For more than two decades, Storage of America grew its self-storage portfolio one facility at a time. Beginning with a single big-box conversion in Indianapolis in 2003, the family-owned company expanded to 29 facilities and nearly 18,000 units across five Midwest states, managing every aspect of the business in-house: operations, customer service, delinquency management, marketing, and facility oversight in-house.
That approach helped build a successful portfolio. As the company continued to grow, though, so did the complexity of managing operations.
Processes varied from facility to facility, visibility into day-to-day performance grew harder to maintain, and the overhead of a fully self-managed model was increasingly difficult to justify against the next phase of growth ownership had in mind.
With new facilities already in development, the company needed a way to scale operations without losing the consistency and quality that had defined its first 20 years.
A Partnership Built Around Continuity, Not Reinvention
Storage of America wasn’t looking to reinvent its business. It needed a partner that could strengthen existing operations while building the infrastructure to support the next phase of growth.
Rather than disrupting operations, White Label Storage worked closely with ownership to:
- Centralize key operational functions like customer service and delinquency management.
- Standardize processes across every facility to improve consistency and visibility.
- Evaluate facility conditions to uncover offline inventory and operational opportunities.
- Strengthen staffing support through recruiting, onboarding, and centralized operational resources to support a growing portfolio.
That same playbook extended to growth with new developments. White Label Storage helped prepare new facilities for opening through early staffing, operational planning, and launch support, creating a smoother path from construction to stabilized operations.
The Results
The shift to a more scalable model delivered measurable impact across the portfolio:
Lower operating costs. Consolidating disparate internal teams into White Label Storage’s management platform reduced estimated annual operating costs by approximately $700,000, without sacrificing support across the portfolio.
More inventory online. Facility inspections and targeted recovery efforts uncovered a significant amount of unrentable inventory and returned hundreds of previously unavailable units to active, revenue-generating inventory.
Record occupancy and leasing momentum. Over a six-month period, the portfolio reached record occupancy while lead volume, bookings, and leasing activity all increased substantially, driven by operational improvements rather than short-term promotional tactics.
Together, these results show what’s possible when a 20-year operator pairs its established brand and market presence with a partner built to manage complexity at scale.
See What’s Possible for Your Portfolio
Discover how White Label Storage helped Storage of America streamline operations, reduce costs, and support long-term growth.
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Source: White Label Storage
