Titan storage ready at all times, temperatures

If you decide to empty your garage in the wee hours of the night, you can rent a unit at Titan Self Storage and starting moving your stuff in without waiting for the staff to show up in the morning.

That’s true even though Titan requires tenants to provide photographs and fingerprints.

“Our pride and joy is our Insomniac, an ‘electronic manager always on duty’,” the real manager, Dave Clark, said.

“This is an ATM-type machine that will allow turn-key rentals. It asks you what you want to do, takes the information for the contract, takes your picture, fingerprints you, provides a completed contract, assigns a unit number, provides a gate access code, issues a lock for the unit and can accept cash, check, or credit card.

“In other words, tenants or tenants-to-be can perform any task connected with renting a unit or paying monthly rent when staff is not available,” Clark said.

To open this week

These services will be available when the business opens. Clark hoped to open all but the climate-controlled units today, based on passing a town occupancy inspection scheduled for yesterday.

Last week, workers were pouring asphalt for the parking lot and driveway.

Titan, at 1640 W. Duval Commerce Point Place, near the Sahuarita Police Department, sits on three and one-half acres.

It includes 11 buildings that house 223 units, plus a refrigerated climate-controlled building with 69 more units. The total inside storage capacity is 43,275 square feet. The phone is 207-2375.

Titan is a “state of the art storage facility,” said Richard “Dick” Klein, who is co-owner with his sister, Mary Meredith.

“We are often asked, ‘under what circumstances do you recommend a climate controlled unit?’” says Klein.

“You need climate control for sure if you are storing sophisticated electronic equipment, antique furniture you don’t want to dry out, candles, photographs, etc. Also, some people may just prefer climate control,” Clark said.

Outside, there are 27 RV storage spaces occupying 12,250 square feet. Of those, 13 are 12-by-50-foot spaces; 13 are 10-by-30 spaces and one is a 10-by-20.

Titan’s features include video surveillance; key pad gate entrance and exit; all major credit cards accepted; 25-foot-wide driveways; on-site fax and photocopy; an on-site truck available for local moves; seven-day-a-week accessibility; the availability of moving supplies and wireless door alarms; low-cost insurance; online rental and payments; pro-rated rents and unearned rent refund with a 10-day notice of vacating.

The unofficial motto of the business is “let us give you your garage back.”

And who might need a storage unit?

Titan says it could be anyone who has to park a vehicle in the driveway; is moving across town or across country; wants to find low-cost storage for business supplies or records; wants a handy place to store inventory and supplies; has accumulated too many Christmas items; or is just a pack-rat who cannot part with things.

The business is the brainchild of Meredith, a transplanted real estate broker from Cheyenne, Wyo., who moved here four years ago and invited her brother, Klein, to move here as well.

They both live in Rancho Sahuarita and are a team with Long Realty.

Klein was a real estate broker, ran a property management business, and owned a successful accounting practice.

Storage business experience

Meredith was owner of a small storage facility in Cheyenne for several years and Dick managed large storage facilities in Montana.

Their experience in the business and exposure to the storage market here told them the demand was much greater than the supply, so they decided to start Titan Self Storage.

Mary and Bob Meredith have two grown children and one granddaughter. Bob Meredith teaches at the International Institute of the Americas in Tucson.

Klein’s spouse Joey works at La Posada. They have four children and eight grandchildren. Klein is a member of the town of Sahuarita Planning and Zoning Commission.

In January 2003, Meredith asked Clark, a neighbor and friend who retired from a large utility in California, if he would manage Titan for them.

Clark agreed and went to work part-time for a large storage firm for two years to learn the business.

During this time, he worked at 14 different storage units, gaining a wealth of knowledge and experience.

Clark, who is chairman of the town of Sahuarita Parks and Recreation Commission, is married to May and they have five children and eight grandchildren.

Clark said he plans to manage the business for at least two years now that it is finally opening.

pfranchine@gvnews.com | 547-9738