Invest New York with Bryan Locke: Recent Episodes
Invest New York with Bryan Locke
Brian Tuskan is the Chief Security Officer for Microsoft Global Security which is part of the Real Estate & Security Organization. He has 30+ years of experience in law enforcement and the corporate security sector. Brian’s team is responsible for life safety and the physical security of all of Microsoft’s global corporate footprint.
During the last 28 years, Clauson has developed, acquired, and managed self storage and multifamily housing properties in California, Texas, Colorado and Kansas City. Even though the company has grown from 20 to 155 team members across four states, Clauson makes a point to visit every self storage facility multiple times a year and have at least a half-dozen face-to-face conversations with every team member.
Clauson’s career is characterized by the hands-on, personal approach he brings to every project, his ability to communicate at a high level with anyone from any background, and the loyalty he inspires in his team. From his first job as a construction laborer, to the hundreds-of-millions of dollars he transacted as a broker, to today as Strat’s Chief Executive Officer, Clauson has truly built a career in commercial real estate from the ground up.
This week it was my pleasure to speak with Jon Dario. Jon currently holds the position of Chief Operating Officer at Edison Properties, one of the leading real estate companies in the New York City market. In that role, Jon oversees Manhattan Mini Storage, a market-leading self-storage business that he directly managed as president for several years before becoming Edison’s COO. Prior to joining the real estate and self-storage industry, Jon held leadership positions with several of the world’s premier retailers and financial services companies including Macy’s, Gap, Bank of America, and Travelex. Since joining the self-storage world, Jon has served the industry in a number of ways. For the past two years, he has been chairman of the New York Self Storage Association. In that capacity, he was the industry’s voice in opposition to New York City’s self-storage ban in its Industrial Business Zones. Jon also currently serves as a Board member for SSA, the industry’s national association. Jon also served for two years as a Board member of SSA’s Large Owners’ Council, and he is currently an instructor of SSA’s semi-annual Valuation and Acquisition course. In addition to the formal responsibilities he has held in the self-storage and retail industries, Jon is a published author and online trainer. He specializes in the development and delivery of content that focuses on management and leadership skill development. He has published four books and has numerous video training courses available on Udemy.com and YouTube.
Pam is an Owner Operator with facilities in California and Hawaii. She has served for 6 years on the Board of the California Self Storage Association, including one year as Secretary and the past three years as Treasurer. She also serves on the Board of Kure It Cancer Research, and is a Founder of Storelocal Corp. She is a graduate of Cal State Fullerton with a degree in Business Management.
Carl E. Touhey began his real estate career in 1986 selling investment real estate in Phoenix, Arizona. His family built their first storage facility in the early 1970’s and they currently own and operate eight storage facilities. An investment opportunity in 1992 launched him into the self storage industry as he went on to acquire five storage facilities from 1992-1994 and owns multiple facilities today. His interest and success in fixing “problem” properties resulted in an impressive ownership track record. In the early 90’s, Mr. Touhey took his knowledge of the self storage industry and began brokering self storage properties in California. He has personally brokered over $866 million worth of storage properties and his extensive track record and outstanding results have distinguished him as one of the most successful self storage sales and acquisitions specialists in the industry. He is co-founder of Performance Self Storage Group Inc. with Jason “Jay” Allen, which specializes in self storage brokerage and consulting services nationwide.
Ryan Lorenzini is a Director of The Claremont Companies, LLC (“Claremont”), a real estate investment firm focused on the development, construction, and management of a variety of real estate products in California. He is primarily responsible for all analytical undertakings at Claremont, as well as deal sourcing, acquisitions, due diligence, predevelopment, governmental relations, and finance. In addition, he is responsible for the management of the operations of Claremont’s self-storage holdings, which is expected to encompass, by 2020, five facilities comprising approximately 500,000 square feet. is a Director of The Claremont Companies, LLC (“Claremont”), a real estate investment firm focused on the development, construction, and management of a variety of real estate products in California. He is primarily responsible for all analytical undertakings at Claremont, as well as deal sourcing, acquisitions, due diligence, predevelopment, governmental relations, and finance. In addition, he is responsible for the management of the operations of Claremont’s self-storage holdings, which is expected to encompass, by 2021, five facilities comprising approximately 500,000 square feet.
I recently had the pleasure to sit down with Jay Schuminsky. Jay is the owner and operator of family-owned All Storage. They have 48 locations in Texas and Oklahoma. Jay also specializes as an investor and developer in retail, office, and senior housing. Jay and I had a great conversation touching on everything from the importance of outside the box thinking to leveraging your storage community.Take a listen. I'm sure you'll enjoy!
I recently had a the pleasure of sitting down AJ Osborne. AJ is a founder of Bitterroot Holdings which owns Keylock Storage, an eleven facility portfolio located in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. He is also the CEO of Clearwater Benefits, a insurance brokerage. If that wasn't enough he has two podcast, Cashflow 2 Freedom and Self Storage Income Podcast. AJ has tremendous passion storage and wealth of knowledge which made for a great podcast. Our conversation covered how to leverage the available tools to compete from a technology standpoint, how to navigate an overbuild market, and how to pick your clientele to boost your NOI. Take a listen. I'm sure you'll enjoy.
I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Todd Plastino. Todd is the president of Plastino Interests, Inc., which owns and operates 4 self storage facilities on the Central Coast of California consisting of 295,000 s.f. of net rentable storage space. Todd and I had a fantastic conversation about how independent operators can differentiate themselves and succeed in a new more competitive storage landscape. Take a listen. I'm sure you'll enjoy!
I recently had the pleasure of interviewing David Edward. David is a Vice President at both Ojai Oil Company and Golden Gate Storage. He’s been working in the storage industry since 1996. Not only is David incredible knowledgeable about storage, but he has a sharp British wit and a unique perspective on our industry. We covered a wide array of topics, including the benefits of great customer service, the advantages of working together with fellow operators, and the consolidation of storage venders. I’m sure you’ll enjoy our conversation.
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with StoreLocal's CEO, Travis Morrow. Travis's position gives him a unique vantage point in the industry. Mix that with fifteen plus years of experience in self storage and you get some cutting edge strategies to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving market. In the interview we touch on a wide array of topics, including how to stay competitive with REITs from a buying and operational perspective, the consolidation of storage vendors, and how to optimize your tenant experience. I hope you enjoy it!
I recently had the pleasure to sit down with Brian Weisman. In addition to his experience running 14 storage facilities he brings a wealth of information from outside the storage industry in finance and investment banking. Because of this his perspective is unique and well informed. We touch on a number of subjects affecting the storage landscape including how to compete with the large reits and large funds and how to navigate a vendor landscape that is being consolidated by private equity.
This week I had the pleasure of sitting down with Dane Elefante. Dane has 16 years of commercial real estate experience in the self-storage industry and currently serves as the COO of Platinum Storage Group. We had an expansive conversation, touching on important topics including technology, community, and competing in a changing landscape. Dane is fantastic at really getting down to the details in a way that can lead to direct results. I’m sure everyone listening will benefit from this interview.