CELEBRATING 30 YEARS

Lee Cameron

30 year member of the SSAA and Board Member 2012-2014.

Lee Cameron discovered self storage by accident in 1989. He was working in property development, and a storage facility in its development application stage came across the desk, which was worth looking at. The plan was to build it and on-sell it as most developers do. After operating it, the realisation set in that this was too good to give up, so U-Store Public Storage was formed to develop and manage it. The directors, alongside Lee, were David Davies and Dick Jamieson.

U-Store Public Storage’s first facility in 1990 was on Creek Road, Cannon Hill, Brisbane. It was built by Steel Storage, with Jon Perrins, as the builder, and the design was one of the first storage facilities for Steel Storage. It was a “ranch-style” facility over one level that proved to be very successful. Following this success, a second facility was built at Capalaba in 1996, followed by another two at Browns Plains. These were all sold to National Storage in 2007.

As the business grew, one of the biggest challenges Lee faced was technology. Initially, all the bookwork was done on paper, and he wanted to introduce technology. There were few technology-based database programs in the early 1990s, and so they used one from America, which wasn’t that successful, mainly due to support logistics. One of Lee’s associates in New Zealand developed a bespoke program for the Cannon Hill site as a test, and that is where Storman first started, around 1991.

Lee’s business has benefited by being a member of the SSAA, primarily in the area of agreements. With the legal agreements regularly updated, the Self Storage Association has produced excellent documents and the MAP, which is “Over his many years in self storage, Lee has found it interesting to watch the next generation coming through the industry. Seeing the children of the original members of the SSAA growing up and taking over the family businesses is a great legacy.

the procedure of ‘How you do things’. In addition, attending the SSAA Conventions over the years was beneficial. Meeting people in the industry, discussing problems and successes from all angles.

The SSAA Conventions were also an excellent way to make friends and connect with people in the service industry. Lee has made a point to use these connections in the development and ongoing operations of his facilities. Lee believes without the Association there would be limited access to those businesses and expertise.

Over his many years in self storage, Lee has found it interesting to watch the next generation coming through the industry. Seeing the children of the original members of the SSAA growing up and taking over the family businesses is a great legacy.

An interesting story Lee recalls from 2000 when they finished the Browns Plains facility in Brisbane. The facility hadn’t opened, and he quickly parked his car to drop off some office supplies. The next thing he saw out the window was his red HSV taking off down the road at great speed without him. He did leave his keys in the car, and it took about three days to get the car back. It made him question the demographic of the facility’s area and ensure better security. Fortunately, over the years, it has proven to be an excellent area.

Lee’s connection with the SSAA today is as a 30-year member with the three different entities he is involved with, Storage King Burpengary, BuildUp Property Group and Australian Mobile Storage. l

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