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 Q3 2020 featuring the nomination statements from their peers!
Chris Hunsaker – Facility Services Manager, West Coast
“Chris goes above and beyond every day to help support our division. I have had some reasonably large facility issues come up; no matter what day of the week or time of day, Chris is there to help. He has been working tirelessly to get better vendors to use and is very open with our feedback on their performance. Our offline units have dropped dramatically, and Chris is a big part of that. He is great about checking in and seeing how he can help. Thanks for your support, Chris!”
David Stafford – Senior District Manager, Black Division
“My nomination is not only for Q3, but for the three years I have worked with Dave. Dave makes every day for me and others at Extra Space Storage a great place to work. He truly cares for the people and the business. When I was going through the loss of a family member, he was there every day, asking how I was doing. Even a year later and feeling not myself, Dave is always there to say a kind word. Dave cares (and shows it) and wants each one of us to succeed. Dave truly makes Extra Space Storage a great place to work!”
Gwen Baker – Senior Manager of Human Resources, East Coast
“As a newer DMIT, Gwen has been amazing. I’ve had many different (some difficult) situations that have come up in a short amount of time. Gwen has always been available for me to work through these issues. If she is unable to answer the phone or respond to an email because she’s in a meeting, she’s very quick to respond and get back to me. She has made me feel comfortable with this partnership, and I know that her support is there when needed. I chose to recognize Gwen with the company goal of ‘Developing and Maintaining Mutually Beneficial Business Relationships.’ However, in this case, for Gwen, I could just as easily choose the company goal, ‘Make Extra Space a Great Place to Work.’ Last quarter, I had something happen in my personal life that was very traumatic for me. Gwen always made it a point to check in with me personally to see how I was doing before we even considered discussing business. Gwen has a passion for her Human Resources profession, but more importantly, she truly cares about the people in the company that she supports. Sometime,s it’s easy for someone to say this, but I can honestly say I experienced it. Thank you, Gwen!”
Jameson Spooner – SEO Manager, Store Support Center
“Jameson really pushed himself this past quarter and lived our values in numerous ways. He took on the massive task of ideating, prioritizing, and managing new projects last quarter to help create a long-term impact on the business. He worked collaboratively across multiple teams and exemplified our teamwork value. Likewise, during this time, he had a team member leave for a new opportunity. Jameson carried that role’s responsibilities until we were able to hire new talent. He is a tremendous asset to the marketing team and the company as a whole.”
Joanie Bachonski – District Manager, James Division
“Joanie Bachonski is a tremendous representation of the Extra Space Storage culture. She makes a positive impact on every person she interacts with. She makes it a point to find out what motivates everyone on her team, including her peer group. She has an infectious energy that makes coming to work fun. Joanie is helping to lead the division in a calibration of our advanced programs. She has helped to organize her peers and provide structure. Her leadership is a huge part of 9630!”
Jordan Jensen – Recruiting Specialist, Store Support Center
“Jordan has worked hard to take care of his primary internal customers during his first year at Extra Space Storage. He has been hungry to learn, learns quickly, and has maintained a positive attitude as priorities have shifted in the last few months. Jordan always seeks to understand others before seeking to be understood. Jordan’s positive attitude and a strong focus on teamwork quickly builds trust. This has enabled Jordan to support others, outside of recruiting, on the People team. As such, Jordan has taken on work that he likely didn’t anticipate. Including but not limited to onboarding of new hires, various HR projects, and more recently, Jordan handled recruiting at the National Sales Center to support an urgent hiring need. Jordan, thank you for exemplifying teamwork and making Extra Space Storage a great place to work!”
Katie Dodds – Director of Revenue Systems & Analytics, Store Support Center
“The operating environment for self storage underwent drastic changes multiple times this year. During Q2 and Q3 of this year, Katie has been an integral part of designing and testing different pricing strategies that allowed Extra Space Storage to adapt quickly to changing environments. She was also responsible for enhancing the vacate forecasts in our pricing systems so that these forecasts are more reactive. She and her team were able to execute on all of this at a time when Extra Space Storage was transitioning from OMNI to Breeze, which made her execution even more noteworthy. With some employees working from home and others working from the office, maintaining high engagement in the revenue management and data science team was important. All the team activities that Katie organized made us a stronger and more engaged team. We are very happy to have Katie Dodds.”
Paty Portilla – Senior District Manager, James Division
“I’d like to nominate Paty Portilla for an EXTRAordinary award because Paty is truly extraordinary. I chose the goal of ‘Making Extra Space a Great Place to Work,’ but honestly, if I could select every reason, I would. Paty is the SDM of division 9620. Every decision she makes is with her team, her peers, and her customers at the forefront. Paty challenges the status quo and really represents the voice of the DM in our division. Paty is the true definition of Extra Space Storage values. As we restarted auctions in CA, Paty did a phenomenal job checking in with every District Manager and ensured that each had a plan and executed it. Not only did she ensure we had a plan, but she also supported each of us as we needed it. I personally saw her check in with her team and District Team Leads to help them as we were transitioning to Breeze at the same time. Talk about teamwork! She has been a stable and incredible resource in such a crazy year. Paty adds the right amount of humor and positivity to what could’ve been draining situations at times. She lifts us all with her never-ending innovative and fun ideas (e.g., 20 questions on division calls). Paty mentors three DMs, and makes time for each one while still supporting the entire division, her DLM, and her DVP. If you have a question, Paty will help you find the right solution or help you make the proper connection. She exudes excellence in every situation and strives to get better but does it with such humbleness. I am in awe of her. It doesn’t matter how busy Paty is; she will ALWAYS make time for you. Not only does Paty support her team and division, but she’s also involved in so many projects and committees, including COVID-19 and our Diversity & Inclusion committees. This is because Paty’s honesty, transparency, and opinions are valued, and because she wants to help and support the company. She inspires me every day to show up and achieve excellence because it’s simply who she is. Our division is stronger because of Paty. I know every DM on my team has been supported this quarter by her follow-up, support, knowledge, and openness. She absolutely deserves to be recognized for her extraordinary behaviors because they make Extra Space Storage a great place to work for so many people!”
Nominations for EXTRAordinary Employee of the Quarter for Q4 2020 have recently closed, and the winners will be announced soon. Check back for more from Extra Space Storage!
