12 May 2023

SAM Announces 2022 Award Winners

Storage Asset Management (SAM) is pleased to announce the winners of its 2022 SAMMY Awards. SAM takes this opportunity each year to honor outstanding team members who have demonstrated a commitment to SAM’s Core Values and achieved remarkable professional success throughout the year. Continue reading to learn of the recipients of this year’s SAMMY awards.

Best Merchandise Sales

The Best Merchandise Sales Award honors those facilities with the highest merchandise sales throughout their districts. The teammates at these stores are true experts, providing recommendations to simplify the packing and moving process for their tenants. They assume the lock sale and recommend the ideal combination of boxes, tape, mattress covers, and more. Congratulations to the following:

Appletree Storage – Perkins
Storage Sense – Livonia
Ocean Storage – Yorktown
Vault Storage – Chestertown
Street Smart Storage – Vass

Best Sales Skills Award

The Best Sales Skills Award recognizes properties in each regional district that achieved the best close rates on leads originally generated through the Call Center or a website in 2022. Congratulations to the following storage facilities:

Storage Sense – Huntsville – Winchester Road
4 Storage of Philadelphia
Community Park Storage
West Creek Self Storage
Storage Sense – North Augusta

Best Mystery Shop Scores Award

The Best Mystery Shop Scores Award celebrates storage facilities that attained the top Mystery Shop Scores in 2022. In essence, these facilities consistently demonstrate outstanding performance in their daily operations. Congratulations to the following storage facilities:

Available Self Storage
106 Self Storage
Bay Storage
StorTropolis Self Storage – Shawnee
SafeNest Storage – Summerville – Central
Storage Sense – Evans

Best Delinquency Control Award

The Best Delinquency Control Award acknowledges storage facilities that excelled in payment collection throughout 2022. These facilities effectively communicate at the time of rental that payment is expected in advance without demand, use the tools available (past due letters, emails, and Storage Collections), and recognize the efficacy of personal collection calls in prompting past-due customers to settle their accounts. Congratulations to the following facilities:

Storage Sense – Huntsville – Mt. Carmel
Pioneer Valley Storage – Amherst
ScotStor Mini Storage
Storage Sense – Waukesha
Storage Sense – Vero Beach

Best Protection Sales Award

The Best Protection Sales Award commends storage facilities that achieved the highest insurance package sales within their respective regions. The managers and facilities recognize that by providing protection options, they not only assist their customers but also enhance the profitability of their stores. Congratulations to the following:

Storage Sense – Ozark
Storage Sense – Phoenix – North 43rd
Storage Sense – Manassas
Storage Sense – Frazer – Gloucester
Storage Sense – Lake Wales

Revenue Budget Crusher Award

The Revenue Budget Crusher Award acknowledges facilities that demonstrate the highest revenue performance in their respective regional districts. These storage facilities consistently excel in selling locks and extra merchandise, avoiding waiving fees, embracing tenant increases, and other strategies to boost revenue! Congratulations to the following facilities:

Storage Sense – Huntsville – Winchester Road
Storage Sense – Troy
Rent-A-Space – Salem
Stor-in-Dor
Storage Sense – Wake Forest

Outstanding Local Marketing Award

The Outstanding Local Marketing Award celebrates stores that achieved 100% of their goals for all 12 months and experienced the most significant growth in new Neighborhood Friends for the year 2022. Local marketing plays a crucial role in cultivating brand recognition in the community, which can ultimately contribute to a rise in overall sales. Congratulations to the following stores:

Storage Sense – Leesville
Storage Sense – Utica
Rent-A-Space – Salem
Storage Sense – Waukesha
Storage Sense – Aiken

Best Reputation Management Award

The Best Reputation Management Award acknowledges facilities that achieved the highest ratio of reviews versus move-ins. Kudos to the regional leaders who surpassed the 30% goal for each store! These reviews play a crucial role in each store’s search rankings, establishing credibility and trust within the community, and ultimately boosting overall move-ins. Congratulations to:

Home Star Storage – Memphis
Storage Sense – Phoenix – North 43rd
Valley Storage – Martinsburg
Storage Sense – York
Mission Storage – Hernando

Best Lease Up Award

The Best Lease Up Award recognizes the storage facility with the greatest overall improvement throughout the year. Congratulations!

Summit Self Storage – Mills River
- Beat budget by 150%
- Grew occupancy 72% in less than seven months
- Almost zero AR’s
- 70% autopay
- 70% choice protection (It would be more but the facility has parking.)

Store Manager of the Year Award

The Store Manager of the Year Award celebrates SAM facility managers who have embodied SAM’s Core Values and demonstrated exceptional professional performance throughout 2022. Congratulations to all the awardees below!

Robert (Bob) Cook – Storage Sense – Cumming
- Bob takes great pride in his work and shows it daily.
- He has been with SAM for five years and his kind and positive attitude is contagious. He greets every tenant with a smile and if he has a bad day, you will never know it!
- In addition to 0% A/R collections month after month, he has not had an auction in over a year.
- He is the Mystery Shop Champion of the district.
- Bob’s property is spotless!
Cynthia (Cyndy) O’Connor – Mr. Storage – South Toledo
- Cyndy excels in customer service. Tenants routinely share what a great manager Cyndy is.
- She has excellent Google reviews, specifically named as the reason why tenants are so happy.
- Cyndy lives by the Core Values that SAM is known for and is always there to lend a hand.
- This is the second year in a row that Cyndy has earned this award!
Cindy Hudson – Rent-A-Space – Salem
- Cindy is a dedicated SAM employee. She stays focused on key metrics and goals and understands how to adapt as necessary to achieve those goals.
- She is committed to ensuring her stores and trainees understand the methods and practices to advance their goals.
- Cindy is very personable and that is reflected in Google reviews where she is often named specifically!
Colleen Williams – West Creek Self Storage
- Colleen manages her property as if she owns it. She keeps the property very clean and organized by managing processes daily.
- She is highly respected by all her tenants.
- Colleen is very involved in her community by holding events at her store such as yard sales and book swaps.
- Colleen is always willing to help train new managers inside or outside of her district.
- She has helped with due diligences when needed.
- She is always looking for ways to better SAM by providing new ideas and suggestions.
Howard McCarrick II – Mission Storage – Hernando
- Howard is a leader in the district! He has integrity, dedication, professionalism, and stays focused on his goals. This is evidenced in the consistent positive reviews for the property.
- He is involved and engaged in every aspect of the business and leads in building a trustworthy brand in the community.
- Howard treats the store as if it’s his own and it shows in the property upkeep, the trends, and the amazing customer reviews.

Assistant Manager of the Year Award

The Assistant Manager of the Year Award celebrates the SAM facility assistant managers who have embodied SAM’s Core Values and demonstrated exceptional professional performance throughout 2022. Congratulations to all the awardees below!

Julienne “Jewels” Stablein – Storage Sense – Hartselle
- Jewels always goes out of her way for tenants and thinks of creative ways to bundle merchandise to increase sales and upsell based on their needs.
- Jewels has an eye for every detail to promote the store, including adding contact and coupon information to bottled water that is given to customers!
- She has received several 5-star reviews naming her specifically!
Betrand Carter II – ValuSpace Storage – Halfmoon
- Betrand has always been an asset to SAM but there has been tremendous growth over this past year.
- He holds high standards for his home store as well as any store he helps or covers.
- He continues to ask questions to further his knowledge and better assist the district in its needs.
- Every store manager in the district would say he is a pleasure to know and work with. Betrand is always kind, generous, and helpful.
Krystian Harston – Ocean Storage – Yorktown
- Krystian goes out of her way to help everyone. She really exemplifies SAM’s Core Values.
- She has done an excellent job with helping multiple districts and has worked at seven locations in the past year alone.
- She is committed to continuous learning as evidenced by her desire to help at other properties.
La’Shonda Williams – Storage Sense – King of Prussia
- La’Shonda is always willing to help at locations within her district and offers coverage in other states when she is available.
- She also jumped at the opportunity to train new hires and help coach teammates with the lien process.
- La’Shonda always has a positive, encouraging attitude with everyone, especially her tenants, and her attitude is contagious!
Tammy Tucker – Storage Sense – Augusta – Jimmie Dyess Parkway
- Tammy has an impeccable work ethic and takes personal responsibility for any task assigned to her.
- She hasn’t missed a day of work in the past year and frequently steps in when her store manager is on training assignments.
- She has an innate sense of operational excellence as evidenced by her flawless facility which includes a main site and annex location with over 1100 units and 60+ hallways to maintain!
- Tammy routinely helps support other projects including property improvements and shows she is ready for the next level.

Above & Beyond Award

The Above and Beyond Award pays tribute to team members who consistently surpass their professional responsibilities, be it by undertaking new tasks, smoothly transitioning to new roles, or delivering outstanding customer service to their local tenants. Congratulations to the following recipients:

Monica Sandoval – Storage Sense – Colorado Springs – PAFB
- Monica is always on top of her work in addition to other diverse tasks she takes on, including handling a bulk of auctions in Colorado and extensive travel to other locations for training.
- She often spends time away from home to ensure employees have what they need for training and to set them up for success.
- She models authenticity and generosity in all that she does.
Daniel Bradt – District Manager
- As a District Manager in Training, Dan helped MANY districts and properties.
- Dan always makes himself available for a variety of needs including calls, coverage, and mentoring.
- Not only is he dedicated to SAM, but he truly fosters the success of all managers in his supervision.
- Dan is very hands-on without question or judgment, doing what is needed.
Cindy Hudson – Rent-A-Space – Salem
- Cindy will jump in and help anyone with any task – anything from cutting locks, pulling weeds, or anything computer-related.
- She has exceptional relationship skills and her tenants often stop by to say “hi.”
- Cindy reflects SAM’s Core Values and is always helping, training, collaborating, coming up with ways to improve, and celebrating our wins!
Zareeta Ellis – Storage Sense – Romeoville
- Zareeta will be the first to tell you she loves a challenge and she steps right up to it!
- She is strong at customer service, recognizing change is not easy and reflecting an attitude of care and helpfulness.
- Zareeta is generous with her time and understands the importance of training. She is an awesome asset to SAM.
William “Bill” Boiko – SafeNest Storage – Mooresville
- Bill works on so many tasks beyond managing a store.
- He personifies SAM’s Core Values, specifically excellence in collaboration as he helps set up stores for transitions, assists other stores when managers are out, and steps in to lead weekly meetings when needed.
- Bill demonstrates a can-do attitude at SAM!
Jean Mayes – Senior Payroll Processor
- Jean is a very responsive communicator with returning phone calls and emails in a timely manner.
- She always has an answer or finds an answer – she is definitely a go-to in all manners of payroll.
- Jean often goes out of her way to support employees during high stress events, such as medical leave, and truly exemplifies a commitment to SAM and its employees!
Jennifer Garner – District Manager
- Jen has quickly developed a very strong team always ready to assist where and when they are needed. Her team exhibits SAM’s Core Values because Jen models them in her daily work.
- She stays organized among her varied responsibilities including training new district managers and district managers in training.
- Jen was selected to sit on the Board of Directors for NESSA (Northeast Self Storage Association).
- Jen truly cares about her work, her team, and SAM.

SAM Core Values Award

The SAM Core Values Award celebrates individuals who genuinely embody SAM’s Core Values and contribute to a team environment that promotes collaboration and continual improvement. Congratulations to the recipients listed below!

Lee Kunkel – Director of Operations
- Lee embodies SAM’s Core Values all while staying upbeat, motivated, and willing to help SAM coworkers.
- His field and corporate experience help him see the “big picture” and come up with the right solutions.
- He encourages open communication across departments which strengthens informed decision-making and comradery.
Tiffany Sorell – Store Manager at ValuSpace Storage – Halfmoon
- Tiffany is always upbeat and shares challenges in a constructive manner. She truly models SAM’s Core Values.
- She is always coming up with ways to improve our process and make it more efficient while adhering to SAM policies and procedures.
- Tiffany does an excellent job of recognizing her team and making them feel valued.

District Manager of the Year Award

The District Manager of the Year Award recognizes the SAM District Manager who has consistently surpassed expectations, outperformed their revenue budget, improved their Google Review rating, and excelled in their everyday responsibilities throughout 2022. Congratulations to our recipient below!

Mike Smith, Sr.
- Mike has been with us since 2018 and is currently the longest tenured District Manager for SAM.
- He is successful by knowing his KPIs and metrics, but more importantly knowing his team. Mike has built a strong district through effective communication and training, but more importantly, commitment to others.
- Over the last several months, Mike has been overseeing stores in other districts and spent several nights sleeping in airports due to bad weather conditions. Mike hasn’t allowed this to interfere with his goal of supporting other districts while keeping a positive attitude.
- Mike has great communication skills with property owners and gains respect through his determination to make their properties successful. Mike’s passion for the owners creates a bond between them and SAM which has proven to be long lasting.
- Mike is committed to the success of his team and SAM.

SAM Corporate Teammate of the Year Award

The SAM Corporate Teammate of the Year Award recognizes corporate teammates of SAM that go above and beyond their professional duty, whether it be through collaboration, training assistance, or their overall work demeanor. Congratulations to our recipients below!

Bryan Forino – Director of Financial Planning & Analysis
- Bryan is an ideal teammate – always smiling, willing to assist, and he cares about work quality and results.
- He is an excellent problem solver and puts in the time, thought, and effort to develop good solutions and bring them to fruition.
- Bryan has built a team of strong and capable individuals over the past year.
- He has grown into a true servant leader at SAM.
Jennifer Barroqueiro – Director of Transitions
- Jen goes to extraordinary lengths to ensure transitions happen with minimal issues and always seeks feedback to continuously improve the process.
- She was integral to navigating the changes with the Customer Care Center and the different management changes.
- Jen is always looking to help others and seeks opportunities to continue to learn and grow.
- Her proactive approach in identifying and addressing potential challenges has been crucial in building and maintaining strong relationships across SAM.