Tag: Dino’s Storage

How the self-storage can be the best option close to the Amazon fulfillment center

New Amazon fulfillment center is coming at Bondurant, Iowa with a characteristic of a warehouse. The facility will be used as a place that stores products but also for packing and picking up. Amazon fulfillment center does have storage to be used for its own business, but it only keeps the product when it is in transit. There are tons of ways for sellers and buyers to use self-storage units near the Amazon fulfillment center.

Sellers can use the storage units to store their product that frequently goes through the fulfillment center for the transit to the customers. For example, if you sell lots of appliances that consume your personal space but you still want to keep them at someplace before it goes to the fulfillment center, the storage unit nearby will be the perfect option. You can have 24 hours access so that you can manage your products anytime you want.

Buyers who buy things periodically from Amazon but if they don’t want it in their personal house or property, here it is! A storage unit near the fulfillment center can be the best choice to store items you buy before you actually use it. It is going to be very convenient to pick up from the Amazon fulfillment distribution center and manage it anytime you want.

It is so exciting to see the Amazon fulfillment center is building up their facility. Remember, having a personal storage unit that is very close to the Amazon fulfillment center can be an upgrade to your consuming process.

Omaha Is ‘Berkshire Hathaway’ City This Weekend

Berkshire Hathaway, the giant conglomerate of American consumer goods, is celebrating its 50th stockholders meeting in Omaha this weekend. Some 40,000 people are expected in town to hear the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffet, expound on the company and the stock market and the economy in general.

And those swarms of folks are filling area hotels to capacity. Dozens of homes are masquerading as B&Bs through Airbnb this weekend at Buffet’s request. He reached out to the community to help alleviate the lack of available hotel rooms.

BerkshireMeetingThe stockholders come to this Woodstock for capitalists every year, but this time the crowds are even larger than usual. So much so that shopping and window shopping Berkshire Hathaway companies at the CenturyLink Center has been expanded to a two-day affair for the first time.

Exhibitors from the family of Berkshire companies range from Acme Brick Company to World Book and include, to name a few, Coca-Cola, BNSF Railway, H.J. Heinz, Geico, Fruit of the Loom, Dairy Queen, Justin Brands, Mars/Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., Netjets, Oriental Trading, The Pampered Shef, Wells Fargo and See’s Candies.

Berkshire’s Nebraska Furniture Mart brought extra staff in from the Kansas City store to help handle the huge crowds. There are planned events at the Furniture Mart and at Berkshire’s Borsheims store at Regency Court in addition to Saturday’s stockholders meeting at CenturyLink. The events include a giant cocktail reception at Regency Court on Friday, a picnic at the Furniture Mart on Saturday evening, and brunch at Borsheim’s on Sunday.

Shareholder also can take advantages of discounts the Furniture Mart in Omaha and at Borsheims.

Omaha’s restaurants, hotels, drinking establishments, rental car companies, and scores of other businesses will reap millions of dollars in sales during the annual event.

Dino’s Storage joins with all of Omaha in welcoming the stockholders and congratulating Berkshire Hathaway on its 50 years of profitable partnership.

Caring for the Elderly

After the last 10 days caring for my elderly father, I realized that I never thought this would happen. Growing up my father was a strong person who could care for himself. He was there when we needed help at the farm, mowing the fields, fixing fences, rebuilding a stall and even fixing the tractor. He could do it all. To see what has happened to him the last 10 days is very difficult. He cannot walk on his own without help. We have to help him get in and out of bed. Help him get to the restroom. Help him get dressed. We have to make sure he takes his medication or he will take too much. Last week he took to many pills and he fell numerous times. His mind is not the best anymore. You have to keep telling him, “Don’t try to get up on your own.” but he wants to be independent. The last fall he hurt his leg and ankle. So now that has become a problem.  I never thought this would happen and it is a huge wake up. He always took care of us and now we take care of him. We will see what the next few weeks bring and hope for things to improve. He loves his home and wants to stay there, so we need to do our best. The reason I am telling you this is to appreciate your parents and don’t take them for granted. Help them like they helped you all your life. And remember it is not a burden, it is a privilege and the right thing to do.

Dino’s Storage shares Top 11 Facts About Bullying in Our Kids Schools

1)  Over 3.2 million students are victims of bullying each year.
2)  1 in 4 teachers see nothing wrong with bullying and will only intervene 4% of the time.
3)  Approximately 160,000 teens skip school everyday because of bullying.
4)  1 in 7 students in K-12 is either a bully or a victim of bullying.
5)  56% of students have personally witnessed some type of bullying at school.
6)  Over two-thirds of students believe that schools respond poorly to bullying, with a high percentage of students believing that adult help
is infrequent and ineffective.
7)  71% of students report incidents of bullying as a problem at their school.
8)  90% of 4th through 8th graders report being victims of bullying.
9)  1 out 10 students drop out of school because of repeat bullying.
10)  Harassment and bullying have been linked to 75% of school-shooting incidents.
11)  Physical bullying increases in elementary school, peaks in middle school and declines in high school.
Verbal abuse, however, remains constant.

TO SEE WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP YOUR SCHOOLS WITH BULLYING AND OTHER ISSUES GO TO:  www.dosomething.org

 

 

 

 

Storing Responsibly with Dino’s Storage.

The managers at Dino’s Storage take great pride in providing our customers with a wonderful facility to store their belongings.  We walk our properties daily to ensure every unit is locked properly, all the lights are functioning, we provide routine landscape care and pest control and we keep our isles, hallways, elevators,  loading areas, offices and outside property tidy.  Through all of our diligent efforts to provide a safe and secure home for your items, it is also up to the customer to ensure they are not storing items that would attract pest or bring harm to the facility and other customers.

Here in the Midwest we experience an array of different weather types and just like you or I, certain pests would rather harbor in luxury than brave the humidity or below zero temperatures.  We have every customer initial stating that they will not be storing flammable, explosive, hazardous, perishable, living, illegal or contraband items in their unit but it is up to every customer to honestly follow this rule and it is hard for managers to sort out a violator once the customer has moved in and locked the unit door.

I would like to share a few helpful tips that will help you to have a pleasant storage experience:

We do not allow customers to smoke on the property but occasionally someone will drive up to their unit with a lit cigarette in hand, thus the reason we ask that you do not store anything flammable, explosive or tires.   This reminds me of a facility in Arizona a few years ago, someone decided to toss a lit cigarette and it set a spark to a unit, the unit was full of tires (which are highly flammable) and shortly after the whole facility was engulfed in flames.  As you can imagine this was a very devastating time for not only the property owners but all the innocent storage customers as well, all due to the negligence of a couple of customers that didn’t follow the rules to help ensure the safety of the whole property.

  • We ask that should you need to put items like lawnmowers, ATVs or any items requiring gasoline into storage, please drain the gas out as much as possible.
  • Do not store new or used tires in the unit unless they are attached to a vehicle.
  • Items such as spray paint, gallons of paint or flammable cleaning products should also not be placed in the storage unit.
  • And most importantly, DO NOT SMOKE on the property and put the whole facility in danger.

Many customers will pack up their whole home and move it into storage during times of transition, and when I say whole home, I mean they store not only clothes, beds and furniture but they also will clean out their kitchen cupboards and place food inside the unit.  A lot of time people will not stop to think about the perishable items and the potential mayhem it could cause inside their unit.

  • Please do not store food inside your unit as it could cause a potential outbreak of cockroaches or even attract mice into your unit.  Again, no matter how diligent management is in providing pest control, it is up to the customer to store smart.  As we all know, cockroaches and mice breed quickly and both are hard to control once an outbreak occurs.**If you have food items to remove from your home during a move, consider donating them to a food bank, neighbor or friend but please do not place them into storage during your transition**
  • Even if you are in a hurry to move, please take time to wash your clothes and pack them away in plastic totes.  This way you will have fresh clothing when you pull them out of storage and you also reduce the risk of bringing in any type of bugs that could have possibly been attracted to your clothes/bedding before the move.  Storing material items in plastic totes will also prevent mice from chewing through your boxes and bags to snuggle up next to your favorite sweater.
  • Often people will relax in their favorite chair or sofa with a bowl or popcorn or other snack while watching a movie and there is the potential of little crumbs falling between the cushion.  Please take the time to vacuum your furniture before bringing it to storage as these little crumbs could also attract unwanted pests.  This goes for mattresses as well.  Most Dino’s Storage locations sell mattress bags and sofa/chair covers and we recommend you wrap your items in plastic not only to detract pests but to also reduce dust collecting on your items over a long period of time.
  • If you are storing your items in bags or boxes, you might also consider lining the unit floor with pallets and then start moving your items into storage.  You could also take extra precaution by placing mouse traps or cockroach bait around your unit, to provide a little extra safety of your belongings.
  • If you are able, visit your storage unit monthly to look for signs or unwanted pests…chances are good that your items are just how you left them but it never hurts to check in.

You may think that it is obviously not the best idea to store living items in a unit but I have seen it happen.  I have had to evict a tenant for attempting to reside in his unit and I have also had to extract a kitten from inside a unit.  Not only is it against the rules to storage yourself or any living creature in a unit but it is also inhumane and a cause of health concern to the whole facility.  Real plants are also not proper to store in a unit as they do not obtain proper sunshine or water and die which leads to dead foliage and bugs.

This brings me to the final point; illegal or contraband items.  Not only is it illegal to be in possession of these items outside a storage facility but we do not want this type of activity inside our facilities either.  The first facility that I ever managed was in Tucson, AZ just off the highway to Mexico.  It was a nice new facility but I was involved with the city drug task force and had drug sniffing dogs come through the facility at random to check the property.  Placing a gun in a storage unit is also not allowed.  Should you forfeit your unit to an auction or in the possible rare instance your unit is broken into, you risk your registered firearm being in the possession of another person, so please keep them in a locked safe and not in storage.

Please also remember that your storage facility is not responsible for the safety and security of your property, you are.  We do offer optional insurance coverage if you do not have your own.  Hopefully this post has given you insight to helpful storage tips and the reasoning behind our rules as we want  you have the most pleasant storage experience possible!!

Dino’s Storage visits Winnipeg when it is colder than Mars!

Our Owner and Operations Manager made a recent trip to our location in Winnipeg, Canada to welcome our newest manager to Dino’s team, Cyrena Syrowitz. While visiting the weather was frigged, according to the Curiosity Rover, Mars reached a maximum temperature of -29 C on Tuesday, a temperature Winnipeg only reached shortly before 3 p.m.

In Winnipeg, the daytime high temperature for Tuesday was only expected to reach –31 C, but the windchill made it feel more like –40 to –50. That means exposed skin can freeze in less than five minutes. On Monday, it got as warm as –28 C.

 

 

 

Dino’s Storage in Omaha is celebrating an employee’s birthday!

    Hello all Dino’s Storage customers and prospects! My name is Sarah Hill and today is my birthday! I have been with Dino’s Storage since August as the Operations Manager’s Assistant. Jena Erickson is the Operations Manager’s and she was so thoughtful and brought in cupcakes for the office today.The Dino’s Storage staff is made up of really amazing people.This is the first time EVER that I have truly loved doing my job.

If there is anything that we can do here at Dino’s Storage to help make your day any easier please let us know! You can reach me at Sarah@dinosstorage.com.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Self Storage for Businesses

Most people think that storage facilities are only used for individuals storing personal items. I hear this often when business owners call to ask about storage options, storage units for businesses big or small are a great way to save money and space. Prime example here at Cedardale; I have several businesses who store seasonal items, items needing archived, and especially now with the overflow of holiday items they do not have room for. Utilizing space in a business is important so remember that Self Storage for businesses is very common and a great way to help your business grow.

Storage Auctions

Storage auctions have increased in popularity over the last decade due to the various TV shows. If a lessee defaults on the payments, the storage facility has the right to legally auction the items in the unit. Dino’s Storage holds auction every month for units in default for non payment or abandonment. There will typically be between 15-25 attendees and while there are regular bidders, we do occasionally have new people that attend our auctions or call to inquire about the auctions. I would like to take this opportunity to share a few of the more common questions that are asked by storage auction attendees.

The most frequent question is, “How many units do you have?” That varies from facility to facility. I typically will have 3-5 units on a monthly basis that default into the auction process, whereas, another of our Des Moines locations rarely has any units for sale. The lessee that has defaulted technically has up to the time of auction to settle their debt and reclaim the unit, so it would be best to call the property the day of the auction and ask the manager how many units they anticipate selling.

Next, we get asked “What size units are you selling?” Again, that varies month to month and most managers will announce the unit size just as the door opens before bidding starts. We have units ranging from 5×5 all the way up to 10×30. And it is hard to judge by size alone until we open the door for you to peak in. I have auctioned a 10×20 unit with only a couple items, then turned around an auctioned a 5×10 that was packed to the brim.

A lot of people will ask, “Do you have anything good today?” This question really is a matter of perception. What I think is “good” might be completely different from what yours is. Or perhaps you are looking for something in particular or have a certain taste in style. I have been a storage manager for 5 years and I have seen many auctions. I have seen buyers come out way ahead and I have also seen buyers bust on a purchase. Since you can not see what is in every box or bag, buying units is often a surprise and you take the good with the bad.

For those of you that have attended a live storage auction or have at the least seen the process on TV, you know that we open the door and give you a few minutes to view that unit without touch anything or going into the unit before the bidding starts. I have had people ask me if we sell individual items out of the unit and that would honestly take all day in most cases, so no, we sell the unit as a whole.

That brings me to the next question, “How long do we have to clean out the unit?” The Des Moines auctions are usually held on the last Friday of the month and we will give the buyer 24 hour access to remove all the items by Monday morning or we will be happy to lease the unit to the buyer if more time is needed.

I try to keep my comments to a minimum during the auction process to ensure everyone is playing on an even field. Of course you will have the regular bidders that come every month and know a little more about bidding, winning and re-selling the units but we also have new bidders or people that just come out to see what storage auctions are all about, but everyone deserves a fair shot at winning a unit. So, if you are a small business owner that buys units regularly or a first time bidder, bring your credit card and try your luck at one of our storage auctions…Happy Bidding!!

The Power of Volunteering

 As the seasons are changing, the days are getting colder, the holidays are approaching, and we need to step back and look at those that are in need during these times. I have had the pleasure of volunteering at Des Moines Homeless Shelters and Services in the past and during the holidays. Being a volunteer is one of the most fulfilling experiences I have had and seeing the look on the faces I have helped is priceless.

Whether it is going to a nursing home and spending some time with the elderly, visiting children at the Children’s Hospital, working at the soup kitchen, or even just donating items to a shelter can help. Sharing your time and talents as a volunteer can bring happiness to those around you and to your own soul.

Some places to volunteer in Des Moines, Iowa are:

Central Iowa Shelter & Services
Amy Olson, VISTA Program & Volunteer Coordinator
515-284-5719
volunteer@centraliowashelter.org

Youth Emergency Services and Shelter
Jana Daisy, Community Activities Manager
515-282-9377
daisyj@yessiowa.org

Hope Ministries
515-265-7272
info@hopeiowa.org

Hawthorn Hill
515-243-7456
Brittany@hawthorn-hill.org

As Mother Teresa states, “Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely, and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work.”