elf-storage is a space that’s full of competitors. No matter the service or square footage a tenant may need, there’s always a long list of options. However, despite high-value features such as climate control, 24-hour access, or user-friendly mobile applications, there’s a basic element that makes all the difference: extraordinary customer service. This happens to be where our 2024 Manager of the Year winner, Mandy White, excels.

“My favorite part of the job is when people leave with a big smile and are 100 percent satisfied,” she states, with a beautiful Southern accent that lures you right in and makes you feel like you’re talking with a long-time friend. “I love people in general. I love to be able to help them out in any kind of way.”

This sentiment summarizes who White is at her core: a genuinely good person who wants to make sure that everyone is not only OK, but that they also feel valued and appreciated—something that has become rarer and noteworthy as so many things have become automated and devoid of personal touch.

But let’s backtrack a little by looking at her background, how she got started in the industry, and how she’s led All Self Storage to exponential growth.

White has been very involved in her community since a very young age. She was born and raised in LaGrange, Ga., and played softball and basketball throughout middle school and high school. This means that she started making a name for herself at the local level since she was a kid. After high school, she moved away to Phenix City, Ala.

“I got a softball scholarship to go to Chattahoochee Community College,” she recalls. “They didn’t have dorms, so I rented an apartment with three other roommates, and we had so much fun.” White loved the fact that the school was only an hour away from home, so that made the transition a lot easier. “Eventually, I got married and didn’t go back to school.” During that first marriage, she moved to Franklin, Ga.

Years later, after that marriage ran its course, she moved back to her hometown of LaGrange. Fate then intervened, ensuring that she’d end up with a much better match for her. She reconnected with her wonderful husband, Kerry White. “We’ve known each other since we were kids,” she says. “He was good friends with my brother, and he’d even sleep over while we were growing up.”

They rekindled their friendship over lawnmowers and gardening. “I’d go out and fertilize the yard to make it look green and pretty, and to make the grass grow quicker, and he’d ask me about it.” Those lawncare questions and red Solo cups of fertilizer in the rain led to marriage. “We’ve also adopted three fur babies,” she says proudly. “Bambi is a deer head chihuahua. When she runs, she hops like a little baby deer.” The couple also has Hazel, a dachshund, and Marley, a chihuahua mix.

Any working mother can tell you that having small children is more than a handful, and paying for childcare is extremely expensive. White was well aware of those things when her kids (Zack, Hannah, and Savannah) were little. “When I had the twins, I realized that paying for childcare for three kids would be too much. Thankfully, I had a good friend who worked in the school system,” she says. “She told me about a manager position in food management at a middle school.” It was perfect because it was a part-time position during school hours with summers off. She interviewed, got the job, and ended up working there for 14 and a half years.

Although she liked it, she started looking for a full-time position once the kids were old enough to stay home by themselves after school. That’s when a friend told her about All Self Storage.

“I went to a temp agency in town to ask about it, and they confirmed I’d be a good candidate. Then I came here, and they hired me immediately.” This was in July of 2015. By 2016, she was promoted to manager, and she loves it so much that she’s been there ever since.

White’s not the only one who’s thrilled that it worked out so well. Owners Lisa and Ken Boatwright are well aware of her drive, noting that she has been instrumental in their expansion from 63,279 square feet to 125,533 square feet, as well as their 90 percent occupancy rate. She has also increased their monthly collections by 26 percent since 2022. It’s like everything she touches turns to gold.

It’s not just getting customers in. Mandy wears as many hats as necessary to keep the business running like a well-oiled machine. She manages the day-to-day operations of the facilities. She does customer service, marketing, and social media. She makes sure everything is extremely clean. And she does it all because she thoroughly loves her job. She gets it all done by prioritizing, communicating well, and being committed. “Commitment is a big thing,” she says. “I also have a great assistant manager, Courtney Benson, who is a big help to me.”

For White, being manager isn’t just about filling up units. She’s ensured that All Self Storage has become a trusted established pillar in the LaGrange Community. Out of her own initiative, the company has become involved in several charitable organizations, one of which is the LaGrange Humane Society. “We hold fundraising events on site, and we promote them on our social media,” she says. “We also share information about pets that are up for adoption. In fact, all of us at All Self Storage have adopted dogs from them.” This includes her three fur babies.

White regularly reaches out to everyone she knows to make sure that all the pets get a loving home. Being a lifelong resident comes in handy. “I know a lot of people here in LaGrange, since I grew up here.” The fact that she’s so likable makes people more receptive to listen to what she has to say.

Additionally, All Self Storage has become involved with Empowerment 3D thanks to White. “This is such a great organization,” she exclaims. “They provide mentorship to estranged fathers and sons who want to rekindle their relationships.” Through her involvement, All Self Storage contributes financially to the mentorship program, which includes fun activities for the dads and sons to go on picnics, cookouts, and fishing trips. “It’s a great way to put families back together,” adds White. “They help these kids in their personal lives and with school.”

As if that weren’t enough, she regularly organizes food, clothing, and toy drives, taking care of the logistics and even of driving the trucks with donations herself whenever it’s been necessary, especially during disaster relief efforts like she did after a tornado in Albany, Ga. Whatever needs to get done, she’ll do it wholeheartedly and selflessly.

White’s big heart is evident in her community involvement, but it extends to her management style as well. When asked to offer advice to other managers within the self-storage industry, she doesn’t hesitate to answer. “Kindness. Kindness goes a long way,” she says. “You have people maybe going through a divorce, or a death in their family, or having to move, and how you treat them makes all the difference. We have a logo on our wall that says ‘just like home,’ and we mean it. We want everyone to feel welcomed.”

Getting close to tenants and establishing relationships with them is a big thing for her. She learns everyone’s names and greets them whenever they walk in. “They’re usually surprised that I remember,” says White, “and it’s hard to see them go when they stay with us for an extended period of time.”

As an example, she shares the story of a tenant who was deaf. Each time she’d come in to make her payment, White would draw a smiley face on the receipt. The tenant loved it and would specifically seek White when she would come to the facilities. This was a long-term tenant who eventually had to move away because of personal reasons. “When she left, I was in tears.”

She also advises building strong relationships within the community. “We’re big with the chamber of commerce. I like going to ribbon cuttings and other events.” And of course, she states that prioritizing customer service is always a must.

David Dixon, COO at Universal Storage Group, attests to White’s genuine kindness and work ethic. “We started managing that property over three years ago,” he states. At that point, she had already been there for about seven years. “Right from the start, Mandy has always been so professional. She knows that place inside and out, and she treats it as if it were her own. To me, that’s the mark of a great manager, because it’s not something you can train someone to do. Either they have it, or they don’t.”

He also admires that she goes above and beyond what’s expected of her. “She’ll come in on Saturdays or Sundays to make sure that customers are OK. Even if she’s off, she’ll drive there to make sure that they got in and have everything they need. And if there’s a bad storm, she goes in to make sure there are no leaks. The property is also always so clean, regardless of whether she knows someone’s coming or not.”

His words were reminiscent of White’s own, since when asked what was the main key to her success as a manager, she answered, “I like to run the place like it’s my own.” That’s the pride she takes in what she does.

Dixon isn’t the only one who’s noticed White’s dedication to her job. All Self Storage has a long list of Google Reviews, many of which sing her praises.

“Mandy cares about our customers and our business in so many ways,” says Lisa Boatwright. “Every customer loves her because she makes them feel like they matter.”

White explains that it all goes back to loving people in general and loving to help them. “I love to make people feel welcome, and exceptional customer service is the key to good reviews and customers staying here. It also keeps them coming back to us, even months or years down the road,” she says. “They remember. I’ve had tenants tell me that they come back because of how we treat them and our customer service.”

All things considered, it comes as no surprise that White is the winner of MSM’s 2024 Manager of the Year award. She found out she won when she received a phone call from MSM Publisher Poppy Behrens. “I was so excited! I couldn’t believe it,” she says. “It was an honor just to be recognized, and I was so surprised when I found out I won!”

As soon as she got off that phone call, she celebrated with the Boatwrights and Benson. That’s another thing she highlights about her place of employment.

“Lisa and Ken have taken me in as family,” says White. “It’s a different atmosphere, I can tell you that. It’s loving and they help as much as I do. I just love it.”

In addition to thoroughly loving her job, she’s also excited to share that Lifetime recently filmed a movie with a scene at All Self Storage. “The movie’s called The Man with My Husband’s Face,” she says, adding that she was around the entire time to make sure that the film crew and actors had everything they needed during filming. Truly in line with her signature style, White ensured everyone was well taken care of, whether it was a change of lighting, water, or directions.

That wasn’t her only brush with TV fame. The new Superman movie, with 90s heartthrob Dean Cain, stored the furniture they used in the film at All Self-Storage. Unlike the Lifetime movie, none of the actors got lucky enough to meet her, but the film crew most definitely got to experience the world-class service offered on site.

When not at work, White loves to hang out with her family and her grandbabies Easton, Everleigh, and Ellis, who was just born in early October. They have a boat, which is perfect for family outings. “I was raised on the backwater and love going fishing,” she says. “I also love going to the mountains, especially in the fall, when the colors of the trees are just so beautiful.”

Just listening to her talk, it becomes clear that she has a big heart. Surely everyone who encounters her immediately notices this trait. It has been the common denominator throughout this entire story. What she finds most important in life is having quality relationships—with her beautiful family, her colleagues, her bosses, and her customers. And that’s precisely what makes White so memorable.

Dixon sums it up well. “She really deserves this award,” he says. “She’s been a delightful person to work with over the years, and I look forward to many more.”

The Boatwrights concur. “Mandy is more than just an employee to us. She is part of our family at work and in our lives. In our opinion, she is Manager of the Year every day of the year.”