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 Q4 2022, featuring the nomination statements from their peers!
Brandon Kotsch – District Manager
“Brandon is an amazing District Manager and an all-around great person. He puts our needs first and is always there when we need him, even just to listen. Brandon makes us feel like a true family and understands that life happens and we all matter. I would not trade him for anything. I worked for another company for over 22 years, and seeing the contrast after becoming part of this amazing family makes me excited to be an Extra Space team member. That’s how it should be. We should never be afraid to share our ideas, and whether they’re big or small, Brandon welcomes them and values us as his team! Thank you for this great family.”
Thomas Pappas – District Manager
“Tom has been a truly remarkable mentor, leader, and team player. He consistently comes to work with a can-do attitude and has an extremely solution-oriented mindset. When we discuss company goals and values, we attempt to find routes to connect each one to the other. Tom would call this ‘finding the balance.’ Some may say, ‘Well, he is a District Manager, he is expected to be upbeat. This is not considered extraordinary.’ Well, working with customers and various employees, one learns how to read body language over time. Our leader for the district does a great job of demonstrating the balance by showing us he is only human when it comes to finding the balance between work and personal life. I am endorsing Tom for this award because he has created a new value for Extra Space that I would hope we all look to attain, and that is ‘effortless.’”
Joshua Shields – District Manager
“Josh leads 19 stores in the Phoenix market and has been with Extra Space for seven years. Several times throughout his career, Josh has been asked to pull extra weight, mostly in the form of carrying extra store count. Josh has done this again recently and has been covering the Denver market from Phoenix. Josh has managed to stay near the top of the district leaderboard regardless of the number of stores assigned to him. As if this isn’t enough, it is truly Josh’s positive attitude and energy that brings me to this nomination. When Josh was approached with taking on the challenge of carrying extra stores in a remote market, he didn’t hesitate to say yes. His positive can-do attitude and teamwork are displayed by his team and reflected in his engagement survey scores.”
Nathan Montour – Senior Claims Manager
“If anyone from the field is speaking with Nathan, it generally means that person is having a bad day. This quarter we had unprecedented property damage from hurricanes, fires, floods, and freezes. Nathan was on the phone with these employees nights, weekends, and all hours of the day, helping them understand how to handle these stressful events at their property. Nathan can help make these difficult situations much less stressful by coaching and walking employees through the recovery efforts. We are lucky to have Nathan on the risk team as he is passionate about helping others and ensuring they receive the best possible service.”
Caden Haslem – Paid Search Analyst
“Caden joined the company less than two years ago with a background in finance. Despite being new to paid search, he has mastered the nuances of the vital performance marketing program and is now a key player in the marketing team. He inherited a marketing spend management project due to a change in the organization. He confidently tackled the project, regularly monitoring progress and communicating effectively through organized meetings. His clear and concise communication style has been instrumental in coordinating tasks across multiple teams and has helped consistently manage our marketing spend efficiently, especially for our partner stores. With the curious nature he approaches problems and his ability to collaborate, I have no doubt that Caden will continue to excel in his role and drive more complex projects successfully.”
Mary Lindsay – Senior Software Engineer II
“Mary has worked for Extra Space Storage for 16 years! Day in and day out, she works tirelessly to complete her work on time, on budget, and without errors. I have worked with Mary for six years and she is tremendous in understanding the issues or changes that need to be made and ensuring that she fully develops and tests them. The solutions Mary writes are bug-free 99% of the time!”
Nathan Mekan – Inbound Sales Representative
“I have had the pleasure of witnessing Nathan’s exceptional contributions to our organization firsthand. Nathan is reliable and always so helpful. He is always honest with his feedback, demonstrates a strong work ethic, and consistently goes above and beyond. He always volunteers for screen sharing and taking live calls for investors and corporate employees. Nathan is part of our contest committee and loves to dress up in silly costumes to help promote our monthly contests. He has the utmost positive attitude and always makes the National Solutions Center a fun workplace. We are grateful for his kindness, focus, and dedication. He is a great team member and person to work with.”
Check back next quarter for more EXTRAordinary Awards from Extra Space Storage! Interested in joining an award-winning team? Visit our careers page to learn more about company culture and job opportunities.
