Collins Named CMO of Store Space
Longtime PSA Exec Brings Extensive Digital Background
WINTER GARDEN, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Store Space®, a top 20 self-storage owner, operator, and developer, announced today that David W. Collins, former Vice President & Head of Marketing for Public Storage, has been appointed to serve as its Chief Marketing Officer, effective April 18, 2023.
In his role as Chief Marketing Officer, Mr. Collins’ responsibilities will include end-to-end customer experience, customer acquisition, brand integrity, customer-facing digital assets, and revenue management, in addition to other duties. Mr. Collins succeeds Stephen Sandecki, recently named President of Storage360®.
“We are pleased to have Dave serve as the Store Space’s Chief Marketing Officer,” said Chris Harris, CEO. “Dave is an exceptional leader and his track record of driving growth while reducing costs and increasing revenue, along with his keen insight into the digital landscape, will serve us well as we continue on our rapid-growth trajectory. He is an outstanding marketer and we’re proud to have someone of his background and expertise heading up the Store Space marketing team.”
Prior to joining Store Space, Mr. Collins served in roles of increasing responsibility with Public Storage since 2007, from Director of Interactive Marketing to his last role as Vice President, Head of Marketing. Mr. Collins is one of several recent hires for the company with extensive experience in the self-storage industry, including Chief Operating Officer Kellen Kalso, a 3-1/2-year veteran of StorQuest, and Vice President of Operations J.C. Reed, who spent more than a decade with Public Storage.
No stranger to improving the customer experience, Mr. Collins was instrumental in transitioning Public Storage from a traditional television and yellow pages marketing approach into the digital age. When he started with the company in 2007, less than 5% of the company’s business was generated through the internet.
Among his achievements at Public Storage, Mr. Collins saw technology becoming the future of the business and spearheaded innovative and effective initiatives that kept the Operator in the forefront of the self-storage industry. Included among those initiatives was the launch of its first mobile website and the company’s eRental online rental agreement platform, which accounted for approximately 50% of move-ins within one year of launch. He also masterminded the highly successful mobile app, an integral part of modernizing the customer experience. Mr. Collins’ diverse experience extends from re-imaging the Public Storage brand to countless creative broadcast & digital TV commercials and videos.
“Almost every Store Space guest will interact with our brand digitally before they go and visit the store,” Mr. Collins said. “It’s important to make their online and in-store experience as easy as possible and seamless with their daily life to the point where they treat Store Space self-storage as an extension of their home. The short-term goal is to be brilliant with the basics; we have the opportunity to provide a consistently delightful brand experience to our guests across Store Space’s growing footprint of more than 100 stores in 22 states.”
Mr. Collins holds a Bachelor of Science in Business from the University of Colorado, and a master’s degree in integrated marketing communications from Northwestern University.
About Store Space Self Storage
Based in Winter Garden, Florida, the Store Space family of companies owns, operates and third-party manages more than 100 self-storage properties in 22 states. Store Space fuels growth and value with its experience-driven operations, state-of-the-art proprietary platforms, and strategic digital marketing programs. If you have an acquisition opportunity or would like to discuss third-party management, contact us at [email protected], or visit us at www.storespace.com.