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2007 saw a lot of change and expansion within the portable storage industry.  The public is growing more and more aware of the multitude of great uses storage containers have, and the portable self-storage industry has grown like wild fire.  However, with all the talk about a housing slump and a less-than-great retail year, it can be easy to forget all that.

To get the straight scoop on the effect our economy has on the portable storage industry, I sat down with Joel Rathbone, the Operations Manager of the National Portable Storage Association (NPSA), the leading organization dedicated to the advancement of the portable storage industry, and Jim McKinley, the Principal of 360MobileOffice, a leading online customer referral site specializing in mobile office, modular building, and storage container referrals.  Both offered their thoughts about the portable storage industry for 2008. 

When asked what common trends we could expect to see back for 2008, Rathbone said “I see, year after year, the affects of the international goods market on the pricing and availability of containers.  Whether it’s the price of steel, the economy in China, what happens abroad affects the availability of containers here in the US.” 

Aside from sheer container availability, the retail sector and the housing market also affect container rental and sales.  For example, he continues, “if it is a slow retail year, stores won’t need to order as many containers to store overstocked merchandise.”  Because of the largely retail-driven market for storage containers, “the busiest time of the year does tend to be September and October, when the stores are making plans to lease all the containers they need” says Rathbone “and, we get a post-Christmas pick-up again, too.” 

The slow season doesn’t have to be painful, though, according to McKinley.  “There is a lot to be said for finding an additional source of customer referrals, or leads.   A lead referral service can be a great way to find additional customers without expending a lot of much-needed revenue.” 

“A lot of vendors are also expanding into the mobile self-storage industry,” says Rathbone.  “We see a lot of requests for both kinds of containers, pretty steadily, year round” chimes in McKinley, so expanding into this burgeoning market could be another solution to the slow season.

Expected peaks and valleys aside, what else does the portable storage industry have in store for it for 2008?  “Education about our industry is a huge priority this year” says Rathbone.  “Many of the local municipalities still don’t understand how beneficial portable storage can be, whether it is for a school’s sports equipment or a retail store’s overstock.”  One of McKinley’s priorities for the New Year is also education.  “We would like to spread the word about the benefits of the Internet for the portable storage container industry.  Our website receives an extensive amount of leads, just from search results.  The Internet is a great resource for the industry.”

“One thing I know for sure,” says McKinley, “is that I am committed to doing business with integrity in the New Year, and am excited to be a member of the NPSA.”  And, with their shared commitment to education and the betterment of the industry, I think we can all agree that 2008 is going to be a great year in portable storage!

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