The benefits of having an employee in the YSN

Who is Shannen, YSN Operator Member?

Shannen joined the self storage industry in 2014, initially as a Sales Advisor for Lens Self Storage in Glasgow, before progressing to the role of Quality Manager following the completion of her Honours Degree in Business Management at Glasgow Caledonian University. Shannen loves the fact that she can help the productivity and efficiency of staff members by introducing streamlined procedures and adopting various technological improvements to help reduce the time required to complete daily tasks.

Gary McKenzie

1. What is your role in the company?   I’m the Regional Operations Manager reporting directly to Douglas, the Owner/Director of Lens. I am responsible for the operation of 4 sites in Glasgow and Edinburgh, overseeing the commercial and financial aspects of the sites along with property, compliance, health & safety, staff management and development.

2. What impact does the younger generation have within the industry?   As the industry continues to grow there will be a requirement for a talent pipeline of operational staff and management who can continue to support the expansion of self storage businesses and their portfolios. At Lens, two of our senior management team are both under 30. This creates a good dynamic within our management group as we have a healthy spread of generational knowledge. As technology and web marketing plays a more important role in the industry, this will undoubtedly support our growth ambitions.

3. What benefits does the company gain from having an employee who is a member of the Young Storage Network?   Career growth for the individual. An ability to increase their knowledge through networking with their peers and senior leaders within the industry, as well as participation in discussions and topics that they may never have had access to in their current roles, which provides the opportunity to bring new ideas and innovation to the business.

4. What future topics would you like the YSN to cover for your employee?   Property portfolio management, coaching and management of colleagues, and business planning and finance.

Douglas Lothian

1. What is your role in the company?   As the Director/Owner of Lens Self Storage, my main role is to drive revenue in all areas of the business.

2. What impact does the younger generation have within the industry?   The younger members of our management team bring along their up-to-date knowledge, energy, enthusiasm, and ambition. They are knowledgeable when it comes to the technology that the industry has to offer, which has helped streamline our processes.

3. What benefits does the company gain from having an employee who is a member of the Young Storage Network?   From the younger generation’s perspective, they can see we are investing in them, as they are an important part of our team. Any new ideas are shared with the rest of the management team and if we can see a business benefit, then we will proceed to implement them. 4. What future topics would you like the YSN to cover for your employee? I think an interesting topic might be, how does a company set their target unit rates? And how can the employees handle price objections?