad revenue systems and early LLM implementations. But when a corporate promotion made him realize he was climbing the wrong ladder, Ethan walked away to build TractIQ alongside Noah and their partner Marina.

In this episode, Ethan shares the evolution of TractIQ from an internal underwriting script into an indispensable industry platform monitoring more than 72,000 facilities. We discuss why Noah stepped away from buying facilities to protect client trust, how the team adopted the philosophy of Unreasonable Hospitality to deliver sub-five-minute customer response times, and why real-time construction starts and CMBS debt data have become essential tools for modern acquisitions and development.

• The Co-Founder Dynamic: How managing team budgets, travel, and logistics in college club sports laid the operational groundwork for launching TractIQ.

• Leaving the Corporate Machine: Why Ethan stepped away from Google after realizing corporate promotions failed to provide true entrepreneurial fulfillment.

• Eliminating Conflicts of Interest: The critical decision Noah and Marina made to halt their own facility acquisitions so TractIQ would never compete against its users.

• High-Touch Customer Success: Implementing "Unreasonable Hospitality" where engineering and product teams interface directly with clients daily via private group chats.

• Rapid Deployment Cycles: Why shipping incremental 10% improvements directly from user feedback consistently beats multi-year corporate roadmaps.

• Macro Insights on the Ground: Utilizing verified data—including nationwide construction pipeline maps, floodplains, and debt maturity records—to underwrite self-storage and small bay flex deals.

Whether you are underwriting your next storage build or scaling a software platform, Ethan's perspective delivers an exceptional look at product discipline, speed, and founder alignment.

Access TractIQ:

Head to trackediq.com/tssr to check out the platform and access our listener discount!

Connect with Thaddeus Campbell (S3 Partners):

Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsthadcampbell/

Connect with Ethan Galowitz Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethan-galowitz/

This Episode was brought to you by: https://www.kiwisteel.com/

I sit down with Shon Bennett, Director of Business Development at Go Store It, for a deep dive into the evolving world of third-party self-storage management .

Shon spent 14 years at Extra Space Storage, beginning behind the counter as an assistant manager before leveraging a decade of operational field experience to join their corporate third-party management division . Two years ago, Shon took a leap of faith to join COO Bo Agnello and help scale Go Store It into a national powerhouse .

In this episode, Shon breaks down how Go Store It navigated the prolonged industry down-cycle and expanded its footprint to about 250 owned and managed locations . We examine the structural shift happening in third-party management, where mega-REITs are hitting concentration limits in primary markets and passing on tertiary assets, leaving a massive runway for tailored operating models . Shon also explains his philosophy on PropTech, using software and AI as targeted "NOS" rather than building an entire operation around shiny tools, and analyzes why customer retention and length of stay have become the ultimate revenue drivers when existing tenant rates significantly outpace discounted move-in pricing .

• The Operational Foundation: Why starting as an on-site store manager provides an unmatched foundation for high-level third-party client reporting and asset oversight .

• The Mid-Market Opportunity: How Go Store It builds customized operating models that blend centralized call centers with remote or hybrid staffing for facilities that don't fit REIT formulas .

• Disciplined Tech Adoption: Why operators must pinpoint their exact operational friction points before buying software, avoiding the trap of chasing every shiny vendor on the trade show floor .

• The Power of Retention: Why safeguarding tenant relationships and maintaining physical asset standards drives higher yields than continually replacing churned renters at deep move-in discounts .

• Culture and Team Building: How assembling a high-caliber leadership team alongside Bo Agnello, Andrew Jones, and Mike Linquata accelerated Go Store It's 3PM expansion .

Whether you are evaluating third-party management options or seeking operational clarity in today's shifting storage market, Shon's field-tested frameworks offer an indispensable guide . Connect with Thaddeus Campbell (S3 Partners): Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsthadcampbell/ Connect with Shon Bennett (GoStore It) Email: [email protected] LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/shon-bennett-5ab002127/ This Episode was brought to you by: https://www.kiwisteel.com/

I sit down with Mark Cieri, Co-Founder and CEO of Storage Defender, for a deep dive into PropTech innovation, unit-level monitoring, and entrepreneurial grit

Mark spent more than two decades in international high-tech and semiconductors before running the North American Smart Home Division for Philips Hue . Recognizing that residential smart automation centered entirely around customer peace of mind, Mark launched Storage Defender to bring that same intelligence to self-storage

In this episode, Mark explains how tenant-facing smart monitoring creates a high-margin ancillary revenue stream for owners while delivering critical operational data . We discuss how in-unit sensors capture motion timestamps, duration, temperature, and humidity to assist with staffing, HVAC audits, and predictive security Mark details how the sector evolved from 2021's easy rate-increase environment into today's focus on ancillary income to combat rising property taxes, labor, and debt costs . He also shares how early adopters like Darren Kelly of Right Move Storage helped prove the model, why he views entrepreneurs as bringing "dead" startups to life, and the difference between a preservation mindset and a mission mindset

• The Smart Home Foundation: Why consumers gladly pay a recurring premium for peace of mind, whether for their living room or their remote storage unit

• Turning Security into Cash Flow: How unit-level monitoring evolved from a perceived cost into an operator-driven profit center yielding up to $15/month per unit

• Operational Intelligence: How tracking customer dwell times and access frequency helps operators optimize on-site labor and identify unusual tenant behavior

• Navigating Market Cycles: Why ancillary services are essential for expanding facility NOI during periods of flat street rates and elevated operating costs

• Mission vs. Preservation: The mental framework needed to overcome startup doubt and maintain conviction through early-stage friction

Whether you operate a single facility or oversee a national portfolio, Mark's perspective offers a clear blueprint for boosting facility value and customer retention

Connect with Mark: Visit storage-defender.com or reach out directly at [email protected]

Sponsor Shoutout: This episode is brought to you by Kiwi Steel . Wayne Woolsey and his team bring over 30 years of premier experience erecting structural steel for self-storage and small-bay flex developments . Visit kiwisteel.com early in your design phase to put three decades of steel construction expertise to work on your next build

I sit down with Albert Kim, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of StoragePilot.ai, for an in-depth conversation on artificial intelligence, operational automation, and software development in self-storage.

Albert built his first startup, Greenline POS, into an online IT retailing and compliance engine serving over 600 businesses across Canada before exiting in 2022. After entering commercial real estate, Albert teamed up with ex-Public Storage VP Kyle Lawrence and industry veteran John Lindsay to build specialized AI agent infrastructure designed specifically for storage facilities.

In this episode, Albert breaks down the mechanics behind StoragePilot's dual-agent ecosystem: the external-facing AI Property Manager (handling inbound calls, reservations, gate codes, and payments) and the internal AI District Manager (guiding facility teams through company SOPs and data). We discuss why over 50,000 independent and mid-market facilities must adopt automated communication to defend margins against REIT systems like Public Storage's "Ellie," how AI is transforming engineering workflows, and how welcoming a newborn daughter shapes his long-term view of technology.

• The Transition from Retail IT to CRE: How scaling a regulatory compliance platform to 600+ locations prepared Albert to build enterprise systems for storage.

• Two Fronts of Storage AI: The difference between customer-facing property management agents and internal district management support agents.

• Closing the Missed-Call Bleed: Why automated 24/7 call and chat response protects high-cost marketing leads from dropping into voicemail.

• The 50,000-Facility Opportunity: Why mid-market and single-facility operators have the most to gain from AI tools that eliminate staffing bottlenecks.

• The Entrepreneurial Metric: Why delivering clear, repeatable ROI that makes a client say "let's do business again" remains the ultimate founder benchmark.

Whether you are an operator looking to eliminate operational friction or an investor evaluating PropTech adoption in 2026, Albert's insights deliver a clear roadmap for the future of automated facility management.

Connect with Thaddeus Campbell (S3 Partners): Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsthadcampbell/

Connect with Albert Kim (StoragePilot.ai) Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/albert-kim-84a6169b/

Sponsor Shoutout: This episode is brought to you by Kiwi Steel. Wayne Woolsey and his team bring over 30 years of premier experience erecting structural steel for self-storage and small-bay flex developments. Visit kiwisteel.com early in your design phase to tap into three decades of construction expertise on your next ground-up build.

I sit down with Armand Aghadjanians, Director of Acquisitions at Store Here Self Storage, for his first-ever podcast appearance. Known across LinkedIn for his deep-dive research and data transparency, Armand brings an unfiltered, analytical perspective to modern real estate acquisitions.

Armand shares his journey from an art history background and a role in commercial brokerage at Colliers to joining a seasoned acquisition team with decades of combined experience. We discuss the mechanics of underwriting discipline, exploring why Store Here cut their acquisition volume to a fifth of their historical average during the peak buying craze rather than stretching projections to win deals. Armand outlines his macro framework for tracking capital cycles, explains why he openly shares his investment thesis online, and breaks down the core due diligence checkpoints outlined in his new book, Self Storage Due Diligence: A Checklist for Investors.

• Underwriting with Restraint: The courage required to push back capital and decline deals when market pricing disconnects from realistic operational forecasts.

• Macro Cycle Awareness: Why long-term investment success comes from waiting for clear opportunity windows rather than chasing every market run.

• The Power of Open Playbooks: How providing transparent education elevates market standards and prevents destructive pricing mistakes across the industry.

• Escrow Execution: The critical 75-item checklist buyers need to audit operational records, vendor contracts, and physical assets during due diligence.

• Family-Driven Purpose: How 4 AM mornings and a dedicated family life fuel a relentless commitment to professional excellence.

Whether you are evaluating your first storage acquisition or managing an active investment pipeline, Armand's research-heavy frameworks offer an indispensable guide for navigating today's market.

Connect with Thaddeus Campbell (S3 Partners): Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsthadcampbell/

Connect with Armand Aghadjanians (Store Here Self Storage) Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aghadjanians/ Get Armand's book here: https://a.co/d/0cSWxwOI

Sponsor Shoutout: This episode is brought to you by Kiwi Steel. Wayne Woolsey and his team bring over 30 years of premier experience erecting structural steel for self-storage and small-bay flex developments. Visit kiwisteel.com early in your design phase to tap into three decades of construction expertise on your next ground-up build.

I sit down with Hamza Ali, Founder and CEO of Hamza Invests and creator of the Flex Space Network, for an unfiltered deep dive into the blueprint of modern small-bay industrial development.

Hamza immigrated to the United States from Dubai at 28, initially planning to build a 6,000-square-foot motorsports garage to meet visa requirements. When a buyer purchased the shell before completion for five years' worth of projected business profits, Hamza realized small bay flex was the ultimate commercial asset class.

In this episode, Hamza breaks down the exact layout math derived from over 600 developers in his network, explaining why the 1,650–1,750-square-foot bay size hits the absolute sweet spot for maximizing rental rates and tenant retention. We examine his ultra-lean management model, running one million square feet with a single remote property manager, and discuss why institutional private equity has provided debt and balance sheets but has yet to fully unlock direct equity for flex sponsors. Hamza also explains why the availability of U.S. debt structures makes America the premier place to build lasting wealth compared to international cash hubs like Dubai.

• The Accidental Flex Pioneer: How an immigrant motorsports business plan transformed into a premier flex development platform.

• Layout Optimization: Why 1,000 sq ft units bring high tenant turnover and 2,000 sq ft units trigger price sensitivity, making 1,650–1,750 sq ft the ideal footprint.

• Operational Efficiency: The systems required to manage a 1,000,000 sq ft portfolio remotely with one core implementer.

• Capital Markets Reality: Analyzing where private equity currently participates in flex space and the runway ahead once institutional equity checks unlock.

• The Specialized Tenant Base: How modern small bay units serve as essential, unshakeable incubation hubs for robotics, aerospace, and specialized manufacturing.

Whether you are transitioning out of multifamily or looking to break ground on your first small bay parcel, Hamza's data-driven frameworks provide an indispensable guide for 2026 and beyond.

Connect with Thaddeus Campbell (S3 Partners): Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsthadcampbell/

Connect with Hamza Ali (Hamza Invests): Email: [email protected] Get your Tickets for the Flex Space Connect: https://flexspaceconnect.com/ This Episode was brought to you by: https://www.kiwisteel.com/

Sponsor Shoutout: This episode is brought to you by Kiwi2 Steel. Wayne Woolsey and his team bring over 30 years of premier experience in erecting structural steel for self-storage and small-bay flex developments. Visit kiwisteel.com early in your design phase to tap into three decades of field expertise on your next ground-up build.

I sit down with Jefferson and Velvet Warner, founders of Velvet Touch Executive Storage, for a deep dive into the realities of developing high-end boat and RV storage. Velvet and Jefferson spent years flipping residential homes before a single phone call seeking storage for their own fifth-wheel revealed a massive supply-demand imbalance in the Phoenix market.

In this episode, the Warners share the raw, behind-the-scenes story of taking an eight-figure Class A development from raw dirt to final construction drawings. We explore how they pivoted their design from open canopies to fully enclosed structures, how they engineered a fix for 1,200 feet of underground land subsidence, and how they stayed focused on building generational wealth while Jefferson successfully fought Stage 4 prostate cancer.

• The Spark: Discovering a 400-person waiting list for local storage spaces and calculating the potential NOI on the drive home.

• Engineering Pivot: Turning 1,200 feet of land fissures into an opportunity to build fully enclosed units that command double the rental rates.

• Personal Resilience: Choosing to press forward with a commercial build amidst a major cancer diagnosis.

• Generational Impact: Using real estate development to break middle-class paradigms and teach their eight grandchildren about passive income.

• Team Alignment: The necessity of hiring an owner's rep and specialized engineers to navigate complex municipal permitting.

Whether you are a residential investor looking to scale into commercial development or an operator interested in the boat and RV asset class, Jefferson and Velvet's story is a masterclass in mindset, partnership, and perseverance.

Sponsor Shoutout: This episode is brought to you by Kiwi Steel. Wayne Woolsey and his crew bring over three decades of field expertise to ground-up self-storage and flex projects. Head to kiwisteel.com early in your design phase to keep your build on schedule and under budget.

I sit down with Ryan Chapman, Co-Founder and CEO of Lumio, for a fascinating conversation on artificial intelligence, Silicon Valley engineering, and vertical problem-solving in commercial real estate. Ryan spent nearly a decade at Apple managing teams building machine learning infrastructure and Siri agent systems before launching Lumio alongside his childhood best friend since age two, Clay Jones.

In this episode, Ryan outlines why horizontal AI systems often struggle across broad domains and why Lumio chose to go hyper-deep into self-storage. He breaks down how voice agents convert routine phone inquiries, execute complex operational playbooks, and capture missed revenue without adding payroll. Ryan shares real-world data from their enterprise rollout with Rec Nation, explains why AI adoption is becoming as mandatory as having a website, and reflects on the regret-minimization mindset that empowered him to leave Apple to build something of his own.

• Constrained Domain Autonomy: How focusing exclusively on self-storage allows AI agents to handle complex facility playbooks seamlessly.

• Navigating Career Transitions: Ryan's decision-making process when leaving a decade-long tenure at Apple while starting a family.

• Enterprise Validation: How Rec Nation deployed Lumio's voice agents across ~70 locations to streamline customer support and sales.

• Combating OpEx Pressures: Why deploying AI agents provides small and mid-sized operators with the margin relief needed to offset rising property taxes and insurance costs.

• Lifelong Partnerships: The trust, shared history, and joint growth mindset required to build a company with your childhood best friend.

Whether you are an operator evaluating voice AI solutions or an entrepreneur navigating a major career leap, Ryan's insights offer a clear masterclass in modern technology execution.

Connect with Thaddeus Campbell (S3 Partners): Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsthadcampbell/

Connect with Ryan Chapman (Lumio) Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanechapman/

Sponsor Shoutout: This episode is brought to you by Kiwi Steel. Wayne Woolsey and his team bring over 30 years of premier experience erecting structural steel for self-storage and small-bay flex developments. Visit kiwisteel.com during your ground-up planning phase to tap into three decades of field expertise. Special thanks also to our data partner, Noah Starr at Tracked IQ!

I sit down with Travis Morrow, CEO of Store Local and Tenant Inc., for a masterclass in self-storage operations, technology, and industry trends. Travis has spent more than two decades in the business, scaling from an intern at National Self Storage to leading nationwide co-ops and media platforms for independent owners.

In this episode, we address the macro shifts transforming self-storage in 2026. Travis explains why major REIT consolidations are a natural part of the industry's lifecycle, drawing clear parallels to the hotel and hospitality sector. He breaks down how cap rates are aligning more closely with multifamily as Wall Street cements its confidence in the asset class. We also explore how Store Local grew to over 530 member companies to help independent operators leverage collective buying power, why he acquired Modern Storage Messenger in 2023, and what to expect at MSM The Show in Atlanta this November.

• First & Foremost an Operator: Why Travis approaches every technology, co-op, or media venture with a focus on how it directly improves store-level P&Ls.

• The Lifecycle of Consolidation: Understanding why big portfolio roll-ups provide the ultimate exit liquidity for independent operators.

• Bridging the Tech Gap: How independent owners can combine resources through co-ops to deploy competitive systems without massive single-store budgets.

• Reinventing Storage Media: Transitioning a 40-year-old print legacy into an interactive digital magazine while keeping the independent operator's voice alive.

• East Coast Event Coverage: Why "MSM The Show" was built to serve an underrepresented Fall East Coast market with over 60 hours of curated content across data, development, investment, and operations.

Whether you operate a single facility or manage a multi-state portfolio, Travis's blend of operational grit and forward-looking vision offers valuable perspective for navigating today's market.

Event Info: Register for the November show at msmtheshow.com. Connect with Thaddeus Campbell (S3 Partners): Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsthadcampbell/

Connect with Travis Marrow Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/storageoperator/

Sponsor Shoutout: This episode is brought to you by Kiwi II Steel. Wayne Woolsey and his team bring over 30 years of experience delivering structural steel solutions for self-storage and small bay flex developments. Visit kiwisteel.com early in your design phase to leverage three decades of construction expertise on your next ground-up project.