Norman Schulman has spent over 40 years in the Self-Storage Industry. His career started with U-Haul in New York and then he relocated to Florida in 1989. He spent 7 years with U-Haul, where he specialized in Self Storage Operations and Moving Center Management. After obtaining his Florida Real Estate License, he joined Storage USA as District Manager and was quickly promoted to Regional V.P. for the southeast region.
Norman is an Entrepreneur at heart and ventured out on his own. In 1998 he formed Sentry Self-Storage and Self-Storage Security Solutions. Sentry Self-Storage is a full service Management, Development, and Consulting Company. The Security Company was formed out of years of frustration getting local security companies to understand the specialized products needed for the storage industry.
Norman holds a Florida Brokers License as well as the Certified Property Manager (CPM) designation from the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM).
His management philosophy for his storage facilities is simple: "offer the best product along with convenience and security, add to that 'State-Of-The-Art' management information systems and the best team of Storage Consultants, and you have a winning combination."
Scott McLaughlin joined Sentry Self Storage in April of 2019. He began his property management career as a site property manager in 1998 with Turtle Creek Management and served in that role and later as the Self Storage Division Manager for the company. In 2008, Scott joined Herman and Kittle Properties (Infinite Self Storage) as a Regional Manager, where he began being exposed to the multi-family side of Herman and Kittle's business. Subsequently, Scott transitioned to the multi-family space and was later promoted to Regional Vice President. In that role, Scott managed approximately 5,000 apartment homes in 13 states. Scott joined Redwood Living in 2017 as a Regional Manager in the mid-west, and was then promoted to Director of Property Operations before leaving that opportunity to join the Sentry Team, and re-enter the self storage industry.
Scott is a natural leader who brings to Sentry a strong ability to build effective teams through accountability, and a talent for creating a high affinity level among site teams and direct reports through effective coaching. Scott is also a current CPM candidate with the Institute of Real Estate Management.
Lauren Schulman joined the Sentry Team in 2006 as a Storage Consultant. In 2008 she left for college but continued to work part-time, lending a helping hand whenever and wherever she could. In 2012, Lauren graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelors Degree in Biology. She then returned to South Florida and took a full time position as the Property Manager for our Federal Highway location.
After spending a short time at Federal Highway, Lauren transferred to the Coral Springs location, where she became an Area Manager, overseeing the operations of three South Florida Locations. In January of 2014, she was promoted to Administrative Assistant at the home office. Then in October of 2018, Lauren was promoted to Vice President of Operations, overseeing day-to-day operations to support the growth of the company and add to Sentry’s bottom line.
Lauren currently holds a Florida Real Estate Brokers License and is working on obtaining her CPM designation through the Institute of Real Estate Management. Lauren is a dedicated and hard working individual and prides herself on her professionalism and detail-oriented nature. She enjoys spending time with her family and traveling to new places.
In May 2009, Lissette Ramos joined the Sentry Self Storage Management team. Lissette carries over 20 years of experience in the self storage industry. She gained her management skills from Storage USA. Starting as an Assistant Manager, she quickly moved up the chain to Senior Property Manager and then Certified Trainer. Lissette left Storage USA to gain a higher experience and greater challenge. She joined Self Storage Depot, a newly built and renting up facility. Within 2 years, she was able to increase the property from 0% to 85% occupancy. After some time, she relocated to Orlando, Florida and joined U-Store-It as a Property Manager.
Joining Sentry Self Storage Management as a Property Manager, she has greatly improved the performance at a facility with her wealth of experience. Quickly, she climbed up the ranks to Senior Property Manager, and later Area Manager. Within a short time, she was promoted to District Manager. Lissette continues to excel at her position, motivating her team, and maintaining her strong work ethics.
Rebecca Swanson began her career with Sentry Self Storage as a Storage Consultant at a property in North Florida. Shortly thereafter, Rebecca was promoted to Property Manager and relocated to South Florida. After five years as a Property Manager, Rebecca was promoted to District Manager for Sentry Self Storage Management. She spent a short time as the District Manager in Texas, but when the opportunity presented itself to take over the South Florida region, she jumped at the chance and returned to South Florida.
Rebecca's work history is versatile and includes being a dispatcher for the Sheriff's Department in St. John's County, as well as being an insurance agent.
She balances her work life with traveling with her fiancé and spoiling her grandchildren. Rebecca was in a military family and moved multiple times; however, she now considers Florida home and enjoys many water sports and outdoor activities. She is an animal lover and has a brood of pets at home, including dogs, cats, birds, and fish.
Carmen Turner brings over 18 years of experience in the self storage industry. She began her property management career in October 2003 with A-Alamo Management. Carmen then joined Extra Space Storage through an acquisition as a District Team Lead, where she focused on training and development. Subsequently, Carmen transitioned into the multi - unit space leading 12 properties as a District Manager with Move It Management.
In 2020, Carmen graduated from the University of Houston with a Masters Degree in Business Administration with a focus on Sales Management and Business Development. She joined the Sentry Team in March 2021 as a District Manager for the Texas Market.
Carmen is both fluent in English and Spanish which is an asset in our market. She also enjoys motivating and building effective teams through leading by example and providing constant communication.
Susan Ries joined Sentry Self Storage in January 2001 with two years previous experience in the self storage industry as well as 14 years as a private business owner. Susan has demonstrated an intense interest in all aspects of the business and has quickly become a knowledgeable and valued team member. From Storage Consultant to Property Manager to Administrative Assistant and now Executive Administrator/ General Manager, she understands all aspects of the self storage business.
In her role of Executive Administrator/General Manager, Susan is responsible for the payroll and software management for Sentry Self Storage and oversees the internal operations within the entire company. When pressed with an issue, she will ensure it is followed up and resolved. Her limitless energy, work ethic, determination, honesty, and dedication are a combination that made her, and continues to make her a real asset to our management team. "I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I have just lived the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well."
Vanessa Viera joined the Sentry Self Storage team in 2016 as an Administrative Assistant for Sentry's sister companies, CrucialClicks.com and StorageStuff.Bid. In 2018, Vanessa became an Administrative Assistant for the Sentry home office in addition to her roles with CrucialClicks.com and StorageStuff.Bid. Shortly thereafter, StorageStuff.Bid was sold and Vanessa's responsibilities with Sentry grew. She currently oversees all of the administrative tasks of the company, as well as assisting the accounting department.
Vanessa has extensive experience in customer service, administration, and retail. She graduated from Florida State University in 2012 with a Bachelor's Degree in Biology. Vanessa is fluent in both English and Spanish, which is an asset to the company. Vanessa is a very determined and dedicated employee and enjoys learning new skills and is always willing to lend a helping hand. She is a strong believer in the power of having a positive attitude in the workplace. Vanessa is a dog lover and enjoys traveling to new places.
Michael Schulman joined the Sentry Self Storage team in June 2003 as a Storage Consultant. Michael was promoted to IT Specialist in June 2006. As Sentry Self Storage Management grew, Michael was promoted to Chief Technology Officer in 2010. As CTO, Michael oversees the IT Department as well as directly provides technology expertise in areas such as web development, computer programming, VoIP system administration, and the hardware and software knowledge which began this whole journey.
During this time there was a need for Sentry Self Storage Management to upgrade their web presence from having a purely informational website to one that helps educate customers and drive rental activity. Leveraging his past and current web development and industry expertise along with his detail-oriented nature and out-of-the-box way of thinking, Michael was involved in starting CrucialClicks.com, a full service web development and SEO company that provides Sentry Self Storage Management the web presence needed to compete in today's market. Michael was also involved in starting StorageStuff.Bid, which was a platform for conducting self storage lien auctions online until the company was sold in 2018.
Michael graduated high school as a member of the National Technical Honor Society as well as having completed the Web Design Academy offered at his high school. Michael went on to graduate from Broward College with a degree in Business Management. He is also a licensed Florida Real Estate Broker. Michael is family oriented and enjoys spending time with his sisters' little ones when he isn't traveling or enjoying some "R&R" at home. His belief is that it's possible for a company to be profitable while also being ethical, which is how Michael prefers to perform business.
Eric Kalman joined Sentry Self Storage Management in January of 2011 as an IT Specialist. After graduating from High School, Eric went on to obtain his Associate of Arts Degree. While in High School, Eric was a member of DECA where he got his start at compiling Business Marketing plans. Later, he joined the Academy of Drafting and Design to further his Business Marketing education. He has over 10 years experience working with both computer software and computer hardware, through formal and informal education. Besides computer knowledge, Eric also has been educated in the fields of marketing, business, and communication design. His motivation and workmanship make him a valuable asset to the company. His quest for knowledge never ceases, and he continues to further his experience while working with the company.
Danielle joined Sentry Self Storage in July 2011 after many years working in Retail Customer Service. Starting out as a Storage Consultant, she quickly became a Property Manager in 2012. As a result of all her hard work, Danielle won Manager of the 1st Quarter 2013 and Manager of the Year in 2013 with the company. In 2015 she became a Senior Property Manager assisting the District Manager. In 2016 she received Manager of the Year from the major magazine publisher, Mini-Storage Messenger. A short while later, she was offered the role of Social Media Manager, which is now her current position within Sentry.
Danielle is very determined, excited, and loves her position and the company. Aside from the implementation of Social Media, she studies Social Media practices to help Sentry keep up with the constant changes. She currently handles all social media marketing for each Sentry managed location and the Sentry Self Storage Management company.
