In 1972 when I was a sophomore in high school, my dad, James E Freeman, Sr, started Scotty’s Mini Warehouse, the first self-storage facility in Tennessee and one of the first in the country (note: Public Storage did not start until 1975).  Dad was a real entrepreneur.

After graduating from Vanderbilt’s Owen Business School with a MBA, I joined my father in 1985 and the journey began in the self-storage and real estate industry.  Today we operate a chain of Class A self-storage facilities, StorPlace Self-Storage in the greater Nashville market.  Our portfolio of storage, retail, office and office/warehouse has grown to over $260millon with over 40 teammates. My father has passed away but his strong work value remains. My son, Jimmy, is now an important part of our family business.

As the years pass, storage has become an integral part of the American lifestyle.   People need storage when life happens: gain a job or lose a job; lose a loved one or have a baby; downsize or add space; move to a new city or move out; endure a divorce or join in matrimony and so the list goes on.  All of these occasions, good or not-so-good create stress.   I believe that God put on my heart that we as an organization have a higher calling than just to rent space….We believe in Relieving Stress.   That means that people are important; our managers are important, our customers are important and our business partners are important.   Innovation and technology have their place (and we certainly use it), but it will never replace our people.  That’s why we hold dear to our Christian values of integrity, honesty, conscientiousness, cheerfulness, hard work, service, respect for each other, and friendliness.  Our managers greet folks with a smile and provide them with a pleasant experience knowing that each customer is living with some level of stress.

As time passes, I am looking forward to our next chapter.

J.Edmond Freeman, Jr