With growing competition in a growing area, managers at Northwind Self Storage in Warren County say it’s their connection with customers and the community that keeps business booming.

New customers are moving items into one of Northwind’s two locations on the North Service Road almost every day, said facility manager Tyler Melvin. With competing storage facilities regularly opening and seeking that business, Melvin said Northwind’s focus on the customer experience has helped set the company apart.

“Our slogans are ‘Earning your business, one box at a time,’ and ‘storage you trust, from people you trust!” Melvin said.

Since taking over management last November, Melvin said he and his mother, Nikki, have worked with customer feedback to make services more organized, efficient and appealing. That includes major things like regular, friendly communications with customers behind on rent, to minor things like making sure units are spotless before a new customer moves in.

“A part of customer service is taking what people tell us into consideration and actually doing something about it,” Melvin commented. “Even when puddling of water (on the concrete) was an issue at one point ... we immediately got that taken care of.”

In other words, the business makes a point of being “active problem solvers,” Melvin said.

With so many new customers renting storage units, occupancy has consistently been above 85% even with new units getting built, he said. And that new construction has benefits for existing customers, too, as Northwind adds more security cameras to its facilities that are already protected by fencing and monitoring.

Another big driver bringing customers into Northwind is that the managers are putting special effort into to making their business known to the community. They saw their first big boom this year in January after advertising a special deal through social media and community partners like the Warren County Record. 

“We’ve taken the initiative to look for marketing partners such as the Warren County Record, and putting the emphasis on advertising locally and working with local businesses,” Melvin said. “Forward Signs and Apparel, Warren County Record and Montgomery Standard are our major partnerships locally.”

But at the end of the day, as with any business, the most important relationship Northwind has is the personal interaction with its customers. Melvin said he gets to be one of the first people to welcome new residents to the area if they need to put some items in storage during their move.

“It seems like a lot of people are moving out this way. They’ll tell you their story when they call. That’s one of the cool parts: You can get to know a person, a little bit.”