You will never think of the storage industry as mundane ever again after meeting the local managers of Compass Self Storage on Bruce B Downs in north Tampa.
Its trio of managers, Jeremy Jones, Gus Maragliano and Christina Jacome, excitedly spout all the reasons why Compass is the best place to securely store your items and the best place to work.
“We’re a different kind of storage place — one where we help people find the best storage solution for their needs,” said Gus, Florida District Manager. “I’ve worked for this company since 1991 and wouldn’t still be here if we didn’t treat our customers and employees right.”
Compass Self Storage is new to Tampa. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, its parent company has been in operation since 1928, first as a construction company and now with a focus on real estate holdings. Its Compass Self Storage brand has 33 locations east of the Mississippi, including nine communities in Florida.
Compass entered the Tampa market in 2007, first by buying a multi-level storage facility in Lutz on north Dale Mabry just south of County Line Road. Its second purchase was the Bruce B Downs facility just north of Bearss Avenue.
“This location is great because of our proximity to Tampa Palms and other New Tampa communities,” said store manager Jeremy. “Plus, we’re in the midst of USF student housing and the medical community at Florida Hospital, Haley’s Veteran Hospital and Moffitt Cancer Center.”
Unique to the New Tampa location is an official US Post Office in the lobby of its front office, with pick up twice a day for outgoing mail.
“The post office is a super convenience for our customers as well as the surrounding community,” said Jeremy. Another unique service is Penske Truck rentals.
“Because we have so many students in the area, truck rentals are always in demand,” said Jeremy. “Penske’s central reservation system allows people to reserve and pay for a truck on line, which students love.”
About 40 percent of the 650 units at the New Tampa location are rented by nearby families and students, said Jeremy. The business community, especially medical services, rents another 40 percent of the units and the balance go to people needing storage because they are moving or in-between moves.
Occupancy at Compass Self Storage is always high, usually more than 90 percent, because its staff is genuinely focused on customer service and helping people find the best solu- tion to their storage problem.
“This is a tough business to be in and we go to great length to serve our customers to make the process of renting a unit as affordable and easy as possible,” said Gus. “The staff has a great time working here and it really shows. They love what they do and love helping customers.”
Every unit at Compass Self Storage is climate controlled and located inside the building behind a high- security wall. The property is clean and well maintained, something that is not always found in the self-storage industry.
Security is a huge concern in storage, and Compass provides the highest level with 24-hour surveillance and 16 perimeter cameras.
“One of the first things we did after buying the New Tampa location was to add more security and become involved in the community,” said Christina, marketing manager for Compass’ Tampa facilities.
Compass Self Storage is a member of three chambers of commerce — Central Pasco, New Tampa and Temple Terrace. Christina and the other managers are active members of threes groups and other service organizations. On a corporate level, Compass Self Storage supports the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and recently raised $20,000 for the charity.
Visit Compass Self Storage at 14529 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Tampa. Call them at (813) 280-5011, or visit them online at CompassSelfStorage.com.
This story was written by the advertising department.
