Welcome back to Self Storage Lab, the podcast where we deconstruct how operators are adapting to today’s technology-driven landscape—and what it means for the future of the industry. This episode’s guest is Jackson Stevens, co-founder and CEO of SpareBox Technologies. From classical musician to building one of the most operator-informed tech stacks in self-storage, Jackson’s path is as unconventional as it is compelling. Before SpareBox, Jackson played a pivotal role in building Red Dot’s intern...
Jul 23, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Welcome back to Self Storage Lab, the podcast where we deconstruct how operators are adapting to today’s technology-driven landscape—and what it means for the future of the industry. This episode is a throwback to the early days—with just Mason, Rodolfo, and Kyle at the mics. Together, they unpack where we really are in the AI timeline, why some businesses are pulling back from their GenAI experiments, and how to distinguish between what’s hype and what’s actually working in the real world. Whet...
Jul 02, 2025•53 min•Season 11Ep. 32
This episode’s guest is Robert Madsen, president of U-Lock Mini Storage Group and the Canadian Self Storage Association. Robert’s story is rooted in the early days of the industry in Canada, having grown up working in his family’s first converted warehouse facility. Today, he leads one of British Columbia’s most recognizable storage brands and is a fierce advocate for the Canadian self-storage industry. In this episode, we explore: (00:00:20) From childhood chores to national leadership—Robert’s...
Jun 02, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 31
Company Overview & Background Founded by Peter and Alex (met at Harvard Business School) Started as Local Locker in NYC - urban storage platform focused on unused spaces Evolved into White Label Storage - third-party management service Alex just had second boy (now 5 kids between the two founders) Currently operate 30 stores under management platform 50+ stores in pipeline Growth from 15 to 30 stores in past year Business Model Evolution Local Locker: B2C model focused on urban storage White...
Apr 29, 2025•58 min•Season 1Ep. 30
In this episode, we welcome Katharine Lau, an accomplished entrepreneur and innovator in the real estate and proptech space. Katharine is the Co-Founder and CEO of Stuf Storage, a fast-growing self-storage startup that’s reimagining how we use urban space. Katharine shares her journey from a decade-long career in commercial real estate—working at firms like Prudential Real Estate Investors, Equinox, and coworking pioneer Industrious—to launching Stuf in 2020 with a mission to transform underutil...
Apr 10, 2025•57 min•Season 1Ep. 29
In this episode, the podcast hosts welcome Gabriel Luna, an accomplished marketing expert known for his strategic acumen and innovative use of AI in marketing. Gabriel is the Engagement and Communications Manager for KobreCo, overseeing brands like Trojan Storage and QuikStor. Gabriel shares his journey from a background in computer science to a leadership role in self-storage marketing, detailing how AI-driven tools have transformed his workflow. He discusses his role as chair of the marketing ...
Feb 17, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 28
This year on Self Storage Lab , we’ve unpacked the biggest shifts and challenges in the self-storage industry—where operators are adapting to new tech, redefining customer experiences, and learning to balance automation with the human touch. In this special year-end recap, we let our AI co-hosts, Hoover and Athena, take the wheel as we revisit the standout insights, game-changing trends, and best moments from all of our 2024 episodes. From "figital" solutions to real-world lessons about scaling ...
Dec 27, 2024•17 min•Season 1Ep. 27
In this episode, Rick Beal and Magen Smith, co-founders of Atomic Storage Group, share their journey of rapidly scaling their company to manage over 90 facilities across 20 states since its inception in 2019. They discuss their backgrounds, challenges faced, and how they successfully balance technology and the human touch in operations. The conversation delves into their hiring strategies, the importance of educational marketing, and the future trends in self storage, including technology adopti...
Dec 16, 2024•56 min•Season 1Ep. 26
In this episode, the first vendor guest, Matt Engfer, CEO and co-founder of Cubby, discusses how his company is transforming the self-storage industry with modern facility management software. Matt shares his journey from various industries—retail, life insurance, martech—and how these experiences influence his approach in self-storage. The conversation explores critical topics like revenue management, future tech landscapes, and the importance of having a product-led company. The discussion del...
Nov 27, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Today’s episode zeroes in on using technology to slash expenses and redefine the role of the manager. We'll discuss everything from the latest tech innovations to old tech and DIY budget-friendly solutions that have stood the test of time. Plus, we'll dive into effective ways to incentivize managers in this evolving tech landscape. Joining us is Raheem Amer, President at MyPlace Self Storage. With a rich background that includes roles such as president of Mini Mall Storage Properties and senior ...
Oct 03, 2024•57 min•Season 1Ep. 24
In this episode of the Self Storage Lab, the focus is on third-party management with a special emphasis on branding and marketing strategies. Melissa Stiles, Chief Marketing Officer at Storage Asset Management (SAM), joins the discussion to share her extensive experience and insights. Key topics include grassroots marketing, reputation management, word-of-mouth referrals, and digital marketing techniques. Melissa also elaborates on the role of influencers, the use of AI in marketing, and how to ...
Aug 20, 2024•59 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Welcome to the Self Storage Lab — where we deconstruct how operators are adapting to today’s technology-driven landscape and how it might impact your business. In episode 22 of the Self Storage Lab, the team sheds light on how self-storage operators are adapting to the latest in tech. From the latest in kiosk technology to advanced unattended systems, they dive into insights on how operators can make their implementation in manned and unmanned setups work. Getting nerdy with us today is Beau Agn...
Jun 18, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Welcome to the Self Storage Lab — where we deconstruct how operators are adapting to today’s technology-driven landscape and how it might impact your business. In episode 21 of the Self Storage Lab, we’re diving back into the world of AI with all of the recent buzz over the last week. We review key announcements from the Google I.O. conference, including AI overviews in search, and OpenAI's new product developments. The discussion covers how these advancements might affect search behaviors, cont...
Jun 03, 2024•59 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Welcome to the Self Storage Lab — where we deconstruct how operators are adapting to today’s technology-driven landscape and how it might impact your business. This episode explores the critical transition from manual to automated access and security systems in the self-storage industry. It highlights the drive for automation prompted by competitive market dynamics and evolving consumer expectations, particularly from younger, tech-savvy customers. Guests Eric Gardner, Director of Marketing at F...
May 08, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Today’s episode will be the final episode on our special series covering our report on the State of Technology in Self Storage . We discuss our main takeaways from analyzing over 2 million customer conversations used to optimize day to day operations, and cover topics including patterns in customer inquiries, most frequently asked about unit size and amenities, and much more. If you haven’t already, go download the second edition of our industry report directly on our website We cover a ton of d...
Mar 20, 2024•37 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Hoping to stand out in this competitive landscape and focus inwardly on improving operational efficiency, operators are looking to the integration of innovative technology and the inclusion of customer-centric amenities within their facilities. Today’s episode will be part 2 of 3, where we'll touch on the state of technology being utilized today throughout the industry. We start by breaking down the different tools available to operators, big and small, to help run their day-to day, plus how aut...
Feb 05, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Consumer behavior has changed and operators need to rapidly adopt technology to stay current in today's economic landscape. Just last week, we put the final touches to our newest edition of the State of Technology in Self Storage . Building off of two years of data and a mass surge towards AI-driven experiences, the report highlights unique insights to showcase how new technologies are affecting the industry. This special series will be divided into three episodes, going over the main sections o...
Dec 20, 2023•36 min•Season 1Ep. 17
In this episode, we nerd about about all things genAI — a year in review: We give a recap of genAI’s impact this year, and highlight a few areas of impact Economy and the markets “Generative AI, the broader tech category ChatGPT falls under, has been projected to add up to $4.4 trillion in value to the global economy per year thanks to productivity boosts.” Re-skilling as a job, and the new roles sprouting up this year We dive into Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF), and how centr...
Nov 29, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 16
It appears that there is a continuous stream of groundbreaking advancements in the realm of artificial intelligence, occurring on a weekly basis. At the end of October, the Biden Administration released a sweeping order on artificial intelligence with the goal of promoting the “safe, secure, and trustworthy development and use of artificial intelligence.” In today’s podcast, we nerd out on the key points of the executive order, the winners and lowers of the new guidelines, and dive into how it a...
Nov 13, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 15
In today's episode, we'll be discussing QR Codes, these black and white -like codes you often see in Restaurants nowadays. We will dive into remarkable resurgence of QR codes in the wake of the pandemic, examining how this technology is being utilized in various fields, and explore the unique challenges and opportunities it presents for self storage operators. History Quick Stats Adoption How they work / what it is Use Cases Safety Design Limitations to the technology Single QR code vs. Location...
Oct 19, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Today’s podcast explores AI as an umbrella term, capabilities, limitations, and get a glimpse of what the future holds for this technology. Rodolfo did such a good job at explaining this topic on a recent CSSA webinar, that we decided to play you the entire conversation. For more on AI topics, dive into some of our most recent episodes. Topics Explored: Automation vs. AI What is Automation? What is Artificial Intelligence? Why is it important to move beyond the term "AI"? AI in Self Storage Adop...
Sep 28, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 13
AI is all the rage right now. But what exactly is it? It’s thrown around as a buzzword and can often be a blanket term that encompasses a broader set of tools and technology. So let’s chat about what is and what is not AI. Topics Explored: What is Automation? Automation vs. AI Why is it important to move beyond the term “AI”? The Different forms of AI What are some examples and practical applications? The current state of AI Research Big tech’s stake in AI’s advancement What are the pros and con...
Aug 17, 2023•44 min•Season 1Ep. 12
In the later part of the episode ( 44:24 ), we hear from operators who have gone through the decision-making process and learn about their experiences with different facility management software. Stay tuned for valuable insights that can guide you in selecting the best software partner for your self-storage business. The Importance of Selecting the Right Facility Management Software (FMS) How do the different FMS types impact your self-storage business differently? What key factors should you co...
Jul 26, 2023•1 hr 29 min•Season 1Ep. 11
In our tenth episode , we dive into the five different levels of automation, from manual processes to more advanced use of technologies, and examine how they are transforming the way humans work. We walk through the challenges, benefits, and exciting opportunities that we can expect from automation, and how these might come intro fruition in this dynamic and ever-evolving industry. Topics we explore What is automation? 5 Different levels of automation Examples of each Pros and Cons How does it r...
Jun 22, 2023•53 min•Season 1Ep. 10
.Have you ever reached that point where running your self-storage property just feels like too much to handle? The good news is that you've got options! In episode 9 of the Self Storage Lab podcast, Kyle, Mason, and Rodolfo discuss the varying management styles in the self storage industry and how they have led to changes in the day-to-day functions of operating teams. Mentioned in this episode: The transition period in the industry The shift from traditional brick and mortar management to remot...
May 08, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Cool Use Cases or Examples Lease summaries Prompt Engineering Real time Ad Generation based on your product following, research, and search behavior Create instant copy and formatting for a website How Self Storage can leverage GPT-powered tools How swivl is taking advantage of this technology and how operators are using it TODAY Introducing Agent Assist for faster response times Introducing Conversation Summary for an instant overview of an interaction with a current customer Use Cases and Limi...
Mar 28, 2023•1 hr 22 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Long gone are the days when customers only had one or two options for interacting with a company. Today’s customers move freely through digital and analog channels, using telephones, web chat, social media, and others to make purchases, find solutions, initiate returns, and more. In today's episode, we will be discussing the importance of having a cohesive communication strategy across all channels, including email, social media, and in-person interactions. We will also delve into the role that ...
Feb 22, 2023•53 min•Season 1Ep. 7
We spend a majority of the today’s show nerding out about ChatGPT’s technology in general, discuss some philosophical questions, use cases, and it’s limitations. If you want to get right to the meat of how this affects the self storage industry - fast forward to 50m30s The rest of the following show notes were *** WRITTEN BY ChatGPT *** Introduction: In this episode, we will be discussing the latest breakthrough in language technology, GPT-3, and its impact on the self-storage industry. GPT-3, w...
Jan 13, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 6
In today’s business landscape, your online presence and reputation is mission critical to helping you stand out in the sea of competitors. Reviews are one such way to stand out. If you give an unparalleled customer experience, your customer’s won’t keep it a secret. They will share it! Reviews are a Transfer of Trust, the Modern Referral mechanism. Your brand is your business. And your online reputation is a huge part of your brand. We explore: What is Reputation Management and why does it matte...
Jan 09, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Even with facility occupancy at all-time highs this year, operators should be exploring fresh ways to market their facilities. Even in a booming market, you can build momentum and capitalize on the steady demand. By embracing new Email Marketing concepts, you can stay ahead of the curve , engage new tenants, and educate customers on your facility amenities and company news. We breakdown how it affects Operators and Customers alike, what to look for when making a decision, and discuss some tools ...
Nov 30, 2022•57 min•Season 1Ep. 4
