At Extra Space Storage, we believe our greatest asset is our employees. From the people who work in our National Sales Center to the managers operating our self storage facilities across the nation, the team behind Extra Space Storage is what makes our company better every single day.
Each quarter, we give out the EXTRAordinary Employee of the Quarter award. These aren’t given to people who just do their jobs. They’re awarded to those who go above and beyond in demonstrating our core values, and the nominations are submitted anonymously by other employees, team leaders, or entire departments.
Below are the EXTRAordinary winners from Q2 2019 featuring the nomination statements from their peers!
Ashley Manser – HRIS Senior Analyst, Store Support Center
“Ashley Manser has been a great addition to our HRIS team. She is not only knowledgeable within her field, but she is also quick to offer solutions when challenges present themselves. Ashley has partnered with the Benefit team on many items; however, this year, she had dedicated much of her time with the UNUM transitions. She worked closely with our team and the UNUM team creating a customized billing solution for cost accounting purposes. She also has worked alongside us with the UNUM LOA Management System transition. Both of these projects required system expertise, which she possesses. I appreciate Ashley and her ongoing partnership!”
Brandon Lambert – District Manager, Pierce Division
“During the past quarter, I have had two SMs from Brandon’s district email me privately to say how great Brandon is to work for. They describe him as direct with feedback to help them improve, hardworking, willing to pitch in, responsive, and a good communicator. Brandon has continued to demonstrate dedication to the job, and along with the recognition of his store managers, makes Brandon deserving of this award.”
Courtney West – Paralegal, Store Support Center
“Courtney provides excellent service and produces a great product. She is an extremely valuable employee at Extra Space Storage, someone who often goes above and beyond her own job duties. Whenever anyone leaves Legal, Courtney is the first to volunteer to help with their responsibilities. When Legal no longer had someone to pick up the mail, Courtney filled in the gaps, even though it was not her job to do so. Courtney even took on the responsibilities of business license renewals from Accounting. Courtney’s ability to take on any responsibility has helped ensure that everything in Legal runs smoothly.”
Jonathan Leitch – Site Reliability Engineer, East Coast
“Jon is a fantastic team player. His infectious attitude and laughter really make him a joy to have around. He is a top contributor on some very technical projects, and his willingness to take on new complex projects is one of his top qualities. He played a key role in streamlining and greatly improving the performance of one of our critical production systems. He consistently delivers quality work and is always willing to jump in and help his teammates out.”
Kenyatti Decker – District Manager, Speegle Division
“Kenyatti Decker makes Extra Space Storage a great place to work by showing extraordinary leadership and always displaying the company values. Kenyatti works closely with his team to provide guidance and coaching so his team can perform at the highest standard level. Kenyatti empowers his team to focus on the goals so we can achieve the goals. Kenyatti leads by example, and he is passionate about his team’s well-being, and he makes sure that each and every one in his team is working in a safe environment. Kenyatti strives for excellence and expects no less from his team. Kenyatti is always available to discuss any concerns and provide feedback on development to his team. Kenyatti is positive and supportive to his team, and he encourages each and every one on his team not to be afraid of challenges and to go forward, and he has taught us to celebrate each other’s success. The district acquired six new stores nowhere near the Extra Space Storage standards, and he still makes sure that everyone on the team is valued and supported. He truly is the epitome of Extra Space Storage values: Integrity, Excellence, Innovation, Teamwork, and Passion. I nominee Kenyatti Decker for the 2nd Quarter award because he does make Extra Space Storage a great place to work!”
Mai Tapia – Accounts Payable Clerk, Store Support Center
“Mai’s work on the training material for the site invoice transition from Nexus to Concur was beyond expectations. Mai took on additional responsibilities to learn how to create content for Knowledge Base and produce training material that was the highest quality. She spent hours perfecting the instructions and screenshots to ensure the training guide was clear and intuitive. In addition to the new material she created, she went through Knowledge Base to modify and remove outdated references to ensure users would not encounter misleading or confusing instructions. During this project, Mai’s daily workload never suffered. She was able to maintain her above-average quality of work while balancing a competing workload. Mai is an invaluable member of the Accounts Payable group and an asset to our Company. We are fortunate to have her on our team!”
Monica Ruedas – Call Center Senior Manager, National Sales Center
“With continued site count growth and low unemployment, it’s been difficult to hire and retain enough agents to staff the NSC. Monica worked on a project researching the feasibility of hiring agents in remote areas. She spent several weeks gathering articles, researching government websites, and speaking to other call centers in the valley that have implemented similar programs. With the data she collected, she created three options that would allow us to hire agents outside of SLC. Monica crafted training plans, estimated expenditures, and back-up plans for each option and presented those to the executive team. The original plan was to implement during Q4. However, due to increased calls, we needed to move quickly. We were able to find a third-party outsourcing company that could provide us with 15 experienced agents in Texas. Using the information that Monica compiled, we were able to move quickly and confidently and executed a contract. Her work wasn’t finished, however. She worked with our Learning team to customize our existing training materials for remote delivery. Monica also traveled to Texas to provide additional training for the agents and their Team Lead. Since the Team Lead wasn’t familiar with Extra Space Storage and the policies and procedures of the NSC, we had a lot of information to cover quickly. Monica created a detailed learning plan for the Team Lead on what to listen for on calls, how to read and use our reports, and other information that we usually have weeks to cover with a new leader. After the first full day of calls, the new agents in Texas are meeting our expectations, with several exceeding our projections. Monica’s work on the remote agent project helped us move quickly last quarter. It will also help us be prepared for future growth. Not only was she able to finish this significant project, but she also continued to excel in her daily duties. Monica continues to play an instrumental role in the daily operation and oversight of our sales team. Her hard work helped us beat our Q2 conversion and rental goals.”
Nominations for EXTRAordinary Employee of the Quarter for Q3 2019 have recently closed, and the winners will be announced soon. Check back for more from Extra Space Storage!
