Women In Self-Storage SkilCheck’s other services include facility
auditing, feasibility studies, and employee training. As one of the industry’s leading auditors, Mixon has audited thousands of self-storage facilities. “There aren’t many people who specialize in audits in the self-storage industry,” she points out. “It’s detailed work.”
Occasionally men have questioned her
knowledge, or preferred to work with her ex-husband, but she has always stood her ground. Mixon recalls a time when a man apologized for his distrust in her 20 years after the incident. “He admitted that he grudgingly listened to my advice, and I made him a rich man.” To that end, she tells her daughter and other women: “It’s still a man’s world. Do your best and don’t back down. Stand up for your beliefs and be exceptional at what you do.”
Mixon always followed that advice when developing, owning, and operating
self-storage facilities; she’s overseen more than 200 in nine different states since the 1980s. One of her “pet proj- ects” was converting World War II ammunition bunkers in Waikele, Hawaii, into a profitable storage business. Mixon painted the 33 bunkers battleship gray and named them after naval ships to help customers navigate the exceptional site. Each bunker also features signage with historical information about the ship it’s named after. Although Mixon was disappointed that the project didn’t win a Facility of the Year award, she was proud of the creativity she poured into the property and enamored with its uniqueness. When she and Thomas Krendl divorced in 2014, they sold the facility, which also includes 690 units, to Pam Domingue, owner of Storage Solutions. Mixon adds that she was glad a prominent woman of Hawaiian heri- tage within the industry had purchased Waikele Self Storage.
A Fount Of Knowledge Over the years, Mixon has become a well- respected industry expert in self-storage auditing, phone sales, facility manage- ment, feasibility studies, employee training, and everything in between. But she’s also helped shape the industry and educate its members. Along with Bill Hobin and other prominent storage owners, Mixon founded the California Self Storage Asso- ciation (CASSA) in 1994; she served on the CASSA board of directors for seven years. She’s been active in the national Self Stor- age Association (SSA) for more than 20 years, utilizing her degree to assist with the education and membership committees. Mixon has served as president of the SSA’s Western Region, director on the SSA Board for over 10 years, and a member of its exec- utive committee from 1998 to 2001. Most recently, she was elected as the secretary of the Arizona Self-Storage Association; she’s also served on its board of directors and as the chair of the education committee.
Speaking of educating the industry,
Mixon has written more than a hundred articles for self-storage magazines; at least 12 industry-related manuals, including an Operations and Policy Manual sold by the SSA; and Self-Storage Auditing for Fraud, a book published by Mini-Storage Messenger that includes sample letters and checklists. Humorous stories from her diverse auditing experiences keep the material from “being dry” while teaching priceless lessons about identifying and catching fraud.
Moreover, as a frequent educational
speaker at industry events, she has “trav- eled the world to teach others about storage.” Mixon says, “It’s nice to contribute and help others.”
While she has yet to win an industry
award, Mixon has her eye on the prize, particularly the pioneer award. “I’m shoot- ing for that,” she says. In the meantime, she is content to keep working, educating, and writing—perhaps she’ll even pen a romance novel.
Erica Shatzer is the editor of Mini-Storage Messenger, Self-Storage Now!, Self-Storage Canada, and the annual Self-Storage Almanac.
12 August 2023 •
MiniStorageMessenger.com
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