Monday, Oct. 26 Sessions    S   Tuesday, Oct. 27 Sessions  S  Wednesday, Oct. 28 Sessions 

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Monday Sessions

Pull the Weeds from Your Marketing Strategy: What Works, What Doesn’t, & Real Ideas for Growth
Silvia Pendleton (J & S Stor-Mor, Granbury)
Pragmatic tips and concrete examples of easy-to-implement methods for increasing your facility's visibility and rentals.

Germinate from Good to Great as a Storage Facility Manager
Joe Niemczyk, Executive Self Storage Associates, Inc., LLC (Denver, CO)
You’re so much more than a “babysitter of storage units,” and you know it! At this session, industry heavyweight Niemczyk will give you specific, measurable strategies for increasing your value to your facility’s owner and kicking your storage career into high gear.

Let the Sun Shine In: Solar Power at Your Facility*
Travis Moller, Meridian Solar (Austin)
Is solar power right for your facility? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, it’s time to find out. Meridian Solar was “in the news before solar was cool,” and Moller will give a rundown on rebates, incentives, and how long it takes to recoup your investment if you go the solar route.

Reap What You Sow With Outstanding Customer Service* (handouts are here; speaker does not share slides)
Jackie Ramstedt, Ramstedt Enterprises, Inc. (Austin)
Even in a strong market we’re never guaranteed to “keep” our customers. Customer relationships determine our customers’ “perceived value,” and creating a “world class” service and retention program with specific “Memory Touch Points” all year long while making your customers want to stay is the real key to winning in these challenging times.
 
Plant the Seeds of Success With a Powerful Business Plan
Robin Lasher, Navarro College Small Business Development Center (Corsicana)
Is there a market for what you’re thinking of offering? (Storage, that is!) After providing tips for determining just that, Lasher will provide insights into creating a meaningful business plan to guide you toward your goals.

Fight Your Property Taxes (Because Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees!)
Paul Bettencourt, Bettencourt Tax Advisors (Houston)
Paul Darden, Paul Darden Company (Dallas)
This will be no ordinary session on protesting your commercial property appraisal (an endeavor that could save you thousands of dollars a year). Bettencourt comes from “the other side” as a former Harris County tax assessor and Darden has successfully protested his facilities’ taxes numerous times. In this session, the power of their “insider knowledge” will go to work for you through the general how-to’s of doing your own protest.

Cultivating and Coaching for Top Employee Performance (Owners and Supervisors Only)
Joe Niemczyk, Executive Self Storage Associates, Inc., LLC (Denver, CO)
As a facility owner or supervisor in charge of people, you want to achieve your business objectives by helping employees enhance the key skills and behaviors that contribute to organizational and individual success. Niemczyk will serve as your “coaching coach” during this critical session.

Harvesting Delinquent Payments With Persuasive Collections
Chris Morgan, Grace Financial Services (Tyler)
What are some “power phrases” to use in my collections calls? I feel sorry for my tenant, who has lost his job, but I need him to make a payment! How can I be sympathetic without being a doormat? Is it okay to call the tenant at home? At work? How many times can I call before it’s considered harassment? How soon can I start calling after rent is past due? Is it okay to call on Sunday? Collections…it’s a tricky thing. At this session, you’ll get a combination of interactive coaching (find out what a “talk-off” is!) and practical answers. A don’t-miss if you struggle at all with collecting the money your facility is owed!
                         

Tuesday Sessions

Legal Seminar I: The Basics of Operations, Foreclosures, and Auctions
Connie Heyer, Niemann & Niemann, LLP (Austin)
Let’s shake up the Legal Landscape this year! You can attend one or both two-hour legal seminars, depending on your needs and interests. At this first one, get a firm grasp on operational basics and the all-important foreclosure and auction process, including procedures for boats and vehicles.  (Currently pending approval for two hours of elective mandatory continuing education - MCE - from the Texas Real Estate Commission.)
 
Lessons From Wall Street: Growing Through Your Fears
Coleen Trimble, Heart of Money (Overland Park, KS)
Money can make us feel powerfully smart or stupidly powerless. What happened on Wall Street reflects what has happened to many of us on a personal level. This fascinating session will look at money and emotion from a “big picture” perspective. You’ll rediscover your personal financial “best practices” and learn the “3 A’s” of financial self effectiveness.

Afternoon Concurrent Sessions
Legal Seminar II: Liability and Protecting Your Business
Connie Heyer, Niemann & Niemann, LLP (Austin)
This time around, we’ll hit some more “advanced” issues including but not limited to liability, the recent Texas Legislative Session and its impact on your business, wage and hour considerations, tenant background checks, privacy laws, and the critical protections that the TSSA forms offer to members.  (Pending approval for two hours of elective mandatory continuing education from the Texas Real Estate Commission)

Heart of Money: Transforming Your Beliefs About Money and Personal Power
Coleen Trimble, Heart of Money (Overland Park, KS)
This session can stand on its own, but if you attended Trimble’s morning session, now you’ll apply the “big picture” view from the morning to a highly personal perspective. You’ll achieve this through individual exercises, opportunities to really apply the insights you’ll gain, and a model for changing disempowering thoughts, attitudes and beliefs about money.

Wednesday Sessions
Special Half-Day Economic and Financial Presentations
 

The Impact of National and Global Trends on the Commercial Real Estate Market
Dr. Mark Dotzour, Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University (College Station)
Dotzour is, quite simply, an expert in commercial real estate. You don’t get tapped to speak over 840 times for more than 120,000 people over a 12-year period without knowing a great deal. His research findings and comments have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Money, USA Today, and Business Week, and he has been a guest on the Jim Lehrer Newshour on PBS. Dotzour is currently doing market research to monitor how national and global trends are likely to affect commercial real estate markets, and he’ll share his most current findings with you at this session.

Presentation of the 2009 Texas Market Survey Results *
Ray Wilson, Self Storage Data Services, Inc. (Pasadena, CA)
This session should be of great interest to every storage owner and developer. Over 775 responses came in this year, and the results will help you understand the delicate balance between supply and demand, as well as current benchmarks and trends as they relate to occupancy, rental rates, concessions, and much more. All attendees at this session will receive a free copy of the report, in full color, covering 25 statistical areas around Texas. If you’re thinking of entering the industry, or expanding your current operations, this information is critical.

Perspectives on Storage Financing Today- Panel Discussion
What exactly does it take to finance a self-storage project now? What types of projects (and at what amounts) are really being “shown the money”? What are the current market conditions? Why are interest rates low but financing harder to get? Is it all Wall Street’s fault? In a nutshell, what is the deal? (in literal and figurative terms!) Get the answers to these and other burning questions from the finance experts who best know the terrain