Tonia grew up mostly in Sumter, SC as a “military brat”, and started her storage career in 2002 with Morningstar / Shurgard. She joined the Heyward Companies in October 2003 as a Relief Manager at a Columbia, SC property. In December 2003 she also began work in the Columbia Home Office as an Accounting Assistant, ultimately becoming the Administrative Assistant to then-President, Andy Shobert. With the merger that created Universal Storage Group, Tonia’s roles were split between Accounting and Human Resources. She served almost 10 years as USG’s the Director of Human Resources focusing on the continuous improvement of employee benefits, work-life, and positive culture at Universal Storage. In 2022, USG grew again, and Tonia was promoted to the position of Assistant Controller, working closely with the company’s CFO, Andy.