eKourier July 2013

Kennards Kourier

July 2013

Kennards Celebrates 40K in 40 Years

O ur goal from Momentum 12 was to The KSS Team achieved their goal and decided that it needed to be celebrated! With every State in Australia and across the Tasman in NZ, we chose one night to all raise a glass and celebrate. Along with this, every Team Member also received a KSS Branded and themed bottle of Champagne delivered personally by their Operations Manager and in some cases, Sam Kennard. achieve 40K customers by June 30, 2013. An appropriate number that coincides with our 40 year Anniversary.

As the photos tell the story, it was a great night celebrated by a very proud Team. Well done KSS!

Con’t pg 7

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Kennards Kourier July 2013

WHO’S WHO

Team Member Profiles

In this issue Kennards Celebrates 40K in 40 years 1 Team Member Profiles 2 9 Questions with... 3 WebWord 4 NZ Team Full Steam Ahead 4 Life Begins at 40! 5 National Accounts 5 Customer Feedback 5 New KSS Warrawong Derailed... 6 Another Financial Year Ends 6 Kennards Celebrates 40K con’t... 7 Tough Mudder 8-9 Recording Every Enquiry... 10 Blaine & Amber - Up in Lights 11 KSS Library Review 11 2013 OCI 12 Macquarie Park Ready for The New Year13 Former Govt Drug Testing Lab... 14 Spotlight on Wanganui 15 Skillbuilder in 2013 16 Completed Management Courses 17 Thanks Kennards... 18 Nev’s Notes 19 Congratulations 20 Next issue Deadline: Sept 23, 2013 Please send contributions to the editor Editor: Sharon Dux Email: sharon@kss.com.au Distribution: October 18, 2013 Upcoming events 3/8 - Achievement Dinner 14/8 - Royal QLD Show (Brisbane centres) (QLD) (PH hours) 30/8 - Gold Coast Show Day - Burleigh Junction Only (QLD) (PH hours) 4-5/9 - Skillbuilder (SA) 9-13/9 - Skillbuilder (NSW) 16-20/9 - Skillbuilder (NSW) 24-26/9 - Skillbuilder (VIC) 2-3/10 - Skillbuilder (NZ) 7/10 - Labour Day (NSW, QLD, ACT, SA) (PH hours) 7-11/10 - Skillbuilder (Newcastle) 25/10 - Hawkes Bay Anniversary Day (Napier, Onekawa, Hastings) (NZ) (Closed)

Kate Pugsley Customer Care Officer - THQ

Career background: Worked in Customer Care for a financial company and also an

entertainment products supplier. Was also a live Sound Engineer working on festivals, concerts, TV shows and sporting events. Marital status: In a relationship Any children? No Hobbies/interests: Bike riding, watching movies, playing guitar and drums and hanging out with friends. Do you play any sport or have any special talents? Cross Country Mountain Biking and Rifle Target Shooting

Favourite Book: The Book Thief Favourite movie: There are so many but one favourite is Aeroplane! Favourite restaurant/food: Ginger Indian at Harris Park Where did you grow up? Camden, a country town Any pets? A yellow labrador named Penny Favourite holiday destination: London to visit my older sister who works there as a Multimedia Director

Hayley Marsh Assistant Manager - Palmerston North

Career background: Manager of a large Ski Chalet Resort, Manager of a Uniform Shop, Team Leader in a Customer Call Centre and a Sales and Delivery Supervisor for a motor faciilty. Marital status: Married. Any children? Two boys and one girl; Charlie aged 16 - challenging, Mackenzie aged 2 1/2 - temperamental toddler and Araceli aged 3 1/2 - learning from her brothers! Hobbies/interests: I’m a keen distance runner, 10km to Half Marathons, also all terrain events. I enjoy tramping through the mountains

with my husband. I also enjoy Skiing, Cycling and relaxing with my family. Favourite Book: I enjoy reading Lee Child books when I get the time. Favourite movie: Too many, but most probably Pulp Fiction. Favourite restaurant/ food: I have been a vegetarian for 30 years. Love Mexican and Indian food. Where did you grow up? I grew up in Plymouth in the UK and moved to NZ 6 years ago. Any pets? “Holly Dog”, a Huntaway/Whippet cross and my running partner. Favourite holiday destination: l climbed Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, holidayed many places in Europe best being Chamonix in France, climbing big mountains. I love exploring NZ.

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WHO’S WHO

9 Questions... With Mazen Trabolsi - Wetherill Park Centre Manager

The KSS Mission Statement is always in practice unlike other companies. To be a Famous Australian Household Name, resulting in the customers feeling safe and satisfied when storing with us. And with no doubt KSS is an enjoyable and satisfying work place. What goals do you have for your centre at Wetherill Park? I have three goals: 1. To make Wetherill Park a high perfor- mance centre (Done). 2. To reach >90% occupancy, currently 86% up by 13% since I’ve been here. 3. To grow the centre so I can have new units built. Tell us about your family? Have you always lived in Sydney?

I had lots of hobbies when I was a bit younger, from playing Soccer to Table Tennis and Golf. But my current and favourite hobby is playing Poker (Texas Hold’em Competitions), my partner and daughter play Poker as well but I’m the better one! Do you have any short /long term goals for yourself, either personally or professionally? My professional goal is to have the opportunity to move up and to have more challenging roles with Kennards Self Storage. On a personal note I would like to win the World Series of Poker (WSOP) within 2yrs. Have you attended many training sessions such as Skillbuilder or PEP in your time with Kennards? What can you tell us about them? I have been to a few Skillbuilders and one PEP. Skillbuilder is a great program provided by KSS. I must say each one of us needs a refresher every now and then, Bill does a great job in doing that. The icing on the cake for me was PEP, I’m so glad that I got to go to one. It was a fantastic experience and eye opener, I recommend it to everyone that’s series about improving their leadership style. If you had to sum up Kennards Self Storage in one word, what would it be?

How long have you been a part of the KSS Team and what is your role? Just over 4yrs. I started with Kennard’s in June 2009. My current role is Centre Manager.

I have been living in Sydney since 1987. Before that I grew up in Dubai (UAE). I come from a family of 6 children. Tragically I lost 5 members of my family; my mother, 2 brothers and 2 sisters in a car accident

Epic!

Have you always been Centre Manager at Wetherill Park?

almost 20yrs ago back in Dubai. In Sydney I have my partner Allison and four Children; Ouriann 22, Nimer 20, Jemma 19 and Christo- pher 13. What hobbies / interests do you and your family have?

No, I started at Wentworthville as an Assistant Manager then moved to Prospect where I was also Assistant Manager. In September 2012 I was promoted to Centre Manager at Wetherill Park. Tell us what you think makes Kennard’s Self Storage stand out above other storage companies both from a customer perspective and as a Team Member?

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FEATURES

numbers, just 20 of us, it only takes a small amount of changes to record a significant percentage in Team Member turnover. The overall company average has reduced in the last couple of years and shows how well regarded KSS is to be a part of as more and more of us stay with KSS for longer periods of time. In fact I was surprised at the number of 5, 10 and even 15 years Service Awards that will be presented at the Achievement Dinner coming up on the 3rd of August. It will be good to see 3 Kiwis getting 5 Years Service Awards this year, as well as a few more waiting within the next 12 months. To find out who they are, you need to attend the Achievement Dinner or wait for the next Kourier. Best you come to the dinner, see you there … Andrew Kirkham NZ Operations Manager We set out to find a new SEO agency that had the same perspective as KSS. In the end we decided to split PPC and SEO marketing strategies. DEJAN SEO who have been appointed for organic marketing services – www. dejanseo.com.au CLEVERCLICKS who will be responsible for pay per click (PPC) – www.cleverclicks. com.au Both agencies have been given the initial task of rectifying and building the rankings for New Zealand as a priority. A lot has been done on page and behind the scenes to do this but in the end it’s a progressive activity where one month builds on the previous month’s success. Let’s see the first month’s results and understand what Google does with our web pages over the next few months. That will be the real test. Darryl Hodgson NSW Operations Manager

I ’m writing to you on tender-hooks this month. At the beginning of June we appointed two new SEO/ PPC agencies and the first month of results aren’t yet in. We had a long relationship with the previous agency but times and our needs had changed.

At KSS we want to be involved, understand what’s being done and see what other opportunities we can take on board to build even greater online success. We weren’t the sort of customer that wanted to hand over our account and let the agency do everything unchecked.

NZ Team Full Steam Ahead I am pleased to advise that we now have a complete Team in New Zealand. After four Team Members leaving in the last couple of months. short on the TSM roster and have started recruitment for another TSM to help out with the extraordinary efforts that Bev Brookings continues to do for us. Much appreciated B2!

We saw both Kevin Forward from Wanganui and Joanne Sambrook from Napier leave us for new full time roles while Nikki from Palmerston North and Stephen at Mt Eden leave for non work related personal reasons that come up in life. As we enter the new Financial Year, the situation is much more positive. Both Craig Welch at Mt Eden and Hayley Marsh at Palmerston North are well established in there Assistant Manager roles at these centres. And more recently, Jayne Kiddell at Onekawa and Katarina Bird at Wanganui have joined us.

I thought I would take the opportunity to remind Team Members of referring a potential Team Member to KSS – K-Doc 10094. KSS has a significant asset – all the good people in our Teams, and with expansions and natural turn over, we always need more. Any of the Operations Managers would appreciate referrals from existing Team Members who may know someone who would be an ideal fit to join us, not only would it help in the general recruiting process, it could also be financially rewarding as a successful referral is compensated for, check out the K- Doc for full details.

We have identified that we are a little

As the New Zealand Team is small in

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Life Begins at 40! Kennards Celebrates 40 Years in Space FEATURES

National Accounts - Raising the Bar I f you read my previous article “Business is Relationships” we touched on our achievement of 11,000 rented square metres. We’re not resting on our laurels. We have quite a few irons in the fire and aim to secure a further 500 square metres before the end of the year. “If it doesn’t challenge you it doesn’t change you”. There is a lot of work to do over the next six months. • With our NSW Club Assist project almost complete we are ready to begin our Victorian campaign. • Tenders have been submitted for Fuji Xerox (new to the Self Storage scene) with plans to relocate majority of their distribution to Self Storage. • Discussions are in place with Callaway Golf, Aspen Pharmaceuticals and The Consortium Centre. Fiona Harding Business Development Manager Customer Feedback “ My husband and I have been customers of Kennards since 2003, first in Canberra and subsequently in Melbourne. We had looked at various storage facili- ties, and decided that Kennards met our requirements in more ways than any other provider. The facilities at Kennards are of outstanding quality and the staff are true professionals with exemplary skills in customer interface and service. It is very clear that this high level of professionalism reflects a leadership style that values its people, consistently promotes quality of service, and leads by example. Congratulations! ” So what is on the horizon?

The 1991 separation from Kennards Hire proved to be the ideal catalyst for our focus and effort. It was also the year I joined, when we had just 8 locations. The 1997 entry into the Melbourne market with the acquisition of Huntingdale. 2004 saw the momentous acquisition of our fierce competitors, Millers Self Storage, for circa $220 million, in partnership with Valad Property Group. 2007 was the year we crossed the Tasman to invest in New Zealand. In 2008, the onset of the

T his year we are celebrating Kennards Self Storage turning 40 with our ‘Life begins at 40’ theme. This suggests that our first 40 years are just the beginning. We will take the lessons and experience to make future decades even better than the ones before. Kennards Self Storage owes its origins to a courageous and entrepreneurial leap my father took in 1973. After a trip to the U.S., where he saw ‘Mini Storage’ in its own embryonic and unproven days, he returned to build Australia’s first storage units at Moorebank. The idea of ‘Self Storage’ simply resonated in his head, and he was confident the best way to be sure was to try it. I recall him musing his scepticism of ‘Market Research’ that if he did any market research about storage it would of suggested there was no demand! 40 years is an incredible milestone for a business. We have endured several recessions, tolerated numerous different governments and adapted to rapid advances in customer expectations. There are several noteworthy chapters in our first 40 years.

G.F.C. enabled us to buy-out Valad, as their leverage caught up with them.

So, in 2013 Kennards Self Storage proudly stands as the market leader operator in the self storage industry, while also boasting that we are private and family-owned. Our culture journey will continue so that we foster an engaged and committed team of people. This is the foundation of our Brand that underpins the strength of our business. Sam Kennard Managing Director “ Our culture journey will continue so that we can foster an engaged and committed team of people. ”

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FEATURES

New KSS Warrawong Derailed by Wollongong Politics

In the process of the Rescission Motion, some in Wollongong Council displayed economic narrow-mindedness to vote against our $5 million investment, with their hope of the return of Heavy Industrial to the Illawarra so storage must be excluded. We are quite puzzled at this argument. In addition, one of the opposing Council- lors (Greg Petty) is a self storage business owner, who abstained from the previous votes on the matter, declared he had no significant conflict of interest on the Rescission Motion. He previously abstained declaring a “significant pecuniary interest”, yet on the last occasion this changed and he participated and voted against us. We are

gobsmacked by this.

We lost by one vote.

Wollongong Council has a chequered reputation of impropriety and clearly deserves better than the people they have there. We have lodged a Code of Conduct complaint against Councillor Petty and are waiting for the decision. In addition, other avenues exist to resolve this matter.

I n June our attempt to have the Heavy Industrial Zoning in Wollon- gong broadened to include Self Storage was derailed by narrow- minded politics and blatant conflicts of interest. After receiving Council Officer support to recommend approval of our proposal and Council voting in accord- ance with this; a Rescission Motion was lodged and then won.

Watch this space…

Sam Kennard Managing Director

look for process improvements and ways to deliver better value add information for all our customers, both internal and external. As would have been seen by Team Members who attended the PEP program – one can achieve far more by working together as a team rather than as individuals.

Another Financial Year Ends...

W ell, we are busy working through the June 2013 Financial Year End. Don’t they seem to come quicker and quicker each year This is a busy and exciting time for the Finance Team as we look to close out all the transactions for the June Financial Year end and deliver the financial results. The year end financial process puts together the financial story of how Kennards has gone over the last 12 months. We certainly hope the

As we wrap up year end, we go

financial story is a good story and has a happy ending…….details to follow. Looking at the 2013/14 Financial Year ahead – the Budget has been locked in based on the Revenue Forecasts received from Centres and the expenses completed by finance with input from Ops Managers, Construction, legal agreements and past experience. Thanks to everyone for their input into the Budget. The Finance Team continue to look to meet our internal motto – “ Deliver Value Add Information and Services in a Timely Manner ” To achieve this we continue to

live in July with 2 Finance Projects – 1. Moving to one set of accounts for all our various entities and 2. Bringing Fixed Assets into our Great Plains General Ledger. We hope to use the Fixed Asset system to track and control assets at Centres On behalf of finance I would like to thank all Team Members for their support over the last 12 months and look forward to working with you over the next 12 months to deliver a very happy ending to the June 2014 financial results Anthony Rous Chief Financial Officer

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FEATURES Kennards Celebrates 40K in 40 Years

Con’t from pg 1

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FEATURES

Tough Mudder – Probably T

container filled with tonnes of ice isn’t everyone’s idea of how best to spend a Saturday but You know when you have to sign a death waiver it’s going to be good… right? As a Tough Mudder I Pledge that…….. • I understand that Tough Mudder is not a race but a challenge • I put team work and camaraderie before my course time. The Tough Mudder culture is outstanding. Everyone lived and breathed it, no complaints just camaraderie and people helping people.

S wimming across a 40 foot for a team of enthusiastic Kennardians that’s exactly what we did. Described as probably “The Toughest Event on the Planet” the 20km course designed by British Special Forces aims to test your all round strength, stamina, mental grit and camaraderie and they weren’t lying! Not knowing how the day would play out definitely created some nerves. As we lined up ready to start the MC announces 15km of the 20km course is all up hill (a little detail that was missing in the glossy brochure). Too late to abort our team and hundreds of others got down on one knee and recited the pledge!

It was a refreshing reminder of what can be achieved when we believe and challenge ourselves.

• I do not whine – kids whine • I will help my fellow Mudders complete the course • I will overcome all fears.

I for one was thrilled to be a part of it!

After a few hoorahs we shook hands with our fellow Mudders (like we were going into battle), we were nervously excited but ready for whatever was thrown our way. We conquered mud crawls, ice baths, electric shocks, mud tunnels, stacked hay bales, inclining monkey bars over water, 5 metre diving platforms and a large half pipe called Everest! In true Kennards spirit our team was positively vocal with many loud OZZIE OZZIE OZZIE’s and give us a K give us an E give us an N and so forth. When things got hard we replaced running with shuffling and then shuffling with walking but we finished and stayed true to our pledge. We high five’d other teams, stuck together, encouraged and laughed as we worked our way towards the finish line. We survived and accomplished more than we thought we could. The buzz and satisfaction of crossing the finish line was amazing and definitely excelled everyone’s expectations.

Spot the KSS team in the official video – hint look for the orange! http://toughmudder.com/videos/ sydney-autumn-2013/ Fiona Harding Business Development Manager

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FEATURES

The Toughest Event On The Planet!

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FEATURES

Recording Every Enquiry - “Why it Matters” T he capturing and recording of our storage enquiries has been a practice at KSS since the early 1990’s. Early on

we recognised the enormous value on something as simple as enquiry volumes, providing many meaningful insights into the business.

Insights which have a significant impact on:

- Potential marketing opportunities

- Possible coaching and skills development

- Major investment decisions

- Actions for improving performance

Reliable recording of enquiries can help us pin point ways to improve our business, and understand successful locations and teams. It is a very important piece of data that our business depends on! “ Enquiry volume is important because it illustrates basic demand strength in each market, and possible opportunities to be addressed ” Accurate measuring of enquires remains a huge challenge for us. It’s a manual process that relies on a human action and discipline to capture the data. No one is infallible, and can forget, or misenter informa- tion or in some cases perhaps not bother considering the enquiry was unimportant or not legitimate. Some Team Members have curiously not entered enquiries as they believe it made them look better, “by having a higher conversion rate”, even though there are no rewards attached to the number of enquiries. We emphasise the importance of

recording enquiries and collate the data in the monthly reports. This information is reviewed, considered in the context of what action may be required, or what we might learn. Enquiry volume is important because it illustrates basic demand strength in each market, and possible opportunities to be addressed. The data is only useful if it’s credible. Credible data means recording every single enquiry, even the imperfect ones. - Record the box enquiry that morphs into a storage enquiry - Record a walk-in that rents instantly as an enquiry first - Record the request for a second unit by a customer Do not double count. That’s the only exception – do not count an enquiry that’s already captured. We are seeking to capture all the relevant data. Accurate enquiry data provides credible conversion rates. True conversion rates can high light training So yes; - Record the aggressive price shopper

needs. This gives us the ability to develop and improve the skills of individuals across the company. Improving conver- sion rates will encourage better business performance. Our business is dependent on the successful handling of customer enquiries. To understand how successful we are we must first understand how many, so that we can accurately understand where the opportunities exist. It’s critical that every enquiry be recorded with as much information as you can gather, regardless of how little or legiti- mate you consider the enquiry to be “it is important and it does matter”. Darren Marshall General Manager This years 2013 Achievement Dinner is fast approaching, time to dust of those suit coats and shine your shoes. This years Achievement Dinner is Saturday August 3rd. See you there!

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FEATURES

BLAINE AND AMBER - UP IN LIGHTS!

Orangeads Billboard on the wall of the Rydalmere building on Victoria Road, advertising our latest radio ad campaign “The Young and the Cluttered with Blaine and Amber!”

Customer Feedback “I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the wonderful service I received while being looked after at the Three Kings centre. Not only was the standard of the facilities outstanding, but the friendly staff and professional approach they uphold made me feel at ease immediately. I found the prices to be of a very competitive standard, and had already checked two other competitors before committing to Kennards. I found that what Kennards offers is value for money, and I really am going to miss the place. I would also like to add that I will definitely recommend your services to family and friends, should they need to utilise your services in the near future. Nga mihi nui ki a koutou katoa!”

KSS Library Review

California and Las Vegas. These guys all have their own special tactics to win the auctions and it’s amazing what they discover inside some units. It’s a fantastic series, I absolutely loved it!! To borrow a DVD copy go here http://kosmo/Imagelibrary/PDFs/ KSSLibrary-BOOKING%20FORM.pdf Amy Roberts Customer Care Officer

Storage Wars has come to Kennards! An American reality television program about storage auctions on site in the US. The auctions are always conducted by the same fast talking couple Dan and his wife Laura, the main professional buyers are Darrell, Dave, Barry and new comers Jarrod and Brandi, they travel to storage centres around

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FEATURES 2013 Organisational Cultural Inventory (OCI)

Customer Feedback “Hi Sam Not only have we been singing your praises to all our friends and acquaintances, the efficiency and professionalism of your Team at Waterloo and the convenience of your facilities is outstanding. We are also impressed by your associates, in particular Jim, the preferred carrier recommended by your staff members. Honest, reliable, cost effective, professional, yet friendly, he is proof of how important it is to any organisation to associate themselves only with other organisations and people who share similar work ethics. I will complete the feedback form when I get back to my laptop. Meantime, my partner and I just wish to say thanks. Now comes the not so fun part, the unpacking and ‘culling’ of the 120 Kennards packing boxes lining the walls of our living, dining and second bed rooms like the Great Wall of China!” Our commitment to culture will continue as we strive to be a better company. Darren Marshall General Manager Styles which remain less significant, indicating a strong Constructive culture remains at the heart of Kennards Self Storage. 2013 OCI Circumplex profile for KSS (pictured left) shows Humanistic-Encour- aging as the greatest extension out of all the Behavioural Styles. This is referred to as our Primary Style. A Humanistic-Encouraging culture in an organisation values a participative Team Member focused work environ- ment. Team Members are expected to be supportive, constructive and open to discussion of thoughts, feelings and ideas from themselves and others. Actively encouraging the participation of our Team Leader to better performance through greater engagement, growth and Team Member satisfaction.

O ur 2013 Organisational Cultural Inventory (OCI) was completed by 178 Team Members as part of Skillbuilder Training during April and May this year. The OCI measures culture “simply stated” what is expected of our Team Members to fit in as a member of Kennard Self Storage.

forcefully to promote their own status and security. Passive Defensive Styles (Green) – Where Team Members are expected to behave in ways that interact with other Team Members with caution and tentative ways to protect their own security.

“ A Humanistic-Encouraging culture in an organisation values a participative Team Member focused work environment. ”

The OCI Circumplex assesses the strength of 12 Behavioural Styles, organised into three cultural groups. Constructive Styles (Blue) – Where Team Members are expected to behave and interact in ways that will achieve greater results and Team Member satisfaction. Aggressive Defensive Styles (Red) – Where Team Members are expected to behave in ways that approach tasks

Kennards Self Storage has been measuring culture since 1998. Measuring our culture allows us to encourage and foster constructive behaviours increasing Team Member satisfaction and customer service. This will make KSS a more effective and long term sustainable business. Our 2013 OCI Result shows all the Blue Constructive Styles remain more signifi- cant than the Red and Green Defensive

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PROPERTY

Macquarie Park Ready for the New Year

Belmont

Macquarie Park

Penrith

Pymble - DA Lodged This is a new centre with approximately 950 new units planned, however we have potential for over 3,000 if we have the appetite. For now we lodge a quick and easy DA just fitting out the existing building and look at the future stages once we have the centre up and running. Belmont - Expansion nearly finished The first stage of expansion is complete with the balance due end of July 2013. Flemington - Expansion complete It’s been a challenging project but we now have the expansion complete which includes a new Training Room and office for the Victorian Operations Manager. Frenchs Forest - Opening August With rain delays the opening of this new Centre has been put back to August 2013. Macquarie Park - Self Storage to open late December After a slow start work has picked up. We have rescheduled the self storage opening for late December 2013 with THQ relocation to follow shortly after.

Penrith - Due for completion August Despite some serious rain delays the self storage portion was handed over 1 July with the balance of the Enterprise Spaces due in August 2013. Warrawong and Mittagong - Awaiting Council Approval These two new centres are still working through the tedious Council Approval process and hopefully we can start construction on these by late 2013. Mayfield and Cardiff - Office upgrades complete These two centres are managed properties. We have completed office upgrades and are currently looking at expansion opportunities. Browns Plains, Yeerongpilly, Chatswood and Wollongong - Expansions to come All these centres have new buildings ready to build this year and are looking at completing them by Christmas this year. For regular updates please follow me on Yammer and Twitter. Michael Macheledt Development & Construction

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Former Government Drug Testing Laboratory to Get New Life as a Kennards Centre

I n 2012, a property in Pymble was brought to us with an asking pricing of $11 million. It did not take long to dismiss it, without even seeing it. Despite Pymble being a long held desired target area for our business, the numbers never would have worked. $11 million was complete “sticker fright”! We have long held disciplines regarding our investment metrics. These have not wavered through highs and lows of the property cycle, and can sometimes cause frustration in missing great properties. A year later, the same property in Pymble came back on the market. The owners had defaulted on the loans, and the Banks sought to recover losses this year. With $11 million still ringing in my head, I was reluctant to even speak to the Real Estate Agent, let alone go through the property.

“ The property is three acres in size and comes with a building over 6,000 square metres. ” After overcoming my own preconcep- tions, we considered the property; bid on it and have successfully bought it. Even better, we paid only slightly more than half the 2012 price. We paid $5.85 million. The team and I are excited by securing a property in this small tightly-held commercial land area, servicing Sydney’s affluent Northern Suburbs. Analysis of the Sydney storage landscape has revealed the Pymble area as a gap, and one we have wanted to fill for many years.

The map provides some context of our new Pymble centre in the north shore and among our own nearby locations. The property is three acres in size and comes with a building over 6,000 square metres. Our development plans will result in a 12,000 square metre building area, and approximately 1,000 storage spaces. We will press on with obtaining Develop- ment Consent from Ku-ring-gai Council and hope to build in 2014. Sam Kennard Managing Director

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Spotlight On Wanganui

History Wanganui is situated on the

previously owned by ‘Carters Timber and Building’. Carters is still here and operating but on a smaller scale. Site Features The Centre started its days as a purpose built single storey storage facility consisting of 114 units in 2005. Stage two was built in 2007, a two storey building of another 220 units, bringing the total number of units to 334, 3,442 square metres including 20 car parking spaces. Then 12 months later we had added another 15, one metre square lockers, removed some car park spaces that were causing problems for large vehicles getting around the site and converted several units, creating larger spaces at ground level and drive up. Wanganui has had a pretty good year, despite our recent Occupancy being low. Current occupancy is 77%, and by units 81%. Income growth at 18% and we achieved our income target for the year. Actual Yield 9.7%. Our rent increases are up to date.

Challenges and areas of opportunity for our centre would be to improve merchandise sales, other income and insurance targets. Our storers enjoy our friendly approach, they appreciate the services that are provided, the security and the cleanliness. We definitely offer more to the storer than other sites around town. The Team The Team at Wanganui consists of Karina Gardiner (below right), Centre Manger and new Team Member Katarina Bird (left), Assistant Manager who joined us in May this year. Team Wanganui

Whanganui River, West Coast of the North Island in the South Taranaki Bite, approximately half way between New Plymouth and Wellington where we are 10 minutes from anywhere and 15 minutes to the rest of the world. Population of the Wanganui district is about 42,000. We have the fifth most equable climate in the world, so the meteorologists tell us. For a town of its size, our sporting facilities are the envy of many with the International Masters Games being held here bi-annually. Our mountains 1 ½ hours away for Skiing and Tramping and top Surfing spot 10 minute drive from the city centre. The area is supported by a farming community of dairy, cattle and sheep, processing plants and product producing factories and industries associated.

The Wanganui site was built on land

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TRAINING

S killbuilder 2013 saw the tour take in Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Newcastle, Thornleigh and New Zealand. New Zealand sessions were conducted at Mt Eden, Tauranga, Onekawa and Palmerston North. It’s a privilege to be able to travel and see all Team Members through the Skillbuilder sessions, it is very rewarding to engage with Team Members, discuss the material and exchange feedback. This round of Skillbuilder started with the OCI, then we looked at our values statement “FREEDOM” and how that evolved and plays an important role in our operations every day. We also considered “The Myth of 5%” to maximise our income opportun- ties. We went on to look at Sales Excellence and understanding engagement, we did this by looking at The Enquiry Process and considering the results from the Walk In Mystery Shopping against that process. The sessions were closed after we reflected on Support Requests, the information needed to be provided and the considerations to having issues resolved quicker. Personally I continue to enjoy the learning I get from the Teams at Skillbuilder and am sure they will continue to Add Value to the business in the future. Bill McClean Training and Development

Skillbuilder in 2013

L to R: Bev Brooking (TSM), Bev Morgan (Tauranga), Duncan Newington (Tauranga).

L to R: Andrew Kirkham (NZ Ops Manager), Hayley Marsh (Palmerston North), Karina Gardiner (Wanganui), Sue Solly (Palmerston North).

Wayne Birch (Vic Ops Manager), Tony Roberts (Panorama), Rudy Van Kalker (TSM), Adam McCoy (Thebarton).

L to R: Adam Weger (Panorama), Owen Grasby (Klemzig/ Thebarton).

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Kennards Kourier July 2013

TRAINING

A t Kennards we continue to find ways to try and support the development of our Team Members, The Australian Government provides funding for those that qualify to complete a Certificate IV or a Diploma level qualification. We had 18 Team Members complete their qualifications this Financial Year, it is a fantastic effort when you consider they do this via distance learning and commit their own time to achieve their goals. Completed Management Courses

Here are the students who completed their courses in 2012-2013: Joanne Woodhouse Certificate IV in Business Administration Peter Reid Certificate IV in Frontline Management Samantha Heneghan Certificate IV in Frontline Management Amy Roberts Certificate IV in Frontline Management Joseph Hancox Certificate IV in Frontline Management Lisa Donkin Certificate IV in Frontline Management Phillip Gallop Certificate IV in Frontline Management Chantal Bastiaans Certificate IV in Frontline Management John Young Diploma of Management Ashley Barber Diploma of Management Brett Meekcoms Diploma of Management Lenci Taylor Diploma of Management Mohammed Khan Diploma of Management Stephan Wandl Diploma of Management Stephen Dillon Diploma of Management Robert Todd Diploma of Management Glen D'Souza Diploma of Management Adam Snowden Diploma of Management

“I completed the Certificate IV in

Stephan Wandl - Manager Thornleigh

Business Administra- tion which improved my understanding of how to produce, develop and use complex documents and spreadsheets. One module I enjoyed in this course was on organising Business Travel and Meetings. The next step is completing my Diploma of Business Administration. Thank you Kennards for providing ongoing training opportunities.” Joanne Woodhouse

Glen D’Souza - Manager Chermside

Bill McClean Training and Development

“When Bill offered me the chance to do the Manage- ment Diploma, I said ‘yes’, not really understanding what lay ahead. I hadn’t taken on any study to this extent for 20 years. It was a shock to my system at first, but having now completed the Diploma, I am proud of myself for achieving the set deadlines and actually passing! I really enjoyed the challenges some of the assessments put forward. Thanks to KSS for giving me the opportunity to enhance my skills and thanks also to those who helped me along the way. To anyone consid-

“Completing my Diploma of Management was one of

the most rewarding achieve- ments that I have undertaken in recent years. Throughout my nine and a half year career with Kennard’s I’ve picked up a great amount of on the job managerial skills and worked with great people. The diploma helped me by adding to my knowledge base, I was able to learn processes and techniques to further develop my leadership skills as well as pick up new skills such as risk management and sales planning along the journey.” Stephan Wandl

“I completed my Certificate IV in Frontline Management in February 2010. The Diploma of Manage- ment was completed in June 2012. Thank you very much Kennards Self Storage for providing me the opportu- nity to complete these two courses. It was a great I learnt in these courses to my day to day running of the centre. Team Members should take advantage of the offer and enhance their skills.” Glen D’Souza opportunity not just to hone my skills, but implement what

Robert Todd - Manager Klemzig

ering the Management Diploma, I say go for it.” Robert Todd

Joanne Woodhouse - THQ

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Kennards Kourier July 2013

CHARITY

Thanks Kennards!

“Dear Sharon,

So much has happened in the last three months since the floods and it could not have happened without the help of Kennard’s Fortitude Valley! I am so grateful, as are the whole Team and the Board, who included Greg Goebel who is the ex-director of the Red Cross Qld. Due to our awesome donors, we’ve organised all of this to be sent to flood affected people in Bundy and Mundub- bera: 8 washing machines, 6 fridge/ freezers, 12 bed ensembles (various sizes), 81 bed linen & doonas, 11 crockery + cutlery sets, 15 microwaves/ toasters/kettles/irons, 8 saucepan sets + frypans, 108 washing baskets/pegs/ tea towels, 80 towels + face washers, 5 clothes racks, 2 trestle tables.. list goes on and on.. Thank you so much! We are very happy for your assistance and generosity!! Thank you again and again... Gordon at Fortitude Valley is so wonderful too!

“Dear Sharon,

Thank you and please pass on our thanks to Sam Kennard for your continued support of our Home in a Box project. Your generosity has enabled us to make a significant contribution to helping formerly homeless people set up their home when they move into housing. Many of these people have spent many years living on the streets and have very few possessions. Home in a Box helps them settle in and make a fresh start. We are about to pack another 25 boxes for distribution - I will send a photo from the team of students that help us with the packing.

O ver the past few years Kennards Self Storage for the couple of months leading up to Christmas to collect and pack hampers for the less fortunate in their community. The President of St Vincent De Paul Toongabbie has thanked us for our continued support. The picture above is from a Power Point presentation put together by St Vincent De Paul thanking other sponsors and supporters like Kennards Self Storage for their support during the Christmas Hamper Appeal. Prospect has donated space to St Vincent De Paul Toongabbie, As President of St Vincent de Paul, Toongabbie, I would like to express our sincere thanks for the effort and generosity of your company, for the storage unit provided for our Christmas Hamper Appeal late last year. The storage unit was again a great success and helped in the preparation and storage of items to provide to those less fortunate in our community with a real feeling of Christmas. It is these kinds of support, that makes the little we do for these people, seem a whole lot more worthwhile. “Dear Mr Kennard,

Regards, Juliette Wright” GivIt

With much thanks, Sue Mowbray” Mercy Foundation

Once again, I thank you, your management and Kennards Self Storage for your support. Kindest regards, John Kropman” President St Vincent de Paul Toongabbie

Devastation caused by the Queensland Floods. Picture supplied by GivIt.

Sharon Dux EA to the MD

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Kennards Kourier July 2013

NEV’S NOTES

Nevs Notes... WHAT MAKES A GOOD AUSTRALIAN?

Nev enjoyed expressing his ideas in this section of the Kourier. These little gems have been appreciated by many in KSS. We will continue to publish his ideas that we have in stock. Enjoy! F rom time to time someone gets labelled a “good Australian”. It could be the latest sporting hero, or a person who has received down tariffs and making goods cheaper for most Australians? Was the Australian soldier who obediently went to their death in World War I and their families would be the first to volunteer and rush off and serve. After all these self-sacrificing servants of the people know what is best for us, and we would expect them to set the example.

some international recognition, or even someone who has distinguished himself or herself with a feat that makes us all identify with that person — a kind of tribal thing. Some people are truly exceptional human beings and deserve recognition. Becoming Australian-of-the-Year is a recognition that you are a “good Australian” and some superb people have been so honoured. But I wonder what really distinguishes a good Australian? What qualities or characteristics? Can one man’s good Australian be another’s not-so-good Australian, or even bad Australian? When Alan Bond won the Americas’ Cup he was labelled a “good Australian” (even though he was born in England), and then when he got caught for fraudulently stealing millions of other people’s money, he was stripped of his Good Australian title, and got relabelled by many as a bad Australian. He was probably at heart a bad Australian all along, but he got lucky and his frauds didn’t catch up with him for a while. Was Hitler a good German? Were Hitler’s would-be assassins good Germans or bad Germans? Was Mussolini a good Italian (after all, he made the trains run on time)? Did he only become a bad Italian when the war went badly and the people hated him so much they ignominiously killed him and strung him by the feet? (And what then happened to the trains?) Was Jack McEwen (one time Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the Country Party) a good Australian by gaining tariff protection for Australian industry, thus protecting established businesses and union jobs? Or were Gough Whitlam and Bob Hawke good Australians for bringing

following stupid orders from stupid officers good Australians? Or was a soldier who shot himself in the foot to avoid dying fruitlessly, or one who deserted, or even a soldier who shot his stupid officer to save himself and his mates — were these “traitors” actually good Australians? No doubt Che Guevara, the murdering and thieving revolutionary in Cuba is seen as a Good Cuban (actually he was Argentinian). Or Fidel Castro, who has brought his country and his people to poverty and slavery — is he a Good Cuban? “ Becoming Australian-of-the-Year is a good recognition that you are a “good Australian” and some superb people have been so honoured. ” It’s a bit like something being labelled as being “in the national interest”, a tag that suits the policy of the person (often a politician) putting it forward. Can something actually be in the national interest if it violates the rights and freedoms of some of the people affected? Can a war, that kills many people on both sides and costs millions of dollars of tax-payers’ money and reduces living standards (like Vietnam and Afghanistan) be justified in the national interest? And are the people who propound and prosecute such a war good Australians? If such a war were truly in the national interest one would think that the politicians

Patriotism, Nationalism, Australianism, Flag-Waving and jingoistic gestures of obeisance to a cause can be signs of a shallow mind. Rational Self Interest, Self Ownership, being true to one’s values, to one’s life and to protecting one’s life and the products of that life (property) are the highest and noblest and most ethical ideals; to hell with the politicians and the populists and the banal media who support them calling for people to sacrifice “in the national interest”. Nev Kennard Customer Feedback “Everything at Huntingdale was great. Dane exceeded all expectations, nothing was a problem - just solved them immediately, great personality. Keep employing people like Dane!” “Excellent personal service by Johny and David at Rozelle, immediate text message about wine deliveries. Good parking on-site and good security.” “Very good, was especially happy with a gentlemen by the name of Mark at Kingsgrove, he made me feel at ease with everything.” “Hi there, I just want to say thanks to you all for the time I stayed! Thanks for always being so kind to me. You guys are a fantastic team and I hope to see you all around! Thanks a lot! Please pass the message on to everyone for me.”

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Kennards Kourier July 2013

PEOPLE

Contributions for the back page of the Kourier are always welcome! Maybe you are a newlywed or there’s been an addition to the family, or you have been travelling. Or maybe you have some great photos of you out and about in Kennards Gear! Email: sharon@kss.com.au.

Congratulations to Matthew Jones from KSS Wollongong and Penny Macaulay on the birth of their baby Phoebe. Weighing 1.7kg and being 35cm in length. Matt said,

CONGRATULATIONS TO KSS WATERLOO FOR RECEIVING “AGENT OF THE MONTH” FROM PARCEL POINT. PICTURED BELOW L TO R: PHIL HOWE, CENTRE MANAGER OF WATERLOO AND KATERINA LOUSI, ASSISTANT MANAGER AT MOORE PARK.

“She was born 7 weeks premature and caught us off guard!” Pictured left: Pheobe with her brother Benji and sister Maddy.

Congratulations to Bronwen Ault from KSS Bankstown and husband John on the birth

of their baby girl Lilly May (pictured right). Born 29th May at 1.33pm weighing 3.15kg and 51cm in length.

Fiona Harding and Anthony Rous from KSS THQ had the privilege of going up in the Air Traffic Control Chopper in June for the morning fly over Sydney. Going behind the scenes and enjoying a half hour chopper ride. They both thoroughly enjoyed themselves describing the experience as “awesome”. If you look closely at the centre picture below you should be able to see the shining beacon of orange they call KSS Petersham! All thanks goes to TMS our Media Agency for organising the morning.

“If you can imagine it, you can achieve it. If you can dream it, you can become it.” William Arthur Ward (1921-1994)

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Kennards Kourier July 2013