BY EVA MAYS
In July, Rhino Storage Group opened its third storage facility in the Morgantown area at 5800 Nancy D. Drive, near the Hobby Lobby in Westover.
Self-storage space is in high demand throughout the country, with the average vacancy rate hovering around 6%. The market outside of large urban areas is growing particularly fast, due to the mass exodus from large cities triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There is a need in general for storage in the Morgantown area,” said Deana Roush, who owns Rhino Storage Group with her husband, Christopher. “But before opening our facility, climate-controlled self-storage with state-of-the-art security technology was nonexistent.”
The Roushes founded RPG Management in 2004, and at the time they focused on acquiring and developing residential properties. Then, in 2012, a friend alerted them of a potential opportunity to buy a storage facility.
“He convinced us to look at it and talk to the owner. Then we looked at the numbers, thought about it and decided to give it a try,” Deana said. “We gave it a shot with that first property, and we found that the operation of self-storage was a lot less complex than multifamily properties. So, for the last decade, most of our growth has been in the direction of self-storage.”
Soon, the couple rebranded their company as Rhino Storage Group, a memorable name that evokes strength.
Rhino’s new Gateway facility features Bluetooth-enabled smart locks sourced from Nokēe, a technology company based in Utah.
“Clients never have a key to lose,” said Cindy Ashby, Rhino’s VP of operations. “They can text access to a friend or maybe an employee. Also, it has a thermal sensor built into the back of the lock so that in the event the unit was damaged or violated in any way, the client would be notified immediately.”
Like all of their facilities, the Gateway location features video surveillance and gated access and access to an online customer portal. More information is available at RhinoStorageGroup.com/
While Rhino employs general managers and a maintenance team that are on site every day, clients are able to self-serve to a great extent. Units can be leased online or at a kiosk available at the facility. They offer units with both drive-up and indoor access. All of Rhino’s Morgantown facilities are accessible to clients from 6 a.m.-10 p.m. seven days a week. The office is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, and closed on Sunday.
Rhino Storage Group operates 23 storage facilities throughout West Virginia and Ohio.
“We have three projects that are under development, one of them in Fairmont, and our goal for the next five years is to continue to acquire properties and widen our footprint in other states,” Deana said.
Ashby is optimistic about the Roushes reaching their goals.
“I’ve been in the storage business for a long time,” Ashby said. “Some people come and go, some people come and stay, but I’ve never experienced the level of dedication and involvement that I’ve seen in Christopher and Deana. They have done nothing but try to grow the business right and become an active part of the industry.”
