t Boardwalk Storage on Central Avenue in LaFollette, Tenn., Amy Hooks stands out as a dedicated property manager. She goes above and beyond to cater to her beloved community while also fostering growth within Boardwalk Storage.

Hooks has been the property manager of this Boardwalk storage facility for two years; she handles a myriad of responsibilities, and she does it with grace and poise. She mentions that she is “handling payments, the daily care and maintenance of the facility, flipping the units when guests move out, things like that.”

Being hands on is something Hooks highly values in her work. “The manual labor side of the job is great. I feel like it’s just a good fit for me, regarding my experience,” she says, adding that she handles “all the phone calls, inquiries, answering leads that are submitted online about guests interested in units, providing quotes, and helping them find a unit that fits their needs.” When it comes to managing this facility, Hooks attends to even the most meticulous of details to make sure things are running smoothly and customers are always taken care of.

When it comes to facility storage, customers’ demands vary based upon external factors beyond the facility. Hooks’ keen experience within her town greatly contributes to her intuition with customers’ needs and her overall excellence within Boardwalk Storage. She is extremely well versed in the vacation culture cultivated in LaFollete. The foundation of her career began in vacation rental spaces and real estate. As Hooks entered the facility storage field, she naturally leveraged her previous experiences to support her work within Boardwalk Storage.

While LaFollette is a small, remote town in Tennessee, Morris Lake is a popular vacation attraction. Growing up in LaFollette provided Hooks with an intimate knowledge of the town, its community, and the socio-economic function of the town itself. This gives her an edge in the vacation rental space as well as the self-storage landscape. After all, storage facilities and vacation rentals are cut from the same cloth: They both provide essential space to customers.

Something she brought to Boardwalk Storage’s attention was the high occupancy rates at marinas and how difficult it is to secure a boat slip for the summer. Hooks also noted that their facility is about 10 miles away from all the local marinas, which many tourists and annual vacation dwellers have difficulty booking due to a lack of availability and an inability for marinas to expand due to the layout of the town.

Seeing an opportunity, she utilized their facility as summer storage for trailers, boats, campers, and more. Rather than requiring monthly rentals, Hooks implemented a weekly rental opportunity, as many visitors only require a storage unit for a week or so while on vacation. All the local marinas have about a year waitlist, and this Boardwalk facility happens to be close to the highway, according to Hooks, which is a boon for the business.

“We have a lot of open space with the possibility to build even more big units to accommodate people,” she says. “I want them to be able to expand and just grow the property in general.”

She seized the opportunity to advertise to the local demographic, a very strategic move that greatly benefits all parties involved. Hooks goes on to say, “Boardwalk wanted to stay in LaFollette; we wanted to build a rapport with the community. I’ve been able to grow the facility to about 89 percent occupancy, and I am working towards getting it to 100 percent occupancy.”

Hooks’ established presence in her community also encourages her avid effort to establish trust between Boardwalk Storage and the community, as their property was one that had been bought and sold many times before Boardwalk solidified itself in LaFollette. Her accommodation to the community’s needs and effort to grow the company go hand in hand, benefiting everyone in this dynamic. She is attentive to everyone and everything inside and outside of her facility. She enjoys the multi- faceted aspect to her position, stating that she “really enjoyed the transition into self-storage facility manager. You get both sides of the coin. It’s not just a desk job, and it’s not just a manual labor job.”

Along with the day-to-day tasks, Hooks is responsible for the facility’s social media. In fact, her content had such high engagement on platforms like Yelp, Google business, and Facebook that Boardwalk Storage asked her to teach other property managers her social media techniques. Specifically, Hooks has grown their facility’s Facebook page tremendously, gaining as many as thousands of engagements a month. This work is paramount to a business’ growth, and part of the reason why Boardwalk Storage hired Hooks in the first place. Her interactions with customers and overall charisma greatly contribute to her work as a facility manager; she not only sustains the wellbeing of the facility but takes the extra step to promote, advertise, and uplift the facility.

Hooks took an integral part in a promotion for customers who, when they rented a unit, received $50 off their first three months rental. She collaborated with Rajen Sheth, CEO of Boardwalk, and relayed to him that “when people move into units they are strapped for cash, and their first month can be the hardest month.” Hooks suggested doing a $1 move-in special to generously give newcomers financial relief. “We really help get the initial moving cost down to a minimum, get them into the unit, and give them some relief,” she says. “It seems like it helps build rapport with the guests, and they continue to stay guests with the facility.”

In addition to experience as a property manager, Hooks, who has a bachelor’s degree in psychology, has had experience in the field of mental health. Her personal touch and genuine care for her clients are perhaps the most compelling aspects of her management style. She takes the time to get to know her customers, understanding their unique needs and building lasting relationships. This personal connection fosters a sense of loyalty and trust, making Boardwalk Storage not just a facility but a valued part of the community. She attentively evaluates the reasoning behind someone’s need for a storage unit. “They may be selling their house, moving, going through eviction, family members may have lost someone, etc. It’s such an emotional time for some of these people,” she says.

Her empathy provides a bridge between the transaction and the customers. She mentions how gratifying it is to provide some sense of relief for those who are enduring a difficult time. “That touches me,” says Hooks, “That something like self-storage helps me take something off their shoulders or off of their plate. That’s so rewarding.”

Hooks embodies the spirit of community-focused management, leveraging her background and hands-on approach to drive Boardwalk Storage’s success and foster strong community ties. She exemplifies the qualities of an outstanding property manager: dedication, innovation, and a profound connection to her community. Her proactive customer service and visionary leadership have significantly contributed to the success and growth of Boardwalk Storage. As she continues to build on these achievements, Hooks remains a shining example of how effective management can positively impact both a business and its community.