Positioning for Success: Capital, Acquisitions & Portfolio Optimization

Identifying value, navigating increased institutional interest, creative financing and timing the market

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  Scott Levy

  Scott Levy joined Highline Storage Partners in January 2024 as Chief Investment Officer and was promoted to President & Chief Investment Officer in January 2025. In his role, Scott oversees all facets of growth and execution within the platform and is a member of the executive leadership team. Previously, Scott was Executive Vice President, Investments of Simply Self Storage (a wholly owned portfolio company of Blackstone’s BREIT), a position he held until Blackstone’s successful exit in 2023. In that role, he was responsible for external growth initiatives and grew the portfolio by $475 million, growing the portfolio by 26% in two years. He also helped facilitate a $125 million non-core disposition. Prior to his time at Simply Self Storage, Scott spent 15 years with CubeSmart Self Storage (NYSE: CUBE), where he held various roles within the corporate finance, asset management and investment functions. Scott has over 21 years of self-storage experience and has been involved in over $5.5 billion of self-storage acquisition, disposition, development, and joint venture transactions throughout his career.

  Highline Storage Partners

  President

  Scott Levy

  President

  Highline Storage Partners

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  Zachary Dickens

  Zach Dickens has been with Extra Space Storage since 2002. He has served in various roles in the real estate department, beginning as an analyst to his present role as Chief Investment Officer for the company. Mr. Dickens has been instrumental in structuring transactions with Extra Space Storage’s partners and growing the Company’s Bridge Loan Program. Prior to joining Extra Space Storage, Mr. Dickens oversaw a Technical Support team at eBay, where he worked in the Half.com unit. Mr. Dickens has a Master's of International Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management, has an M.B.A. from Arizona State University, and a Bachelor’s in Russian Language from the University of Utah.

  Extra Space Storage

  EVP & CIO

  Zachary Dickens

  EVP & CIO

  Extra Space Storage

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  Tom Hughes

  As Chief Investment Officer, Tom Hughes will oversee the investment and growth strategy for the company. Prior to joining Reliant Real Estate Management, Mr. Hughes was a Managing Director at Harrison Street where he led the firm's self-storage investment platform and also focused on the firms senior housing platform for over 11 years. In that role he was responsible for over $5.2 billion of self-storage and senior housing transactions in the US and Canada. Prior to joining Harrison Street, he worked in the Acquisitions group at AEW Capital Management, a global real estate investment management firm. Tom received his BS in Business Administration from Babson College with concentrations in finance and real estate.

  Reliant Real Estate Management

  Chief Investment Officer

  Tom Hughes

  Chief Investment Officer

  Reliant Real Estate Management

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  Martin Huff

  In 2024, Martin Huff joined the DXD Capital team in Denver, CO, as a Director of Investor Relations. A Columbus native, Martin spent 13 years in Spartanburg, SC, where he served as the Director of Operations for Morning View Communities, a manufactured home property management company throughout the Southeast. Prior to his role at Morning View, Martin spent 9 years working for The Johnson Group, a Family Office based in Spartanburg, SC. While at the Johnson Group, he helped lead the self-storage team in its strategic efforts across the nation with over 65 ground-up developments, accounting for $850M in project cost. While in South Carolina, he received a Bachelor of Arts from Wofford College. Martin also served on the board of directors for several non-profit organizations. He is a 2016 graduate of Leadership Spartanburg and, in that same year, accepted the Walter S. Montgomery Young Leader of the Year award. He is a community advocate, volunteer, and leader. Martin is actively involved in the Columbus community and others, serving on the Board of Directors for Columbus Technical College, YMCA of Metropolitan Columbus, GA, and The Foundation Board for his alma mater, Christchurch School in Christchurch, VA. You can find Martin and Lilly, his yellow lab, walking around town or in an adventurous outdoor setting.

  DXD Capital

  Managing Director

  Martin Huff

  Managing Director

  DXD Capital

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  Mike Shore

  Mike Shore has been with City Line Capital since 2019. Mike has worked in multiple positions within the firm, beginning as an analyst to his current position as Vice President of Acquisitions. Mike has been involved in excess of $1.5B in transactions and in his current role is responsible for spearheading new acquisitions across the firm’s self-storage, multifamily, and small bay industrial verticals . Mr. Shore earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Villanova University.

  City Line Capital

  VP, Acquisitions

  Mike Shore

  VP, Acquisitions

  City Line Capital

• Moderator

  Cameron Bradford

  Senior Associate

  Marcus & Millichap

Innovations in Modern Facilities

Best practices in design, multi-story and infill execution, cost efficiencies and conversions

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  Katharine Lau

  Katharine Lau is CEO and Co-Founder of Stuf, one of Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies in 2022. She was named to Inc. Magazine’s Female Founders 100 list in the same year. Katharine is passionate about reinventing consumer experiences in the physical world and leads the company’s strategic vision and overall strategy in transforming the self-storage industry. From 2015-2020, Katharine led supply growth at Industrious, the nation’s largest premium shared workplace provider. She built and managed a 20+ person team and oversaw the company’s rapid expansion while developing go-to-market strategies for new digital products and tenant experience services. As VP of Real Estate, Katharine pioneered an "industry first” asset and liability-light growth strategy leading to CBRE’s partial acquisition of Industrious in early 2021. Prior to Industrious, Katharine worked at Equinox as Manager of Development, supporting the company’s national expansion of luxury fitness clubs. She previously worked at L&L Holding Company and PGIM Real Estate (Prudential).

  Stuf Storage

  CEO & Co-Founder

  Katharine Lau

  CEO & Co-Founder

  Stuf Storage

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  Cliff Hite

  Cliff Hite is President of Space Shop Self Storage, a self-storage company operating 96 properties throughout the Southeast, Midwest, and Northeast. With more than 16 years of industry experience, Cliff oversees company operations with a focus on property performance, revenue management, customer service, and scalable growth across the company’s expanding portfolio. In addition to his role at Space Shop, Cliff serves as President of the Georgia Self Storage Association, where he works with owners and operators across the state on industry education, operational best practices, and legislative advocacy.

  Space Shop Self Storage

  President

  Cliff Hite

  President

  Space Shop Self Storage

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  Jarod Hall

  Jarod Hall is the principal architect at di’velept design and has spent more than twenty years moving between the construction site and the design studio. He came into architecture through the building trades, which shaped his practical, no-nonsense approach to design. Today, he leads di’velept with that same mindset: keep things simple, build what makes sense, and make the process easier for everyone involved. Much of Jarod’s recent work centers on townhomes, infill housing, and neighborhood-scale projects in Salt Lake City. Over the past five years alone, he has served as project principal on more than forty projects nationwide, overseeing over 2.4 million square feet and $354 million in construction. He’s especially proud of the work di’velept has contributed in the Euclid neighborhood, where a cluster of thoughtful projects has helped strengthen a community he cares about. Jarod’s role blends design vision with hands-on coordination. He is closely involved in each project—working directly with owners, consultants, and contractors to keep communication clear and development moving forward. Clients rely on him for straightforward problem-solving, buildable drawings, and an approach that puts function and usability ahead of architectural ego. Outside the office, Jarod stays involved in community work. He serves on the Fairpark Community Council board and on the Real Estate Committee for the Community Development Corporation of Utah, where he supports efforts around infill housing and community land trust development. At the end of the day, Jarod loves architecture because of what it can do: make neighborhoods better, support the people who live in them, and turn a complex process into something enjoyable and collaborative.

  Di'velept Design

  Owner

  Jarod Hall

  Owner

  Di'velept Design

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  Nigel Kreft

  Nigel Kreft is Vice President of Sales at Elevate Structures, with more than 25 years of experience in the construction industry. He has led projects across self-storage, residential living, hospitality, and education, advancing building methods and facility design, including Elevate’s Alpha Framing System, recognized with the industry’s Most Innovative Product award. His experience spans design through field execution, with expertise in modern facility innovation, best practices, cost efficiencies, and conversion strategies.

  Elevate Structures

  Vice President of Sales

  Nigel Kreft

  Vice President of Sales

  Elevate Structures

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  Roc Hughes

  Roc Hughes is a veteran executive in the self-storage industry with a career defined by strategic leadership and sustainable growth. Prior to joining SBS Construction East, he led the commercial self-storage sales organization at Janus International, where he aligned sales strategy with broader business objectives and fostered long-term industry partnerships nationwide.

  SBS Construction

  President

  Moderator

  Roc Hughes

  President

  SBS Construction

Cracking the Code for New Development

Navigating approvals, market saturation and municipal hurdles

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  Thomas Olson

  Thomas Olson is a Partner at The Ardent Companies. Thomas focuses on platform partnerships, innovative strategies and capital markets. Prior to Ardent, Thomas was a Partner and CFO of Acadia Homes & Neighborhoods, a sister company of Ardent, where he directed the company’s financial strategies, corporate policies, risk management, and investments. Thomas has over two decades of experience in both building businesses and real estate investment.

  The Ardent Companies

  Partner

  Thomas Olson

  Partner

  The Ardent Companies

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  Beau Raich

  VP, Development

  SROA

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  Alex Giangrande

  Director of Construction & Development

  SmartStop Self Storage

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  David Weissmann

  David Weissmann has a commercial real estate, corporate and partnership practice, representing real estate developers, managers and lenders in a variety of transactions and operational matters for over 20 years. These transactions include construction and permanent financing, revolving credit facilities, loan workouts, foreclosures, condemnation matters and claims, zoning matters and real estate sales, acquisitions, development, construction and leasing. David served on The Law Review and received the American Jurisprudence Award for Constitutional Law and he was an Echols Scholar. He has an AV Preeminent rating and has been a Superlawyer® for many years.

  Weissmann Zucker Euster + Oblinger

  Partner

  Moderator

  David Weissmann

  Partner

  Weissmann Zucker Euster + Oblinger