Certified . . .

Certified Public Accountant; Certified Pre-Owned; Certified Nursing Assistant, etc.

As consumers, we like this word. If I am going to have my taxes done and I have to choose between a Certified Public Accountant and an uncertified tax preparer, I'll likely choose the CPA, all other things being equal.

As business owners, we like this word as well. Certified provides us with the confidence that the product or the professional has been subject to some rigorous testing, rigorous standards and has passed the test.

So, regarding storage, what can we certify?

At American Storage and in connection with the Self Storage Association, the national trade association for the industry, we require our managers to be 'certified', subject to the minimum requirements to understand the business, the legalities, the risks and how to run things. The SSA started the certification process years back and have continued to refine the certification (The Certified Self Storage Manager - CSSM) with input from industry experts in law, business software, marketing, underwriting, financial reporting and business management. The CSSM is a step up in the process for the Self Storage Association. Having this in place allows all business partners to understand that the industry has set minimum requirements and put standards and testing in place to assure our partners that we do certify good, great managers.

For our customers, the CSSM certification provides evidence that the business is run by individuals who understand the industry best practices along with the legal environment for this warehouse relationship. Our manager will walk through all risks and clearly outline the business relationship so that prospects understand in clear terms what we provide at American Storage and our responsibilities as well as our customer's responsibilities.

Certified . . . a valuable service offered by American Storage.