Four new district managers have been selected to handle the expanding operations for Strategic Storage Trust, Inc. (SSTI). They are Robert Healy, Joaquin Echevarria, Dianne Leppanen, and Maria Avellana. They bring extensive experience in self storage management and property management.
"Each of these managers was chosen to represent our rapidly growing operations to the highest of standards," said Robert Cerrone, SSTI's senior vice president of operations. "The district managers play a key role in carrying out our long-term commitment to our customers."
Robert Healy will manage the Midwest region. He has been a district manager for H&R Block, Hertz and Enterprise. He is based in Chicago. His region includes Chicago, Illinois, Memphis, Tennessee, and Jackson, Mississippi.
Joaquin Echevarria comes to SSTI with over 10 years experience as a regional manager at Hertz and Enterprise and 2 years as a district manager for Public Storage. He will manage the Northeast region and oversee the SSTI properties in Philadelphia, New Jersey, and New York. He will work out of Fort Lee, New Jersey.
Dianne Leppanen has 6 years of commercial real estate experience and more than 16 years managing multi-unit self storage facilities. She has also managed 14 self storage properties for Budget Self Storage and worked as a consultant for self storage owners in Florida. Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, is the base of her operations and will be over the Gulf States region.
Maria Avellana has been a regional apartment property manager. She has also been a transaction manager for over 5 years where she oversaw the acquisition of multi-family units. Maria was honored in 2008 in "Who's Who in Real Estate" in InBusiness Las Vegas. She is also on the board of directors for the Nevada State Apartment Association where she chairs their magazine and membership committees.
District manager responsibilities include hiring and training personnel, managing operating budgets, developing and implementing marketing strategies for all properties within the region, and partnering with third party truck rental service.
In the 4 years that SSTI has been in business, its portfolio has grown to 78 properties in 17 states and in Canada. It focuses on the acquisition, operation, and development of self storage properties. It is the first and only self storage REIT in the public non-traded REIT marketplace. It is branded as SmartStop™ Self Storage and has over 52,000 self storage units with 6.4 million rentable square feet.
Sources Used
"Strategic Storage Trust, Inc. Adds Four District Managers to Its Expanding Operations."
Market Watch; 3 October 2011