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New Michigan Lien Law Now in Effect!
With a stroke of her pen, Governor Granholm signed into law Public Act 177 of 2009 on December 16, 2009. This amends the Michigan Lien Law and has a new process, thus saving the self storage industry thousands of dollars in the future.
SSAM President, Jon Hutto reported, "The SSAM Board of Directors worked very hard over the last year. If the act was going to change how we handle active military personnel , the board felt we needed to update the notification process. Apparently, through our hard work the Michigan Legislature agreed with us."
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Attention members!
We need your help, and are willing to pay for it!
As recently approved by the SSAM Board of Directors … for each company that becomes an SSAM member that was referred by you, SSAM will send you $50 for your assistance in helping to make SSAM grow. These members can be fellow self storage owners, your suppliers (locks, doors, building materials, builders, and computer software) or your insurance person, your accountant or your broker/banker. Download the referral form today!
Please Save the date
SSAM Spring Seminar
Featuring the Statistical Surveys Program and a presentation
on the USDA Rural Development Commercial Loan Guarantee Program
8:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Okemos Conference Center
Okemos, MI
registration form
2009-2010 SSAM Board of Directors elected
The membership of SSAM has elected the following members to serve the membership. Elected for a two-year term were: Maurice Pogoda, Pogoda Companies; Jon Hutto, Hutto Investments; and Theresa Leonard, Northern Self Storage. Elected for a one-year term were: Dan Morris, Chelsea Self Storage; Chad Lundberg, The Storage Group; Richard Alwood, Charlotte Mini Storage; and Karl Jones, Wells Fargo. The election of officers will take place at the first meeting of the new Board on Tuesday, August 11th at the Association office starting at 10 a.m. As always members are invited to attend.
MRA credit card processing program
Michigan Retailers Association is excited to be partnering with SSAM as the credit card processor for the association. As the largest and most established independent processor in Michigan, MRA provides one of the lowest discount rates and service all major credit and debit cards: Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express. MRA are the processing experts! To send in your statement and receive a free quote to see how much your business can save, download a “Quick Quote” form or contact Darcy Clark at (800)366-3699.
ID Theft Rule Goes into Effect May 1
New federal rules issued by the Federal Trade Commission and bank regulators go into effect May 1 and will cause financial institutions and other creditors to look closely for identity theft. The rules are commonly referred to as the “red flag” rules. Because storage centers are often involved in the loan process for their buyers and community owners act as a form of creditor as a landlord, the consensus with industry attorneys is that the red flag rules apply to storage centers.
Charging extra for credit cards?
By John Mayleben, Michigan Retailers Association
I have spoken recently to a number of merchants about the various ways that someone might pass along the cost of processing an electronic transaction to the end-user. While I am sure that most of us, as consumers, have seen signs at a merchant location or on a website or been told that there is an up-charge for using a credit card to purchase goods or services, this issue is a very complex one.
An Open letter to the Self Storage Industry
By Maurice Pogoda, Pogoda Companies
On Saturday, April 25, 2009, my wife and I were seeing a Broadway play when, during intermission, I checked my cell phone and had an urgent message from my VP of Operations, Tom Berlin, to call him ASAP. When I reached him, he informed me that one of our Michigan properties had been devastated by severe storm winds that topped out at 90 mile per hour. He didn’t know the exact details, but he thought that we had “lost” several buildings.
Standard rental agreement forms are now available!
The Self-Storage Association of Michigan has created a standard rental agreement form specifically for our Michigan members to use in their self-storage businesses. The SSAM Rental Agreement was created by Attorney William Perrone of Dykema, with input from SSAM members and the SSAM Board of Directors. The agreement was designed to protect you and your business, and limit liabilities.
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SSAM creates blog for membership
The Self Storage Association of Michigan has started a blog for its membership to interact with each other. By now, you’ve probably heard of a “blog” but may still be unclear about what it is. A blog is a type of web site, similar to an online journal, that’s maintained by an individual or group of individuals. Blogs can be an effective, interactive way for groups of people with a common interest to communicate and share ideas.
We need your opinion!
The
association is asking all SSAM members to help us to better understand how the
Michigan Business Tax affects their businesses. Please take a few minutes to
complete this survey, and fax to 586.752.6539.
Does your business need a web site?
Download and view the slideshow presentation by All Seasons Communications at the 2009 Spring Meetings
Have you reviewed your web site listing?
As an SSAM member, your business is listed for FREE in the membership directory of www.selfstoragemichigan.org. Your listing includes a searchable checklist of features, as well as a brief paragraph that lists your hours, directions, and additional features.
Interested in SSAM Sponsorship Opportunities?
The Self-Storage Association of Michigan offers two sponsorship opportunities designed to build name recognition, brand loyalty, reach new customers and sell your products and services to other SSAM members. Whether you are looking to boost sales, bolster awareness or increase client loyalty, SSAM provides the context and credibility for effective business-to-business relationship marketing. Download information sheet here.
Web site advertising opportunities now available
As an SSAM member, you have the opportunity to advertise your business on the SSAM web site. Depending on your type of business and your desired customer, you may choose to advertise to consumers with an ad on the main section of the site, or you may reach member businesses by placing an ad within the member section of the site. If desired, you may advertise within both sections. Rates are just $50 per month! Download information sheet here.
Managing for Dollars: Getting Some Storage Muscle
Self-storage can be a lonely business. The industry is comprised of many owners and operators who have a single location or handful of stores. Frequently, the site manager works by himself or with a very small team, and he may only see the owner or supervisor a few times a month, if that. And as people with an entrepreneurial spirit, facility managers are more of an "I can figure it out myself " personality type than one who asks for help.
SSAM is officially affiliated with the national association
As unanimously approved by the Board of Directors at its December meeting, Michigan is now affiliated with the national SSA. You should be receiving their Monday Morning Memo to your computer and you will be receiving shortly their monthly Globe Magazine.
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