eKourier Jan 2017

Kennards Kourier Civil Disobedience ‘Shame’ Worn With Pride

January 2017

A nybody doubting the the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA). This taxpayer-

tax the efforts of enterprise. If the government was serious about tackling productivity it would get out of our way – it would abolish the WGEA and the abundance of other regulations that hinder us. I want the best outcomes for my business and believe that good performance should be encouraged and rewarded, irrespective of sex. We are conscious of HR shortcomings, appreciate the challenges and work to overcome them. I would like to add, that as a dad to three girls I am a huge advocate for the success of women, and have long been pleased to see the increasing number of non-taxpayer funded advocates for the success of women -- which further emphasises this is an area the government does not need to participate in. Being “named” by the WGEA is a badge of honour, and we should encourage (and celebrate) others to get on board the civil disobedience wagon. To read full article go here: http://www.news.com. au/finance/work/leaders/ storage-king-hits-out- at-gender-cop/news-story/3 ee47ce70d9e8a698bf129cc 84c4e259 Sam Kennard Managing Director

ludicrous level of govern- ment meddling in business need look no further than

‘ My company does not discriminate for race, age, sex or religion funded generator of needless red tape requires businesses with more than 100 employees to complete annual paperwork delving into gender ratios and salaries. It then publicly ‘names and shames’ companies that don’t complete that paperwork (including mine, as noted in recent media). My company does not discriminate for race, age, sex or religion. If someone has a good attitude, is not afraid of work and willing to learn, they’re a starter in our view. Let me say too, this is not a particularly profound or enlightened perspective – it is just common sense and good for business. But we do discriminate against time-wasting bureaucracies. The WGEA is a prime example of unnecessary government intrusion, and my business has much more productive endeavours to pursue than filling out paperwork for government agencies like the WGEA. We are challenged enough to make our business better, to give customers a better experience and to operate efficiently without distractions like this. While politicians and economists lament the declining productivity in our economy, it is exactly this red tape and the imposts of these bureaucracies that

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1 Kennards Kourier Jan 2017

WHO’S WHO

Team Member Profiles

In this issue Civil Disobedience

1

Michael Katalinic Centre Manager - Wetherill Park NSW

Team Member Profiles

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10 Questions with...

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Career background: Store Manager, Door-to-Door Sales and Salesperson. Marital Status: Long-term relationship (but legally single!) Any children? Not Yet! Hobbies/interests: I enjoy writing short stories. Huge Parra Eels fan. Love Cricket, Soccer, Basketball and NFL. Big video game player and love to go for walks. Do you play any sport or have any special talents? I used to play Soccer and Rugby League. Favourite book/s: Fatherland by Robert Harris Favourite movie: American History X

Kennards Expands in Western Sydney

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2016 Financial Update

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Customer Feedback

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Handling Customer Complaints

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2016 Rating Success Story

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First Impressions Count

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Shaken Not Stirred 9 KSS Christmas Celebrations 10-13 USA Study Tour 14-15 Full Steam Ahead in Training... 15 2017 Construction Pipeline 16 Spotlight On... 17 A Life Changing Experience... 18 Nev’s Notes 19 Kennards Community 20

Next issue Deadline: March 17th, 2017 Editor: Sharon Dux Email: sharon@kss.com.au Distribution: April 13th, 2017

Favourite restaurant/food: Nick’s Seafood Restaurant Where did you grow up? I was born in Baulkham Hills, then at the age of five moved to Holland, then Chile, then Finland, Spain and Barcelona. Returned to Australia in 2000. Any pets? I have in the past had Turtles, Bunnies, a mini Macaw and a Basset Hound, but nothing at the moment. Favourite holiday destinations: Champagne Bay, Vanuatu.

Upcoming events 26/1 - AUSTRALIA DAY (NSW/VIC/QLD/ACT/SA) PH Hours 30/1 - AUCKLAND ANNIVERSARY DAY- Mt Eden,Three Kings PH Hours, Tauranga Closed (NZ) 6/2- WAITANGI DAY - Mt Eden, Three Kings, Wellington PH Hours, All other NZ Centres closed (NZ) 13/3 - ADELAIDE CUP (SA) - PH Hours 13-3 - CANBERRA DAY (ACT) - PH Hours 14/3 - LABOUR DAY (VIC) - PH Hours 20 - 31/3 - Skillbuilder (NSW) 23 - 24/3 - Skillbuilder (Sunshine Region) (QLD) 28 - 30/3 - Skillbuilder (VIC) 24 - Daylight Savings Ends (NSW/VIC/ACT/SA/NZ)

Dennis Flack Centre Manager - Petersham NSW

Career background: Department Manager at

Woolworths for seven years, House Painter in Mudgee for eight years and a Functions Manager for six years. Marital Status: Single Any children? I have a daughter named Erica, lives with her mother in the country. Hobbies/interests: Going Do you play any sport or have any special talents? No, just the gym. Favourite book/s: Winnie The Pooh when I was younger. Favourite movie: Wentworth to the gym, beach walks, socialising with friends.

4 - 5/4 - Skillbuilder (NZ) 4 - 5/4 - Skillbuilder (QLD) 11 - 12/4 - Skillbuilder (SA) 14/4 - GOOD FRIDAY - KSS Closed

17/4 - EASTER MONDAY (NSW/VIC/QLD/ACT/SA) PH Hours. NZ - (Mt Eden, Three Kings, Wellington) PH Hours. All other NZ Centres closed (NZ)

Favourite restaurant/ food: Hungry Jacks Double Whopper! Where did you grow up? Mudgee NSW. Loved the country life it was great. Any pets? No pets. Favourite holiday destinations: Phuket, Thailand.

2 Kennards Kourier Jan 2017

WHO’S WHO

10 Questions... With Duncan Newington - Centre Manager, Tauranga NZ

What interests/hobbies do you have? We hear hunting is one of your favourites? I do love hunting. I hunted since I was a boy (My father was a professional Deer Hunter) but in recent times I have reverted to more family friendly activi- ties such as sailing and fishing and playing guitar. We have a 6 metre Farr 6000 Trailer-Sailer Yacht which we love going on holidays in to local lakes such as Lake Tarawera. We can spend up to a week on the yacht without needing reprovisioning and this Christmas we are towing the yacht to Auckland to cruise the great Hauraki Gulf. We hope to see Dolphins, Orca and fish lots. Tell us a bit about your family? I am married to Friederike and we have two lovely children; Eva, nearly 11 and Alec who is eight. I also have two grown up children; Ben, 31 and Alyce, 27. I have also been blessed with two beautiful grand-daughters; Layla who is four and Lori, two. Is there anything on the wish list for the future? We will need a bigger Trailer Yacht in the next couple of years as the kids continue to grow. Friederike wants to travel. Looks like I will be working FOREVER...

Achievement Dinner. How would you describe your journey with Kennards so far and what have been the highlights for you? I think it would be fair to say that I had a few rough edges that needed some ‘polishing off’. There have been a number of milestones since joining Kennards, but a couple of highlights in particular were attending PEP (thanks to all involved) and getting the Tauranga site to High Performance in December, 2014. What changes have you seen at KSS over your five years? Most noticeable is that our business in New Zealand has grown dramati- cally in the last five years both in square meterage (with the large Wellington site acquisition) and revenue growth due to improved economic/trading conditions. Also of note is our ongoing commitment to moving forward with technologies while retaining our ‘People’ focus, both internally (team) and externally (clients). What unusual storage items have you seen people store? My work colleague and Assistant Manager Calvin, pointed out recently that a number of our clients are paying to store nothing. Signing up for spaces and paying month by month yet have nothing stored in their units or out on their Open Car/Boat/Camper space.

What year did you start with Kennards Self Storage? I joined Kennards in July 2011 during the Global Financial Crisis. Tauranga occupancy was 63.4%. Andrew Kirkham, our NZ Operations Manager hoped I was up for the challenge of growing the site to High Occupancy. I don’t think either of us realised how challenging the next few years getting through the GFC were going to be, but five years on our Tauranga site is generating strong revenues for Kennards. What field of work were you in before this? I came to Kennards from the industrial recruitment sector where I was a Temp and Permanent Recruiter and OH&S Rep for the Bay of Plenty region for Tradestaff Recruitment. Prior to that I held various positions including owning and operating my own businesses. Have you always lived in Tauranga? No. Our family lived in Tauranga when I was a boy, but Dad moved the family to Auckland for work reasons. I finally escaped ‘the big smoke’ of Auckland about 13 years ago and after some overseas travel and marriage to my German wife Friederike, we returned to the Bay of Plenty to settle down and start our family. You were recently recognised for Five Years’ of Service at the Kennards

To sum up KSS in one word? FREEDOM.

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Kennards Kourier Jan 2017

FEATURES

Kennards Expands in Western Sydney

T he new Purpose Built St Marys centre is the 83rd centre to join the Kennards portfolio. St Marys is a Managed centre owned by the Baudinet’s who also own the Cardiff and Mayfield centres in the Newcastle Region.

The total lettable space is 5,776 square metres with 430 units available. There is a stage two building planned for the future and this will take the total units to approximately 550 and total lettable space to 7,200 square metres.

service from the tourism industry.

Steve and Tess both look forward to meeting all their new customers and seeing St Marys rent up.

Tony Vuong Operations Manager NSW

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The total Lettable space is 5,776 square metres with 430 units available

‘ The property offers 24 hour access and all of the usual state of the art features such as CCTV surveillance with 13 cameras and computer controlled P.I.N. access. Steve Fone is the Centre Manager and Tess Wilson the Assistant Manager. Steve has managed several Kennards centres including Hoxton Park, Campbelltown and recently Prospect. He is excited to take on this new challenge and introduce Kennards Self Storage to St Marys. Tess is new to Kennards but has fitted into her role like a glove. Tess’s background is in sales and customer

St Marys is located on the western side of Sydney. The centre slots in between our Prospect and Penrith centres and is part of the Penrith Council. The centre will cater for the growing population building in the Western Suburbs. Over the next 20 years it is expected that the population of St Marys will grow by 37%. The centre enjoys high visibility located on Christie Street, a busy thoroughfare also known as the “local rat run”. St Marys has a mix of drive up, ground floor and lift access units. The centre also has 12 Enterprise Spaces ranging from 50 to 100 square metres.

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Customer Feedback “I was in a rush to ring and get my business out of the way this morning when I telephoned Kennards in regards to my outstanding invoice (I apologise for the delays it has been very busy lately). However, the minute that my call was taken by Dianne, I found myself in a place we don’t go to often nowadays. I was glad to speak with Dianne, she made me feel that I was the only customer that you had in the whole of Kennards. Not that she wasted anytime in dealing with my call but it was in the way she did it that made me feel like a unique customer. It was so nice to speak with a real person and one that made the effort of showing how much Kennards values its customers. I know that you probably get many of these type of emails/ letters from customers and in partic- ular about Dianne’s customer service. However, that I am making time out of my busy schedule to type this email to her management is a testament to Dianne’s “customer service approach”. Dianne is a gem and you should use her to pass on her skills to any newcomer into Kennards. Well done to anyone in your Team that provided Dianne with her initial training and a great congratulations to Dianne for making my experience as a customer, one that I will use as a benchmark for other companies…including my own. Congratulations Dianne… you are an awesome Customer Service Officer.” “I rented a storage unit for six months, the staff were always helpful and there was always plenty of equipment to use to transport my equipment to the storage unit. I would highly recommend using these guys for storage. Furthermore the price they quoted was the price it was. Not like other storage companies. Kennards at Kingsgrove are truly trustworthy and highly recommendable.” “You guys are great to deal with. You make it easy and the team at Waterloo always helpful and friendly. I always return to using your services I never compare as you guys are the best.”

T he start of the financial year has had some interesting twists and turns. From a Storage Revenue point of view we are down on Budget by 2% and up on prior year by 5%. This is a positive outcome for Storage Income given the prior year growth was very strong. Expenses are generally tracking well, however we can try to control expenses in areas like electricity, cleaning, printing/ stationery and telephone Enquiries have dropped in total by 10% vs the same period the past year. A statistic for Sydney residents shows on average they used to move every 10 years and that has changed to every 25 years! Less moving means less need for storage space and merchandise. Given the drop in enquiries it is critical to convert each and every enquiry to ensure we don’t miss out on any potential customers. We have become aware of signifi- cant price reductions being offered by competitors and it is even more critical to promote the Kennards value add. ‘ ‘

Other Revenue is more of a concern showing a 10% reduction on prior year for merchandise and a 3% drop for Insurance Income. The drop in merchan- dise sales has only been experienced across Australia. NZ merchandise sales are still going well. To counteract this drop a Facebook campaign is underway as well as updates on the website to drive merchandise sales. This is an ongoing work in progress with more details to follow. Expenses are generally tracking well, however we can try to control expenses in areas like electricity, cleaning, printing/ stationery and telephone – every little bit assists. A saving of $50 at each centre every month delivers almost a $50k saving across the group in a full year. Our profit before tax and interest has grown a solid 6% over the prior year. Kennards profit as a percentage of revenue has improved 1% which indicates as a business we are becoming more efficient, a great reflection on all areas of the business. We have had some Team Member changes within the Finance Team and things are now beginning to settle down. We are keen to continue to deliver value add information in a timely manner to all our users both within KSS and externally. If there is anything you need support with, have a question or have an idea of where we could improve something or reduce costs, please get back to myself or anyone in the Finance Team From the Finance Team we would like to thank everyone for their ongoing support last year and wish everyone a great year ahead. Anthony Rous Chief Financial Officer

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FEATURES

G reat feedback can be buried within the vitriol of an upset customer making a complaint. Good or bad, we should give weight to every message that our customers give us. Often, a negative experience can be saved and turned into an opportunity, creating a raving fan. Being able to assess and address customer complaints is the key and an area we can all continue learning from. Solving a customer complaint isn’t always about who is right and who is wrong, it’s about being willing to make it right. Here are a few principles for doing just that. LISTEN TO UNDERSTAND First, always listen to the customer. Don’t listen to respond, avoid the temptation to respond in any quick fashion. Take the time to listen and truly understand what is driving their concern. This is especially important when dealing with hostile customers. Don’t assume that because they are behaving aggressively that their argument has no merit. Regardless of the customer’s behaviour, the complaint contains insight. EMPATHISE This is the place where customers can be won over. Avoid defending your position, because doing so will only inflame the situation further. As an alternative, once you have listened to their concern immedi- ately empathise with their position to create a bond between you and the customer so that they know you have heard their concern and are going to work with them to resolve the issue. It is tempting to dismiss complainers as grouchy or overly sensitive, but by doing this we dismiss genuine feedback. Even if you believe the customer is 99% wrong, there will always be one small piece of the puzzle that will help us grow and improve our business or service. DON’T BE PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE If you are thinking “this customer is so wrong”, your tone and body language will give you away, no matter what you say. Before you know it, your attempt to express regret comes off as dismissive, all thanks to a misuse of tone. Just say you’re sorry. Even when the customer is being unreasonable, apologise outright

OFFER A SOLUTION Offer a solution to their problem. In this regard, always focus on what you can do as opposed to what you cannot. There is always a solution. It may not be exactly what they are asking for, but if you focus on what you can do versus denying them their requested remedy you have still offered a solution and often merely having another option is sufficient to remedy the situation. CARP DIEM TO RESOLVE COMPLAINTS
 C ontrol - Control the situation. Don’t let matters get out of hand. Showing control over a situation instills confidence in the customer A cknowledge - Acknowledge the customer’s problem, and assure them you will take every step possible to take care of the issue R efocus - Refocus the situation by staying on track, and keeping it about the compliant. You can also use this time to find out exactly what issue the customer is having P roblem solve - Problem solve, or troubleshoot, to solve the customer’s problem. There’s a good reason to handle customer complaints effectively, two actually. The first is, if a customer receives bad customer service and the matter isn’t handled effectively, then it can have devastating consequences to the business’ reputation. Secondly, if you turn the matter around and handle it well, then you just may have a customer for life. You have effectively turned a tricky situation into a raving fan! Lynda Walsh Operations Manager NSW/SA

and ask how you might help resolve the issue. If you come across a lost cause, keep it friendly, keep it professional, and ask your Operations Manager for further assistance. THE RULE OF 7-38-55 In communication, a speaker’s words are only a very small piece of the discus- sion. The pitch and tone of your voice, the speed and rhythm of the spoken word, and the pauses between those words may express more than what is being communicated by words alone. Further, your gestures, posture, pose and expres- sions usually convey a variety of subtle signals. These non-verbal elements can present a listener with important clues to the speaker’s thoughts and feelings and thus substantiate or contradict the speaker’s words. What’s this mean? Rolling your eyes, taking a deep breath, pursed lips, lifted eyebrows, shaking of the head, hands on hips, raised voices, the attitude felt in your tone… You know what I mean because we have all made a complaint in our life that we felt went nowhere. My experience was purchasing a glass of wine. After realising the wine was off I took it back to the bar to ask for a fresh bottle to be opened. The waitress smelt the wine and said “Smells ok to me”, we disagreed for a minute before she said “If you’re saying it’s off, I guess I’ll have to open another bottle”, all the while rolling her eyes. So whilst I got a fresh glass of wine, I walked away unhappy and never returned.

Next time you make a complaint, take special notice of how you are treated.

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FEATURES

2016 Ratings Success Story T his year was the fourth consec- utive year of our Blaine and Amber radio campaign. Turning full circle Blaine and Amber returned to the Southern Cross Radio network where it all began back in 2013. prize. Imagine the game Memory. Listeners would have to tune in

to Triple M for the cue to call, and one listener nationally was selected to play. The caller was asked to pick two Storage units e.g. Number 20 and 14, if the prize

The SCR Network is Australia’s number One FM radio network with just over 3.5 million metro listeners tuning in each week and over 1.1 million users online. With a national presence the SCR Network is broadcasted in metro markets Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. They have 41 regional stream stations ensuring we capture every market where we have a Kennards locations in Australia. In addition to the Blaine and Amber story we were approach by Southern Cross Radio to take part in a major radio promotion theme “Paulie’s Estate” that ran for the month of July. PROMOTION CONCEPT Paulie Robinson (a fictitious character) was the biggest Triple M prize winner of all time, he sadly passed away. Paulie requested that all the prizes he had won, which were stored at Kennards self Storage were to be given away, again! To play for a part in the Estate, listeners had to download a playing grid from the Triple M website. The playing grids were numbered with Kennard’s Self Storage Units 1 to 30, and hidden behind each roller door was a

behind each roller door matched they won that prize! This happened five times a day from 9am-3pm AEST. Callers were pre-recorded then played out in each market following the “cue to call” going to air. The promotion was a great a success and provided Kennards with a fresh new branding along with greater reach and frequency establishing Kennards as the number one Brand in Self Storage for Triple M listeners. The promotion also ran online which included images of Paulie on site at a Kennards Self Storage location. Tthank you to the Springvale Team for facilitating the photo shoot. LISTENER SURVEY RESULTS Southern Cross Radio (Triple M) conducted a Campaign Effectiveness Study, a survey designed to determine the success of

promotion was very successful. Not only was it considered the best competi- tion Triple M respondents had heard on radio in the past month, it achieved the following; - 86% recalled the competition once prompted - Without being prompted, 54% associ- ated it with Kennards - Almost three in five respondents did something as a result of hearing Paulie’s Estate on air. - Those who recalled the competi- tion were more likely to consider using Kennards in the future for their storage needs. Triple M is considered the number one sport radio station on the FM network, mainly for the NRL using high profile sports commentators. Kennards Self Storage featured heavily in the live reads by the sports commentators and featured as part of the NRL sponsorship. The survey results strongly suggest the promotion was a success for SCR and Kennards Self Storage, greatly enhancing our Brand recognition. I also received many more comments this year from people I know, including employees from Storage King, who mentioned to me that all they hear on the radio is Kennards Self Storage. Storage King also advertises on Triple M SCR radio network. Planning is underway for our 2017 radio campaign, improving on 2016 is going to be hard to to . Darren Marshall General Manager

Paulie’s Estate promotion. This was achieved by testing the recall and likability by the listeners of the promotion itself and the brands associated with the competition.

IN SUMMARY Overall the Paulie’s Estate

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First Impressions Count

when speaking, especially when leaving a message and return telephone number. - Pronounce your name clearly and even spell it if needs be. - Let them know when to call you back . Especially when dealing with delinquents. Leave a date, office operational times and a preferred telephone number. - Do not leave long winded messages or people will just stop listening. Keep messages short and to the point. - If you don’t know the answer to a callers question acknowledge it. Never make up an answer or try to sound like you know the answer. However, be sure you do follow up and reply within an agreed time. Great telephone manners make people feel better about doing business with our company. Telephone Etiquette If you are out of the office for an extended period of time, make arrangements with a fellow Team Member to cover telephone duties. However, nothing is more frustrating if you need to question another Team Member who is cleaning around the centre or just out of the office, and they are unable to be contacted. Always carry the office mobile phone with you at all times. Always remember, that the telephone is equally as important as the person standing in front of you. When on the telephone be sure to acknowledge that person and let them know you will attend to them as soon as possible. Equally important is to capture all calls at Centre level, and not being reliant on our call diversions to CCC. CCC handle hundreds of calls a day and cannot be expected to answer all calls promptly and without a waiting time experienced by your centre’s callers. If you are dealing with a customer at the centre and the telephone begins to ring, the proper etiquette is to ask the customer politely if they wouldn’t mind if you took a moment to answer the telephone, then wait for a response. Most will appreciate the fact that you asked first, and tell you that it’s fine. Incidentally, don’t allow yourself to be intimidated on the telephone either; remain cool, collected, courteous and helpful. Taking things personally can be dangerous. Finally, who should hang up first? Let the person calling hang up first. Wayne Birch Operations Manager VIC

W e form opinions about people before we have even met them. A person’s ‘perception’ about us can be formed by a first contact from our looks, facial expressions, the way we dress, how we walk, how we eat our food or purely from first impressions over the telephone. As a business, Companies are judged by the way we answer the telephone or how we greet people at the front door, whether it is in person, over the telephone or even the way we leave a recorded message. Every other contact with us after that first time either supports or conflicts with that ‘First Impression’. Create a good first impression and the relationship grows. Create a bad first impression and the relationship with that person can be an uphill battle. Impressionable Telephone Communication - Answering the telephone by the 3rd ring. - Make sure your greeting is profes- sional . It’s important that your greeting is friendly and professional. Don’t try to answer the telephone nor try and speak with food in your mouth. How many of us can tell when the person we are speaking to on the other end is eating! - Be prepared before you answer the telephone . Have a pen and paper with you so you can write down important information such as a person’s name. - When speaking to potential or people or a Company the first time we see or hear them. We even judge

existing customers , use their name during the conversation but don’t overdo it. - Be an active listener . When on the telephone, it is important to develop good listening and verbal skills to compen- sate for the lack of face-to-face contact. Also, be prepared to ask people to spell Great telephone manners make people feel better about doing business with our company their name, or repeat a contact number or email address if you are unsure. - Placing Calls on hold . If you put someone on hold do not make them wait more than 30 seconds especially in instances at centre level where we do not have a call waiting function or music available. If you must put a person on hold, ask permission first and wait for a response. - Return telephone calls promptly . One of the most unprofessional things a business can do is not returning phone calls or within a time frame quoted. - Smile . When we smile into the receiver with enthusiasm your voice reflects your attitude to the caller. Changing our facial expressions can affect the sound of our voice. - Do not speak too fast . Slow down ‘ ‘

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Shaken Not Stirred

N ew Zealand is becoming known as the earthquake country with the recent 7.8 earthquake in Kaikoura at 12.02am on 14th November. Kaikoura is located on the eastern side of the South Island in New Zealand and not far from Christchurch, where the last major earthquake took place in 2011/12, and even closer in the other direction to Wellington where we have a site. The South Island of New Zealand is basically made up of volcanic mountain ranges with coastal roads and the damage is expected to run into the billions of dollars. The extent of damage has impacted significantly on the major road networks that supply goods and services within the South Island.

You may have seen a world-wide viral photo of some dairy cows that survived a land slip. Well I am pleased to say that along with our famous sheep Dolly, these cows now have celebrity status living out there lives in greener pastures and will be entering the animal hall of fame instead of being destined for a dinner table! This is a reminder about the need for our customers to take out their own insurance cover over their goods in storage This earthquake was strong enough to be felt in Wellington where we have our site, so much so that less than 1km from our site, at least three large commercial buildings and one commercial car park building have become condemned and are in the process of being torn down. ‘ ‘

Fortunately our own Wellington site is well intact with only some minor cosmetic hairline fractures within the building and a minor drainage repair to fix. This is quite signifi- cant since a major fault line runs down the Hutt road that our site is located on. Had the earthquake been any closer or stronger, the result could have been very different. Our KSS Team are in good spirits. Ross, Jacque and Larry have grown up in Wellington and experienced many minor quakes over the years. However, this recent event has reminded the Team more than ever of the “Drop, Cover and Hold” action to stay safe in an earthquake. This is a reminder about the need for our customers to take out their own Insurance cover over their goods in storage. You never know when something like this will occur and the loss can be significant. A number of customers have enquired about the condition of the Wellington site and the topic of Insurance has been frequent. Andrew Kirkham Operations Manager NZ

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2016 Kennards Christmas Celebrat

NEW ZEALAND

SYDNEY

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tions

Customer Feedback

“Staff are very polite at Wetherill Park, helpful and understanding. The premises stayed clean and I loved how accessible the second level storage unit was with wide corridors!!!” “David from Kirrawee was so pleasant and easy to deal with. We had to contact Kennards in dire circum- stances (failed settlement with removal- ists coming the next morning) and at quarter to six, just before closing time, he happily and thoroughly explained all the available options to me while I was in a complete panic. On the morning of, his hospitality and customer service were top notch. He made me feel comfortable and diffused my stress levels with how accommodating he was. The customer lounge is also a great idea, allowing customers to relax while stuff is being loaded or unloaded. My experience really was stress free and I would recommend Kennards at Kirrawee to those in need of storage.” “Great customer service - helpful from the start! Gave me lots of storage options in terms of price, size and location to get me the best one. Very informative and clear about how it all works. Employees were always smiling. Thank you Belmont!” “This was my first time storing goods. Azam at Flemington was particu- larly helpful and friendly and helped me get set up. He made the whole process very easy. We chose Kennards because it was a reasonable price and offered the most convenient access to our stored goods after hours. I was amazed how often we visited our storage container after hours, so I was glad we had arranged to store with Kennards.” “Everything, every part of our experi- ence was excellent. From signing up, payment, access, it was straightforward and easy. There was nothing hidden, no tricks and your staff were exceptional. Ian and Gayle at Frenchs Forest were so kind, helpful, friendly. They are a true credit to your Brand.”

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QUEENSLAND 2016 Kennards Christmas Celebrat

VICTORIA

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tions

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

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USA Study Tour

through customer Apps!

We sat through several sessions detailing the future of pricing management and online marketing initiatives. Some interesting tid-bits from the confer- ence included; - The continued shift in customers using online features through the website and the importance of keeping the experience simple, intuitive and friendly. - Use of mobile devices for searching, booking, managing accounts etc is skyrocketing hence the increasing emphasis we put on your Google Places pages. - Mystery shoppers in the USA market frequently shop competitors, test website services and take photos or recordings to help Teams learn from their experiences. - Facebook has become the modern ‘customer service line’ for sending complaints or enquiries. - Big data in population trends and demographics is helping the storage industry choose and target better locations for new sites. - We participated in powerful discus- sions about how the American industry battles being commoditised and the local operators striving to create differences among their brands so they don’t end up competing on the lowest discount rate. Something we are all too aware of here, as competitors fight for airtime on the internet. - A famous, former FBI cyber cop taught us about internet security. CEO Spencer Kirk, Chairman of the Board Ken Woolley and Senior Director of Operations David Decker from Extra Space with 1,400+ properties presented their perspective on successful strategies within the industry. It was great to compare much of what we do here at KSS to the US. Whilst there is always lots to learn we can be very proud of the strength of our branding, service, systems and processes and in particular our culture and ownership. The American industry had some similari- ties to ours with many operators owning 1 – 4 properties within one local area. There was a relatively large gulf between them and the larger players like Extra Space,

E very couple of years a few of us take the opportunity to visit the USA and study the storage industry. With a population ten times our own the American Self Storage market is signifi- cantly larger. Besides having great economies of scale the industry is also better established offering a great learning platform for us Aussies.

to share ideas and see how we might do things better here.

Last year Sam, Anthony and I flew over and began the tour with five days at the Self Storage Association Conference in Las Vegas, where we experienced the latest and greatest in trends, software, systems and offers.

‘

Whilst there is always lots to learn we can be very proud of the strength of our branding, service, systems and processes and in particular our culture and ownership

This allows them to do things that we might only dream of doing. At the same time trends like those on the internet and customer buying patterns all influence how their Self Storage marketing is evolving. Many new products are consequently created for the American industry. We go over there with the view that we may find ideas suited for us that if we were to develop them alone, the costs would have been prohibitive. They have the numbers and opportunity to test sections of their market with new processes, products and services then compare the results. It’s our chance to learn from what they have done,

‘ For those of you that have been to Vegas before, you’ll understand when we say some of us never saw daylight for five days! Not real daylight anyway. Seriously though the sessions this year had a lot that we could learn from. From a personal perspective, this year seemed to be a turning point where many aspects of the industry and technology have matured. Products that were ideas a few years ago have now been developed and are available to use. Such as vendors like StorMan in competition, electronic locks and integration of online accounts, many linking to Team Member phones or

14 Kennards Kourier Jan 2017

TRAINING

Full Steam Ahead in Training and Development

Public Storage and others.

A more noticeable difference was the culture. Many operators favouring a ‘head office makes all the decisions’ structure quite different from our own. After the conference we took a tour of several operators to study their business models and share ideas. In Las Vegas we met management from CubeSmart - www.cubesmart.com with 800 centres and U-Haul - www.uhaul.com/ Storage/ with 1,400 centres. We then travelled to North Carolina near the East Coast to meet Morningstar Self Storage - http://www.morningstarstorage. com/ who operate, buy and sell self storage and Marina’s. They currently have 42 centres and 8 in the pipeline. After a day there we were straight back onto the plane for two days in Missouri in Kansas and Columbia. Here we met the team from StorageMart - www.storage-mart.com with 185 centres across the USA and Canada. From Kansas, we jumped on another plane direct to LA to meet our final hosts Storquest, to see one of their busier proper- ties - www.storquest.com. Lastly, the biggest operator worth $40 Billion with 2,500 centres across the USA, Europe and UK was Public Storage - www.publicstorage. com. We can’t begin to explain how grateful we are to the people we met that shared their processes with us. Anthony, Sam and I came away with pages and pages of information with the lessons they have learned and advice they provided. Their marketing strategies and insights inspired us to make an immediate change in the Team here with the hiring of an SEO Specialist. We came away buzzing and have only just begun the journey of understanding what is useful for KSS and what we can possibly investigate, develop and implement. Darryl Hodgson Operations Manager NSW

T he training Calendar has been a full one over the recent quarter. Every session is a good opportunity to promote the business, create an awareness of FREEDOM and how the values apply to how we operate. Glen D’Souza (North Lakes, QLD)and I got to face the Teams and conduct Skillbuilder Training, this is always a great time for the Teams to catch up with one another and meet new Team Members. We discussed a range of issues from Dynamic Pricing, Seasonal Rent Increasing, Actual Yields and Refunds before considering what we could learn from case studies, i.e. past events in the business that have presented opportuni- ties to learn and grow as a Team. NET Training sessions were held for New Team Members conducted in both Sydney and Melbourne. It was great to see Training Hub Managers Matt O’Brien (Auburn, NSW), Goran Vukovic (Port Melbourne, Vic) and John Fenton (Abbotsford1 Vic)sharing their experience at these sessions and taking away some pearls of wisdom of their own to develop their current Teams and

future Team Members.

Our Operational Excellence program commenced with five sessions on Sales Excellence conducted not only at THQ but also at Wollongong, Wetherill Park, Wentworthville and Mittagong centres. This gives Teams a chance to experience other centres. It also provided Darryl Hodgson (NSW Operations Manager) the opportu- nity to show off his organisational and culinary skills on the BBQ! More recently we were fortunate enough to have Simone Hill, Legal Counsel for the SSAA, attend THQ to provide Legal Training. We had 28 Team Members attend including Training Hub Managers. We received excellent feedback from Team Members. The Training Hub Managers ‘Huddle’ coincided with this the following day, with both Marcus Do from Parcel Point and also Emma Atkins and Tien Phu from AON attending, to share their wisdom and contribute to the success of the two days. Bill McClean Training & Development Manager

15 Kennards Kourier Jan 2017

PROPERTY

2017 Construction Pipeline

Seaford Meadows, SA

Chullora NSW - Sites Works Commence Total Construction have commenced early site works. We had a good win negotiating the development contributions (taxes) down from $341,000 to $57,000. Mittagong NSW - Project Completed Project is now complete and renting up. Thomastown VIC - Application Refused

Petersham, NSW

This is in the hands of VCAT as Council refused our application due to a couple of objections around parking numbers. We are confident of gaining approval but the hearing won’t happen until April 2017. Croydon Park S.A - Awaiting Planning Approval With planning approval due any day, we have started tendering and hopeful of starting onsite works early 2017. Camperdown NSW - 372 unit expansion Total Construction recently won the tender to expand by 372 units.

Warrawong NSW - Construction Commencing Paterson Builders have won the contract to build this new centre with early site set out underway. Petersham NSW - Expansion Underway All three concrete floors are complete along with the external walls. Roof is 95% complete and the new lift shaft has reached Level 2 . Waterloo NSW - Concrete Works Complete All concrete works are completed and the roof 90% complete . Hawthorn VIC - Self Storage Build Underway First and second concrete floors have been poured and the roof steel structure is underway. We have also started self storage in the lower basement and will start working our way up the building. Seaford Meadows S.A - Existing buildings 75% complete

For regular updates follow Michael on Yammer and Twitter.

Michael Macheledt & Craig Henery Development & Construction Team

Murarrie, QLD

The storage fit out to the two existing buildings is 75% complete, and the concrete floor to the new building is finished and the builders have started to stand up the structural framing. Murarrie QLD - Concrete Works Complete Ground, first, second and third floor concrete works are complete. St Marys NSW - Stage 1 Complete Stage 1 is now complete and open for business.

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Kennards Kourier Jan 2017

PROPERTY

Spotlight on Camperdown

C amperdown takes its name from the Battle of Camper- down. It was named by Governor William Bligh who received a grant of 240 acres of land covering present day Camperdown and parts of Newtown. Camperdown was later established as a residential and farming area in the early 19th Century. Our Storage Centre was built in 1998 and we are currently building the final stages. It was a conversion of the old CBA printing factory, hence we have a large strong room in the office that we have converted into our Gun Storage and Deposit Boxes. One of the unique features is the wide range of Wine Cellars we have available. Comprising of small locker cellars to walk in Wine Cellars with roller doors, all 24hr access. One of the challenges we face at Camperdown is being a large centre consisting of 2,043 units there is a lot to maintain. We are vigilant and ensure the centre and loading areas are kept clean and tidy. Our competitors are National Storage next door and Storage King on Pyrmont Bridge Road.

Kennards also has a special fairy within the family; Fairy Sparkle a Not for Profit Charity we support, often drops in to collect her mail and brightens up all the Team when she does. As a Children’s Ambassador you will find her in Hospitals bringing smiles to sad faces and lifting spirits with her specially built Happy Gardens and visits to sick children. Camperdown has one of the highest asking rates, due to strong occupancy over the last few years. Today we are

sitting at 86% and our Wine Storage is over 90%. The Team at Camperdown consist of the three K’s; Karen Bell Centre Manager, Karyne Fiseris and Katerina Lousi, Assistant Managers. Karen Bell Kennards Self Storage Camperdown NSW

17 Kennards Kourier Jan 2017

CHARITY

A Life Changing Experience For Homeless Kids

made from a Kennards Box, including a Luna ParK replica! We also had the pleasure of listening to one very brave Stepping Stone House residents life experience. Her stories were real and touching as she thanked Stepping Stone House for giving her a ‘normal’ life. The city just doesn’t stop.With activity all night; the sounds of trains, boats and sirens and a sea of lights. When I stirred the next morning I realised my glass of water wasn’t on my bedside table and my worldly possessions weren’t arranged safely around my house. Instead I ‘slept’ with my possessions inside my sleeping bag, I didn’t have any water and my pillow was a patch of grass. Even as a participant I’d be a fool for not recognising this was all still far better than what most homeless people experience.

Ever wondered what 900 built Kennards Boxes looks like?

9 00 assembled Kennards Boxes is not your average sight to see under Sydneys famous Harbour Bridge. On the 7th of October last year Sydney Harbour transformed, as a fantastic group of kind-hearted and resilient people (including a group of our very own Kennardians) chose to make a difference by sleeping rough for the night, supporting Stepping Stone House (SSH) Sleep Under the Stars event to raise money for Homeless Youth and Youth at risk in NSW. Sadly there are over 42,000 homeless people in Australia, nearly 50% are not even 24 years old. In NSW alone we have more than 10,000 homeless youth aged between 12 and 24. Stepping Stone House was founded

by Sam’s Aunty and Uncle in 1989 and is a Not For Profit organisation. Kennards Self Storage have unwaver- ingly supported the house since its humble beginnings changing the lives of thousands of kids. The House provides medium to long term accommodation for young people aged 12 – 24 who are homeless or for reasons cannot live with their families. Through three houses they support and develop these kids self-esteem, resilience, self-confidence and health through motivational experiential learning so that they can achieve responsible independence and be the best they can be. The evening was a tremendous success. As I looked around and saw the shanty town of erected Kennards Self Storage Boxes, I felt very proud.

Along with Kennards Self Stoarge being a Gold Sponsor and also donating 900 Boxes for the night, our small Kennards Team also raised a huge $14,243 for this beneficial cause. Even more exciting the $155,000 raised by all the participants will provide six young people a home, personal develop- ment and life skills for a whole year through Stepping Stone House. The 2017 Sleep Under the Stars event will be held on Friday 27th October this year. It’s a great Team building and family event for a wonderful cause. Help Stepping Stone House make a differ- ence. See you there! Fiona Harding Business Development Manager L to R: HK Tung (THQ), Glenn Collins (KSS Waterloo), Jesse Dux, Sharon Dux (THQ), Lexie Kennard, Olivia Kennard, Fiona Harding (THQ), Sam Kennard (THQ) and Jason Juretic, CEO of Stepping Stone House.

After a feed at the Soup Kitchen the event came alive as Teams designed their shelters. Tourists and people stopped in awe of what was happening, taking photos and asking questions. Our efforts in raising awareness were being rewarded. The imagination and effort of the shelters was fantastic, it’s amazing what can be

18 Kennards Kourier Jan 2017

NEV’S NOTES

Nevs Notes... Government will murder Neville Kennard if he doesn’t back away

Nev enjoyed expressing his ideas in this section of the Kourier. These little gems have been appreciated by many in KSS. We will continue to publish his ideas that we have in stock. Enjoy!

‘ ‘ Paying the fine is a smaller violation of our self-ownership than being thrown into gaol or killed N o matter what your crime or misdemeanour, if you don’t do what The State requires of you, and if you defend yourself, and your property, the Government’s hit-men, the police, will, if necessary, kill you. This may sound extreme and absurd, but if you are caught committing a victimless crime like smoking a joint, exceeding the speed limit, riding your motor-cycle or even your bicycle without a helmet, then you will be charged and required to pay a fine. If you ignore or refuse to pay, they will remind and threaten. If you persist with your civil disobedience, they these government-run courts, so displaying the contempt you feel is not very strategic.) Should you feel strongly about this and continue to disobey and resist they may try to take some of your property. Defend your property, or your person, from such invasion and coercion, and force and they will come armed with a serious intent to gain your compliance and submission. Continued resist- ance and they will use whatever force is necessary to gain compliance, even killing you if they have to.

our self-ownership than being thrown into gaol or killed. The reason The State and Govern- ment coercion gets our compliance and acquiescence, if not our respect, is that they are the boss; they hold the cards, and the guns. They run the police, the courts, the gaols. They have the might, but not the right.

October 15th, 2011

Mostly we are pragmatic and pay the fine or accept the penalty for our misdemeanour, and in our world of general acquiescence to government coercion this is eminently sensible. This doesn’t make the government’s force and coercion right or just or ethical, it just makes it go away for a while. Our self-ownership has been violated, but paying the fine is a smaller violation of

will come after you to arrest you and take you off. Or they may require your attendance at a (government–run) court. Failure to show up will result in a further penalty. They may even have the gall to declare your failure to show up at their court as “contempt”. (You may in fact feel contempt for the court, and hold them in as great contempt as they hold you! They take themselves very seriously,

19 Kennards Kourier Jan 2017