When it comes to keeping your personal items safe, Fortress-Secure Mini-Storage in Santa Maria is one protector with staying power, celebrating its milestone 10th anniversary on Jan. 2.
“I can’t believe it,” said managing general partner Todd Plastino. “It’s gone by fast.”
Founded by Todd and his father Robert in 2002, the Santa Maria location expanded on the company’s home base in Arroyo Grande. When it opened, the facility was one of few in town like it, but the market has changed since then, Plastino said.
“At the time there was a real need for storage in Santa Maria, so we went ahead and built the facility,” he explained. “Then, everybody else got that great idea.”
After a decade in existence, Fortress-Secure now serves about 525 customers in Santa Maria. Plastino credited the facility’s “huge amount” of return business with allowing the company to not just survive, but also thrive, in a down economy. Besides treating their customers as they’d like to be treated, Plastino said what keeps people coming back is their low prices and lack of hidden costs—such as signup and administration fees—plus extras other facilities don’t have.
“We prorate the rent when people move out so if you use half a month’s rent, we give you back the difference,” Plastino said. “It’s not something you think about when you move in, but it’s definitely something you think about when you move out and receive a check for $45 or $50, especially at times like this.”
Storage units are available ranging from 25 to 250 square feet, with alarms on every door, TV surveillance, and 24-hour video recording of the premises, as well as an on-site resident manager, so you know your belongings are being watched at all times.
Fortress-Secure also runs specials all the time. Currently, they’re offering a free truck rental at Penske or Budget with the purchase of a 10-by-10-foot storage room or larger, a free month’s rent on all self-storage units, and a complimentary disc lock. Additionally, as an anniversary special, customers will receive free packing supplies with each rental until the end of January.
Fortress Secure Self-Storage is at 1281 Furukawa Way in Santa Maria. Office hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. The office is closed on Sunday.
For more information, visit fsmstorage.com or call 922-7000.
Highlights
• International real estate investment and services firm Kennedy Wilson announced the $42 million acquisition of La Vista Apartments, a 460-unit complex in Santa Maria.
La Vista, at 740 S. Western Ave., is the largest multifamily community in Santa Maria, consisting of studios, lofts, and one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartment homes.
Kennedy Wilson, together with its partners, has acquired about $5.1 billion of real estate and real estate secured debt since the beginning of 2010, according to the company. The estimated value of the company’s total assets is more than $12 billion.
• The California Employment Development Department on Dec. 16 announced the unemployment rate in Santa Barbara County fell in November to 8.2 percent, down from the 8.6 percent recorded the previous month. The figures compare favorably with the state’s unadjusted unemployment rate of 10.9 percent, and were the same as the rest of the nation over the same period.
Lompoc remained the city with the highest unemployment rate in the county in November—at 14.5 percent—followed by Guadalupe at 14 percent. Santa Maria’s unemployment rate was 12.8 percent in November.
Biz Spotlight/Highlights are written and compiled by Staff Writer Jeremy Thomas. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, e-mail, or mail.
This article appears in Dec 22-29, 2011.