Kim Hoelting

By Alejandra Zilak

hen you think about self-storage, you likely have many images that come to your mind. While they may vary greatly depending on the kind of products you offer or the markets that you serve, one thing is for certain: It usually isn’t talked about in the same conversation as personal care products and high-end designers. But that’s the beauty of the industry; it’s a mosaic of people from all walks of life who somehow all ended up in one of the best-kept secrets of uber successful professionals.

This month’s installment in the “Women in Self-Storage” series is about Kim Hoelting, vice president of marketing and training at Universal Storage Group (USG). Family-centered and Ivy League educated, Hoelting has an impressive resume spanning marketing and business development for privately held companies and Fortune 500 enterprises.

Hoelting was born and partly raised in Connecticut, where she lived until her family moved to Georgia when she was 13 years old. Growing up, she and her younger sister would frequently visit their grandparents in New York, a practice they continued after moving south.

“My two grandmothers were very influential in my life,” she says. “My paternal grandmother was a librarian in every sense you could imagine—brainy, serious, and an introvert. I get my right-brain skills from her.” Her maternal grandmother was also someone she grew up admiring greatly. “She was an incredible artist and cook, funny, outgoing, and creative; and I get my left-brained skills from her.”

All the skills she inherited from her grandmothers have served her well.

After high school, Hoelting attended Yale University, where she got a Bachelor of Arts in economics. Even though she stresses that this chapter in her life was a long time ago, she still credits it as having shaped her personal life. “It was a privilege to learn from amongst some of the most brilliant thinkers I will ever meet,” she says. “The great part for me was that, even though they were passionate about learning, most people there cared most about doing the right thing and about making the world a better place.” To this day, her college roommates are her best friends. “In fact, we all met in Miami last month to spend quality time together, catch up, and celebrate a milestone year.”

After graduating from Yale, she went on to receive her Master of Business Administration from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. “Dartmouth really cemented my love of marketing and of strategy,” she says. “That knowledge has really helped me succeed in my professional life. One of my strategy professors used to preach that strategy is as much about what you choose not to do as it is about what you choose to do. I think about that almost every day, especially now that I’m relatively new to the storage industry. There are a million activities one could engage in that we will never have enough time or money to pursue, so we have to focus wisely on the things that really matter.”

As with many people in the industry, when Hoelting first started her career self-storage wasn’t even on her radar. She held various brand and marketing positions in world-renowned companies, including Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, KMart Personal Care, L’Oreal, Chanel, and Newell Rubbermaid. Her roles included working as brand assistant, product director, assistant vice president of marketing, vice president of marketing, and president. In all of them, she spearheaded complex marketing strategies and increased profitability to staggering numbers.

Although she certainly gained invaluable skills and led significant growth with each position—to the tune of multiple nine-figure-dollar deals—the experiences taught her that working at large entities isn’t necessarily always better. “My early career was primarily with very large corporations, where brands and strategies have been in place for a very long time and change felt like it took forever.” This excessive amount of red tape and redundant processes resulted in her preference for smaller, privately held roles, like the one she currently has at Universal Storage Group (USG). “I very much appreciate that positive change and growth can happen more quickly.”

Having a well-curated network can be extremely valuable in many sectors, and who you know can open many doors, but being exemplary at what you do keeps those door open long term. This is exactly how Hoelting segued her well-established career with big name brands into Universal Storage Group.

While working at Newell Rubbermaid, Hoelting’s boss and mentor was A.J. Ross, who now serves as CEO at USG. As someone who was well acquainted with her strong work ethic and indisputable results, he recruited her to join USG, where she started working in October of 2024. “He really has been an incredible role model,” she says. “We’ve known each other for almost 20 years now, and I have so much respect for him. He works tirelessly to do the right thing for all of his constituents—clients, customers, and employees—and he has that same ‘right-thing’ attitude in his personal and family life.”

Even though she joined the industry relatively recently, she has already noticed one of the main aspects of working in storage. “I love the people in this space. It feels like a collaborative family industry and not a sea of faceless corporations.” It’s a response that’s often recited among storage professionals, and one that keeps genuinely good people in the industry for decades.

When asked what advice she would give other women just getting started in the industry, she shares the same words of wisdom she would for any other industry: to work hard, bring fresh and winning ideas, and to believe in themselves.

Hoelting also points out that the biggest lessons often come from mistakes. “That usually happens when I haven’t listened to my intuition or my inner voice and have led with what pleased other people, or what I thought I should do, or what was convenient.”

Despite more than 30 years successfully leading so many companies in such a wide array of industries, it’s of no surprise that the most fulfilling aspect of her life is her home life. She is most proud of her children, Matthew and Charlotte. “They are nearly grown and flown,” she says. “My daughter is an aspiring dentist at the University of Georgia, and my son is a network engineer and student at Kennesaw State University. I am so lucky that they are studying close to home and that I get to see them all the time.”

She’s happy to note that her sister also lives with her family in Atlanta, where she works as a family lawyer. Their parents live in town, too; they often share Sunday dinners. Having so many loved ones around has been instrumental in her cultivation of a fulfilling personal life.

Besides spending time with family, her hobbies are many. “I love the visual arts, museums, painting, and interior design. I also play tennis frequently, but not all that well,” she says with a laugh. Hoelting enjoys playing Words With Friends, admires Dolly Parton, and likes to travel to exotic or relaxing destinations. “My favorite trip was many years ago, when I got to visit Namibia, which is such a beautiful and fascinating place. It has everything: desert, ocean, safari animals, and wonderful people. I would love to go back.”

Her story is a testament of a life well lived. It’s also an important reminder that while being a high achiever is wonderful and should always be acknowledged and celebrated, what matters most are the people who make all those accomplishments that much sweeter: family, friends, advisors, and colleagues. Kim Hoelting certainly checks every box—and then some.