From Assistant Store Manager to Senior District Manager with Ana Valentin

In episode 11 of the Inside Extra Space Storage podcast, McKall Morris talks with Ana Valentin, Senior District Manager for the Chicago market, about what it takes to lead self storage teams in the field. From reviewing store performance data to walking properties through a customer’s eyes, Valentin shares how district managers help stores deliver strong operations, clean facilities, and a better customer experience.

Valentin also discusses her path from assistant store manager to senior district manager, what she looks for when hiring store managers, and why responsiveness, communication, and consistency matter when leading teams across multiple properties.

Transcript & Chapters

00:00 — About Inside Extra Space Storage Podcast

Valentin: My motto at the beginning when I became a district manager was, “Have no fear, Ana is here.” My division vice president even put that in my annual review: “Your team knows they can count on you no matter what.”

Valentin: Once they know you are there and you are not going anywhere, they know you are going to show up. When I hire from there on, the team just knows that.

Morris: On Inside Extra Space Storage, we sit down with the experts building, operating, and scaling Extra Space Storage to not only be the world’s largest self storage operator, but one of the most trusted names in the industry. If you care about where Extra Space and the self storage industry is headed, you are in the right place.

00:40 — What a District Manager Actually Does

Morris: Welcome to Inside Extra Space Storage, our podcast where we put a mic in front of a leader and have an interesting conversation. We are so lucky today to have Ana with us. Ana is our senior district manager in Chicago. She came to Salt Lake for training, and we stole her for a few minutes to talk about being a district manager.

Morris: Let’s start there. DM stands for district manager. What is the role of a district manager at Extra Space?

Valentin: Really, it is to lead our team. We have anywhere from 15 to 20 stores, and we are trying to help drive revenue, lead the team, keep the stores clean, give great customer service, and get the rentals that help move the company forward.

01:26 — A Day in the Life: Store Visits, Reporting, and Coaching

Morris: What does a day in the life of a district manager look like?

Valentin: For me, it starts in the morning with reporting for whatever store I am going to visit that day. Then I go to that store and take a look at it from the customer’s lens. When I drive up, I ask: What does it look like? How would I feel? Would I want to go to my storage unit here? Do I feel good about it?

Valentin: Then I go in and spend time with my team. I want to know how they are feeling personally and what is going on work-wise. As soon as we get there, they usually want to talk to us about the property, so we have to reel it back in a little and say, “Let’s talk about you first.”

Valentin: After that, we dig into the business. We talk about what is going well at the property, how sales are going, and how the store is performing financially. Then we do some coaching, whether that is on the sales process, something happening at the property, or the financials for the site.

02:25 — How Ana Reads Data and Shares It With Her Team

Morris: I have had the opportunity to travel with a few district managers in different markets, and it is always amazing to see how in-depth the reporting is on these properties. How do you look at the data you are given as a district manager, and how do you present that to your store team?

Valentin: I keep it high level. We have so many reports, sometimes I say we have a report for the report. I am looking for the good and the bad.

Morris: Outliers, positive and negative.

Valentin: Exactly. Anything good, I am going to shout out to the team. Anything negative that they can make an immediate impact on, I am going to talk to them about that as well. What do they know about it? How can they make an impact? What can they control?

Valentin: I always say to focus only on what you can control. There are so many things outside of your control. For me, it is about asking questions, filling in the gaps, and leaving them with a clear takeaway: What actions are you going to take to move the business forward?

03:22 — What Makes a Great Customer Experience

Morris: Our store teams are the face of our company. They are interacting with customers on the front line. What makes a great customer experience at Extra Space, and what makes a store team member good at that customer experience piece?

Valentin: Honestly, I think it is someone who believes in the end goal and truly believes we are doing the right thing, because we are. We are looking for the right thing for the customer.

Valentin: When employees think, “Extra Space is doing this,” I want them to understand it is not separate from us. It is us as a whole. When they understand there is a benefit for the customer and a benefit for Extra Space, that is the person you need at the store. That is the person looking out for everyone’s best interest.

Morris: So it is someone who is bought in to the vision, and that vision includes helping customers.

Valentin: Exactly.

04:14 — What Ana Looks for When Hiring Store Managers

Morris: When you are hiring an assistant manager or store manager, what are you looking for?

Valentin: For me, personality is key. I cannot train personality. I am looking for someone who is outgoing and who I can put in front of any customer situation. They can face adversity and still be positive about it.

Valentin: I am also looking for someone who is driven, takes initiative, and does not need to be micromanaged because we have multiple locations. I always say I cannot be at every store every day. I need someone with integrity so I do not have to wonder whether they are doing the right thing when I am not there.

Morris: You want a high level of trust with your team.

Valentin: Exactly.

04:58 — From Assistant Manager to Senior District Manager

Morris: You have a 12-year career here at Extra Space, but you started as an assistant manager. Can you talk a little bit about your career growth and how you moved from assistant manager to senior district manager?

Valentin: I started as an assistant manager thinking this was just a job and I would only be here for a little while. I have really stayed because of the people at Extra Space.

Valentin: I have been fortunate to work under so many people who believed in me when I thought this was just a temporary place for me. My peers, my district team lead peers, my district manager peers, and my supervisors all pushed me and supported my growth. When I did not think I could grow, they kept pushing me.

Valentin: They would say, “Apply for the position. Apply for the position.” One person even told me, “If you do not take the promotion, do not call me.” They know who they are.

Morris: Lose my number if you do not take that promotion.

Valentin: Sometimes you need the push. But it really is the people at Extra Space who continued to push me to grow.

Morris: What was your path exactly?

Valentin: I was an assistant manager for about a year, then a store manager for about a year and a half. After that, I was a district team lead for about a year and a half. Then I went into a divisional learning manager role for about a year and a half, then back into operations as a district manager for about a year and a half, and then senior district manager.

06:44 — How the Learning & Development Role Made Her a Better Leader

Morris: That is a great path through the business. You could not build a better template for learning how to lead people, train teams, and grow.

Valentin: I am grateful for it. That time in the learning and development department helped me become a better leader because it gave me more coaching ability. I was able to bring that into my role as a district manager and have better conversations with people.

Valentin: It also gave me development tools. If someone on my team says, “I want to move from assistant manager to store manager,” or “I want to become a district team lead,” or “I want to be a district manager,” I can help develop them more naturally because I have those tools from learning and development.

Morris: You have the tools, and you are the example of the path. You are not just saying, “Let me help you.” You have accomplished that path yourself.

Morris: We have a lot of leaders who have followed a similar path. Mike James, our SVP in the East, is a great example. He started as an assistant store manager and is now one of the top executives over operations. There is something tangible about leaders who have spent time in stores and understand, at the base level, how our business works.

08:10 — Why Being Yourself at Work Matters

Valentin: One thing I appreciate about Extra Space is that we have the ability to show up every day and be ourselves. Joanie Bachonski is another great example of someone who can be herself every day.

Valentin: I tell my team that, too. When engagement surveys come out, if I see that score low, I immediately ask, “What is stopping you from being yourself every day? Why do you feel like you cannot be your authentic self?” I am myself every day of the year. This is who I am at home, and this is who I am at work.

Valentin: That is part of why I have been at Extra Space for so long. I do not feel like I have to mask who I am.

Morris: As a leader, you are building that same space for your team. They do not have to be one person at work and another person at home.

Valentin: Exactly.

08:56 — What Extra Space’s Culture Means to Ana

Morris: That ties so well to the culture and values. When you find a company that aligns with your values, it is so much more consistent. What does the Extra Space culture mean to you?

Valentin: To me, it is what we were just talking about. It is being the same person no matter where you are. It is living that standard. That is why I have been here this long. Those values are part of who I am. It is not just Extra Space to me.

Morris: Exactly. I love it.

09:38 — Self Storage Surprises: Film Crews and the Unexpected

Morris: You are a self storage expert now. Is there anything that would surprise people to learn about self storage, or any misconception people have about the industry?

Valentin: I think there is more that we offer here than people know. At some of my properties, we have had film agreements come up, and that has been fun because it is something we get to work on together.

Morris: You are in Chicago, and every six months Chicago Fire reaches out and asks whether they can start a little fire on one of our properties. We have to keep telling them no. Our risk team will not allow that. It is a quirky side of self storage.

Morris: We also just had someone come shoot on one of your properties. A Hulu show was coming into one of your properties recently.

Valentin: Yes, and we have this huge parking lot everyone wants to use. Our store teams get excited and say, “Chicago Fire is going to film here.” And I have to say, “I wish they could, but it is very risky.”

Morris: There are always quirky things with self storage. You think it will be one thing, and then day-to-day, a TV show wants to film on the property, or a crisis happens. Some of it is positive, some of it is hard, but it is always interesting.

Valentin: That is part of what I love about the job. I was talking to some of the district managers this week, and that is why I am here. I love the unpredictability of storage. I love that no two days are the same. I do not want to be somewhere where I am doing the same thing every day.

11:28 — Leading Through a Crisis

Morris: Speaking of unpredictable, your area had one of our bigger crises when there was a fire in a building. That is scary when it happens, but with this many properties, there is always some level of risk. Can you talk through what happened and how your team handled that crisis?

Valentin: We had a small, contained fire last year. My manager told me, “We have a little bit of water and a little bit of smoke.” I was at the office and said, “Keep me posted.” Then it started escalating. The fire department was there, and they asked whether they could cut the lock. Of course, cut the lock. Get the fire department in as soon as possible.

Valentin: I told the team, “I have to leave. I have to get to this property right now.” The fire only impacted a few units, but the water from the sprinkler system caused damage to more than half of the units.

Valentin: Luckily, my assistant manager jumped in as quickly as possible, and we got through the crisis. The store manager and assistant manager stayed so positive through the whole thing. Even the remediation team said most managers would have quit.

Morris: That is a difficult thing to manage through. Even in the moment, saying, “I am getting in there and cutting the lock,” is brave.

Valentin: Yes. They went through the whole crisis so well, and they are still with us today. I am so grateful for them and the way they helped customers through it.

Morris: It is something you never want to have happen to a property. Alerting customers that something happened is heartbreaking, but having managers and assistant managers you can count on, who can stay positive through it, is powerful.

Valentin: It was not just those two managers. My whole district stepped up. People did overtime and helped wherever they could.

Morris: Those are the moments where you see teams really pull together.

Valentin: Yes.

13:50 — How Ana Coaches Her Team to Stay Resilient

Morris: When you are building your team, how are you coaching and developing them to have that resiliency and the ability to handle situations that come their way?

Valentin: For me, a lot of it is leading by example. We consider ourselves a very tight-knit district. It is the energy you give off, and it is communication. I am very communicative, whether that is through email, Teams, or on the phone.

Valentin: Responsiveness matters, too. In a crisis, the direction I give helps them know I am there, I am aware, and I am responsive. I am not going to make them fend for themselves in any crisis, ever.

Valentin: That week, the managers said, “Thank you. We know you are going above and beyond and doing things maybe another district manager would not do for us.” Once they know you are in it and showing up for them, that matters.

15:03 — Ana's Leadership Motto

Valentin: My motto at the beginning when I became a district manager was, “Have no fear, Ana is here.” My division vice president even put that in my annual review: “Your team knows they can count on you no matter what.”

Valentin: Once they know you are there and you are not going anywhere, you are going to show up. It becomes effortless. When I hire now, the team knows that because it gets told throughout the district. They know, “Our district manager is going to be there. That is who she is.”

Morris: I love how supported that is.

15:34 — Collaboration Across the Organization

Morris: Working with you from the corporate side, whenever something comes up, you are so quick to communicate and loop in everyone who needs to be looped in. You share the details and help everyone pull together. How do you think about collaboration across headquarters, your own team, other district managers, and your division vice president?

Valentin: It all goes back to communication. You have to be clear about what is happening, and you also have to be open to other ideas.

Valentin: You cannot think your voice or opinion is the only way. It is about including other people and being open to other ideas, too.

Morris: I love that.

16:23 — What Customers Should Know Before They Store

Morris: Let’s talk a little bit about the actual self storage property. What is something customers are not aware of enough or need to know when they are about to store?

Valentin: They need to know they have a lot of neighbors in a self storage facility. As much as we want to keep up on everything, we cannot keep up on everything by ourselves. We need customers to help us with that as well.

Valentin: Treat it as if it is your home. Clean up after yourself. If you see something, say something.

Morris: Be a good neighbor in the property.

Valentin: Yes. Help us maintain the property, and let us know if something is happening after hours because we are not there 24 hours a day.

17:15 — What Makes a Great Chicago Storage Property

Morris: You have a lot of different types of properties in Chicago. Can you give an example of what your highest-end property looks like, and what makes a great self storage property?

Valentin: In the Chicago area, my highest-end properties are 100% climate-controlled, multiple floors, elevators, LED lighting, and very well-maintained.

Morris: Those are the pride points.

Valentin: Yes. I think of the properties where you could almost eat off the floor. Those are my beauties. They have all the amenities to offer.

Morris: What do great store managers do to make those properties extra shiny and clean?

Valentin: They follow the checklists that are in place. Most districts have daily, weekly, and monthly checklists. If you do those things every day, everything else comes together.

Valentin: I have some stores that perform their own audits. They have visibility to those things in our system. If they do all of that every day, then when I come in, or even if Joe Margolis comes to visit, they are not scrambling because they have already done what they are supposed to do every day.

Morris: If you stay ready at a high level, nothing can throw you off.

Valentin: Exactly. I tell them, “If you stay ready every day, you do not have to get ready.”

19:08 — Career Advice: Be Proactive and “Almost Annoying” About Your Growth

Morris: What career advice would you give a store manager who wants to move into a leadership position at Extra Space?

Valentin: Be proactive. No one is going to chase you for that development. Communicate what you are looking for to your district manager so they know and can start you on that development path.

Valentin: Be consistent about it. That is one of the things I run into the most: inconsistency from people who want development. They can be hot and cold. I would say be almost annoying about it. Know what you want and stick to it.

Valentin: Create the path for what you want, and be hungry. Say, “I want to learn about this.” We are more than willing to help, but we have a lot on our plate, so we need consistent follow-up from you. That helps us feed you the information you need and develop you for the next step.

20:08 — Inside the LDP Leadership Development Program

Morris: I was looking you up in our internal system, and you were in the Leadership Development Program a few years ago. Can you talk through what that formal development program looked like?

Valentin: That was a few years ago, but I remember going through the Arbinger program, where you learn about yourself and how you are as a leader. It is about reflecting on yourself, but also helping others.

Morris: The Outward Mindset training.

Valentin: Yes. Then you get partnered with someone who can help you with your individual focus area. What do you want to work on? What do you want to focus on?

20:48 — Mentors Who Supported Her

Valentin: For me, that mentor was Chuck Machenheimer, a division vice president. I was able to work with him, have mentorship calls, and travel in his market. It was good to see a perspective from another division vice president outside of my own.

Valentin: I have been in Chicago my whole time, so Chicago is what I know. That can be a double-edged sword because I know urban Chicago, but I do not know every property type. Drive-up buildings, for example, are not something that is consistent in my market. It was nice to see something else and build other networks.

Morris: It expands the horizon. What market did you travel to?

Valentin: I was in the Atlanta area.

Morris: That is a great market, and it is always valuable to travel with different leaders in the field. There is the Extra Space way of doing things, but every leader has their own style and authentic way of approaching it.

Valentin: I was also able to be mentored by Mike James for a few years. I traveled with him and dug into reporting.

Morris: No one knows the reports like Mike James. We joke that if you are building a report at Extra Space, it has to be Mike James-proof because he will click every button, look at every number, and drill down every possible way.

Valentin: That was my next area of focus after LDP. I was partnered with him for mentorship, traveled his market, and took that learning to another level. It was great additional development after LDP.

23:09 — How Ana Mentors Her Team

Morris: When you think about the formal and informal mentors you have had throughout your career, how do you try to be a mentor to team members at Extra Space?

Valentin: I have mentored two district team leads over the past year. It starts with finding out what they are trying to get out of it. What area are they focused on? Then I can help fill that gap and make sure we are driving that goal home.

Morris: Be unified in the goal of the mentorship.

Valentin: Exactly.

Morris: I love that. You have given us enough of your time, and you need to get back to training new district managers, keeping Chicago running, and keeping Chicago Fire from starting any fires on our properties. Is there anything I did not ask, or anything you want to say to close it out?

Valentin: No, I think we hit everything.

Morris: Perfect. Thank you so much for your time. We really appreciate you. And thank you to everyone who joined and listened. If you enjoyed this episode, go back and check out our past episodes, and subscribe for future episodes. Thanks again.

Valentin: Thank you.

Morris: Thanks for listening to Inside Extra Space Storage. Each episode features conversations with leaders and teams behind one of the most recognizable names in the self storage industry. To connect with today’s guest, reach out to them directly on LinkedIn. And do not forget to follow the show for more insights inside the industry. Until next time, have a great day and an even better tomorrow.

About the Host and Guest

Ana Valentin, Senior District Manager

Ana Valentin is a Senior District Manager at Extra Space Storage, supporting store teams across the Chicago market. She has been with Extra Space for more than 12 years, beginning her career as an assistant store manager before moving into roles including store manager, district team lead, division learning manager, district manager, and senior district manager. In her current role, Valentin helps lead store operations, support customer experience, and develop future leaders across her district.

McKall Morris, Director of Corporate Communications

McKall Morris is the Corporate Communications Director at Extra Space Storage. She joined the company in March 2019 after several years in the airline industry. Since joining Extra Space, Morris has played a key role in advancing internal and external communications initiatives, helping shape how the company is represented across all channels. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communications from Brigham Young University and an MBA from the University of Utah.

To learn more about Extra Space Storage, visit our investor site, or explore the next step in your career by viewing current job openings. This transcript was auto-generated and edited, including paraphrasing for readability. For the full conversation and exact quotes, listen to the complete episode on YouTube, Apple, or Spotify.