here are few things in life that stay with you forever. On an individual basis, these include personal milestones, such as weddings and the births of children. In the collective, there are historical moments, such as where you were when planes hit the World Trade Center. Magazine stories, on the other hand, tend to inform or entertain before they are forgotten.
That isn’t the case with Karen Reggio’s story. In this month’s installment of “Women In Self-Storage,” we’re showcasing her exceptional tale of overcoming unbearable hardships and her ability to extract the good that came out of them. Make sure you have tissues close by.
Thankfully, she’s always gotten along well with her siblings. “Our favorite people to be around are each other,” she proudly says. And their close-knit clan expanded when a sister was added to the mix when Reggio was 15.
It was a parent’s worst nightmare. The doctors gave a grim outlook, and her baby required multiple daily injections at home, a treatment that would be unbearable for any adult, let alone a toddler.
But even during these dark times, Reggio experienced kindness from many people. “When Mary was a few months into her treatment, one of my friends came over with a huge gift basket,” she says. “Inside, there was a card signed by 25 women. I only recognized two names, so I asked who the rest of them were.”
It was a group of women who would meet every Monday to pray for Mary. “They didn’t know her, yet they all got together weekly to do this for my daughter,” she says, tearing up when remembering their benevolence.
And her little miracle baby kept living; at age 11, Reggio was notified of a clinical trial for a new medication called Gleevec. Instead of the daily injections, she’d take oral meds once a day. Only four children were accepted into the trial, Mary being one of them.
It worked. The family was elated, but they still dealt with the realities of living with cancer: falling asleep during class due to exhaustion, people walking on eggshells around them because they didn’t want to say something insensitive, or making friends with other kids who understood what that was like.
“We were told we had to go as a family, because this would create fellowship with other families going through the same thing,” she says, adding that one of the most wonderful aspects of the camps was that all the activities, like games, singing, and swimming, involved all the kids without distinctions among those who had cancer and those who didn’t. “It was so important for Mary’s brothers and sister to be around other kids who were experiencing the same fears and isolation. It really was life changing, since kids who were tired from treatment or who had to take off prosthetics to jump in the pool were all playing together. It was refreshing to be around people who got it.”
It was especially a relief to laugh freely. The kids had a sense of humor about crazy things that would happen at the hospital. “With cancer, people often think that you should be sad all the time,” Reggio states. “But it’s very therapeutic to know you can experience joy again.”
She was also surprised to learn that every single person who ran the camp was a volunteer. There isn’t even an executive board that makes a salary. “That changed my life,” she says. “I decided I wanted to do that too. I wanted to be that kind of person who gives back.”
Reggio goes on to say, “After three years at Kure It, it was time for a change.” She considered another nonprofit management position, but Reggio was also intrigued with the idea of staying in the self-storage business.
Through Kure It, she had met Lance Watkins, with whom Barry Hoeven had created Charity Storage, an organization that provides storage units to be filled with donations that are later sold at auction. The proceeds are then donated to various charities, including Kure It.
Fortunately, Watkins told her about a new project he wanted to start. What is now Storelocal was in its beginning stages, and he needed some administrative help.
She was up for the challenge. “He had a backpack full of contracts and we started organizing things from a cubicle. We didn’t even have an office,” she recalls, proudly highlighting how much that little project has grown. “Now we have Storelocal branded locations all over the country and a full suite of technology through Tenant Inc. We’ve launched so many products and services, and it’s been such a treat to watch it grow from the humble beginnings in that cubicle.”
“What I love the most about self- storage is that there’s no gatekeeping,” says Reggio. “If someone has a great idea, they want everyone else to benefit from it, too. Whether it’s good products or services, everyone wants everyone else to succeed; and that’s pretty unusual in other industries.”
She also loves her experience at Storelocal. “Over the years, I’ve done most jobs here—accounting, bookkeeping, HR, marketing—now we have whole departments doing each of these things.”
Then, after all her kids grew up, married, and started their own families, Reggio started thinking of moving back to New Orleans. Thankfully, Storelocal let her work remotely, so she packed her bags and returned home.
She hired a resumé writer to help her, and the results impressed her. “He had taken all of the skills I used throughout my years volunteering and crafted paragraphs highlighting abilities and contributions. And when I read them, I thought, ‘Wow! I would totally hire someone like this!’”
Such an epiphany serves as a valuable lesson: Don’t discount your soft skills and experiences. Talk to as many people as you can. “Put your feelers out when you’re looking for a position. You’d be surprised at how many people are looking for someone. It doesn’t have to be something you went to school for, or you have work experience with. You are capable of many things, even things you don’t foresee.”
Above all else, Reggio brings up something that hits directly at the heart. “If our family had to choose to do life again, if we could choose for Mary not to be sick, of course we’d choose that. But our lives wouldn’t be as rich without the people we have met through this experience. Sometimes the worst things in life are also the source of great joy and wonderful relationships.”