My Perspective

Featuring Hubbard Kennady, III, A & M Super Storage, College Station TSSA: When did you first get involved in self storage, and what attracted you to the industry? HK: I first got involved when I saw the need for self storage in south College Station-- that was in the fall of 2007. I like the idea of getting into an industry that is growing. You don't have to be part of a large, nationwide organization to get into the business. I'm a practicing attorney, and when I turned 50, I decided that self storage would be something different and challenging. I used to rent space from another attorney involved in self storage, and I was intrigued watching the industry grow and his business grow. TSSA: How was the whole building/construction process? HK: The building/construction process was filled with a lot of challenges, In addition to the requirements, we had to build and construct an eight-inch water line that ran 1,500 feet. Part of the terms of the sale of the tract of land also required me to build water drainage for a five-acre plot. We also had a gas line under the property, which was an issue we had to deal with. TSSA: You achieved over 90% occupancy in less than six months after opening. That's quite remarkable, especially considering the © economy. What do you attribute that to? HK: We attribute that, in large part, to Texas A & M students who came out of school in April. I certainly don't think we would have reached that had we opened in October. One of the things that I learned at the TSSA convention was timing your opening. We also learned from TSSA to use a feasibility consultant. Additionally, I obtained the names of steel contractors at the TSSA trade show in Galveston in 2006. In fact, 90% of the things I was able to pick up, I picked up from the convention and from people who were willing to share information. I remember Anne Ballard talking about a "retail" presence," and that's something I've used. I'm really looking forward to getting more involved with the Association, because I think it's well run. TSSA: How many managers do you currently have? Is there any specific training you use to help make them good at what they do? HK: We've got one manager: Watson and Taylor does the management, and they take care of hiring and training. They are to be given credit for "hitting the ground" from day one. TSSA: Tell me about your marketing efforts. HK: A friend of mine owns a marketing company (The Matthews Group). We were able to get through using the Internet and Yellow Pages. I'd say our marketing was maybe 50% Internet, 50% Yellow Pages. Based on our numbers, though, I'd say visibility accounts for at least 70% of our tenants. And I think our billboard has helped a lot, too. TSSA: In this economy, what do you do to make sure that you are maximizing revenue? HK: I think it's helpful to find business partners and reach out to the business community to inform them not only about our storage, but our Penske truck rentals. And I think personal one-on-one relationships with people in the community are important. For example, I went to the Parks and Wildlife Department four times before they agreed to leave where they were storing and to start storing with me--three 12' x 45' covered boat/RV spots. It's a lot more than just sending out mailers. It's a hands-on approach that involves finding business partners. A practicing attorney, Hubbard Kennady, III owns and operates A & M Super Storage in College Station. See the Featured Facility on page 38 for more details. Copyright TSSA March/April 2009 · www.txssa.org 41

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