Self-Storage Leadership Showcase 2025: Kim Hoelting, Vice President of Marketing and Training, Universal Storage Group
Time with company: 1 year
Time in position: 1 year
Brief overview: Kim is an experienced CEO and brand-marketing professional who’s worked in the luxury, beauty and real estate sectors. She’s excelled in public, private and private-equity ownership structures, and is at the forefront of brand and channel marketing, social media, and digital fluency.
What leadership responsibilities do you currently carry?
I develop business-to-consumer marketing strategies to support and grow our management and consulting clients’ stores, blending traditional community-based tactics with modern, technology-driven approaches. On the business-to-business side, I create strategies to attract, retain and expand our management and consulting-client partnerships. I also help guide company-wide growth and development strategies.
Beyond USG, I continue to mentor former colleagues from my 30-plus years in the beauty industry, and I enjoy guest lecturing at a local university, where I advise and inspire the next generation of marketers.
What’s your personal approach to team and overall company leadership? What would you say is your philosophy or style?
I’m a firm believer in situational leadership—a philosophy I learned while working for large, multi-national corporations. Because I manage a variety of projects and personalities, being able to flex my leadership style allows me to maximize team productivity while supporting each individual’s growth.
Related:Self-Storage Staffing in 2026: Managing Today’s Multi-Generational Workforce and Making it Simpatico
What do you feel are the most important traits in a self-storage industry leader, whether they’re an owner/operator or part of the vendor community?
For marketing leaders or owner/operators, the most important trait is a customer-centric mindset. Self-storage is a need-based, often emotion-driven purchase, and at USG, we work daily to make the tenant experience as positive as possible. I’m also continuing to develop skills unique to the industry, such as property and real estate management.
Please share an example of stellar leadership you’ve witnessed in the course of your career, even if it was outside the self-storage industry.
I feel fortunate to work again with A.J. Ross, who is a true servant leader. A.J. sets an ambitious vision for USG and then empowers each team member to contribute to that strategy. He balances results with a genuine focus on people’s growth and well-being, and his ability to listen and care deeply about the team is so inspiring.
I’m also grateful that my onboarding at USG overlapped with Anne Ballard, “The Hat Lady,” before her retirement. Even in a short time, Anne generously shared invaluable storage marketing insights. Today, I continue to learn from her wisdom during our quarterly board meetings.
What has been one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in a leadership position, and how did you overcome it?
One of my toughest challenges came in a prior role outside of storage when I inherited a marketing team that was undertrained and unprepared for the company’s challenges. I had to retrain associates, restructure responsibilities and reorganize projects to maximize effectiveness. Over time, the team flourished—many people advancing to bigger roles—and ultimately delivered record growth for the division. That experience reinforced the importance of training, development and adaptability in leadership.
How do you invest in your own personal and professional development, and how important do you believe this is to your level of success?
As a newcomer to the storage industry, I’ve immersed myself in learning. I attend tradeshows, association meetings and industry events, study publications, visit USG-managed sites and “shop the competition” to build my knowledge base. I’m also fortunate to have colleagues, vendor partners and mentors who share their expertise and accelerate my learning. Equally important, I stay up-to-date on marketing trends and technologies beyond storage to ensure USG benefits from best practices across industries. For me, continuous learning is critical to both personal success and the growth of the company.
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