On Nov. 30, 2022, OpenAI launched a prototype of ChatGPT, a large language model (LLM) that generates human-like responses to questions and statements known as “utterances.” Within two months, ChatGPT had reached 100 million users. Then, on March 21, 2023, Google opened up a user waitlist for its own AI...
Lauri Longstrom-Henderson was quite happy being semi-retired after many years in the self-storage industry. And then she received a call from Mini-Storage Messenger Publisher poppy Behrens asking her to come back as the Director of Sales & Marketing under the publishing company’s new ownership. And the rest, as they say,...
In this digital age, when we have an overabundance of free information at our fingertips, why do people spend their hard-earned money on magazine subscriptions? The answer is content. That may seem straightforward on the surface, but anyone who has read a “rag mag” can attest that not all content...
What do you get when you give a young girl a tub of Legos and a blank drawing pad? A future architect. It’s not every day that a fifth grader, at the ripe old age of 11, recognizes their perfect profession through an introduction to a vocation. But that’s precisely...
It’s no secret that 2021 was a difficult year for employers. Besides ever-increasing wage expectations, ongoing COVID-19 safety protocols, and shifting work environments, more than 47 million American employees quit their jobs for seemingly greener pastures or other ventures that better aligned with their aspirations. This unusual occurrence quickly became...
Heading into the fourth quarter, it’s safe to say that 2021 has been a fairly profitable year for the self-storage industry. Rental rates at facilities across the country have rebounded, investment capital is plentiful, and new development is on the horizon to satisfy growing demand for self-storage. But for developers...
There’s an old proverb that “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” Nevertheless, according to the U.S. Travel Association, that all-to-familiar saying doesn’t dissuade more than half of Americans from leaving vacation days unused each year. Despite the fact that more than two-thirds of American workers reported...
Do you remember when self-storage facilities were basic? In the industry’s infancy, they consisted of rows of single-story metal “sheds” with roll-up doors surrounded by a chain link fence. The rental offices were plain, resembling gas stations of the time, with driveway bells that notified the property manager of a...
Thirteen years ago, during the tail-end of the Great Recession, the self-storage industry was doing its best to weather the economic storm that distressed the financial markets as well as the banking and real estate industries. Though the asset class fared better than most, because demand for storage remains throughout...
There’s no denying that technology is here to stay. It has become a permanent part of our daily lives, and every day there are new advancements that etch it deeper into our way of life. To be sure, it is impossible for most people nowadays to envision our world without...
By Erica Shatzer When COVID-19 first became a concern in the United States, many Americans canceled or postponed their vacations due to government enforced stay-at-home orders and the mandated closures of numerous forms of entertainment. However, those who decided to keep their plans made alterations in attempts to avoid potential...
By Erica Shatzer In March, no one could have predicted that COVID-19 would be an ongoing issue and topic of discussion in November. Even though we are growing more accustomed to the “new normal” each passing day, with face masks becoming more of a fashionable (yet mandatory) accessory than a...