Vail Valley Bizwatch: All Nations now managing Dotsero property

Business name: All Nations Management.

Location: Dotsero.

Date opened: February 2006.

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Owner: The Farmer family and others.

Contact info: Call 970-777-7777.

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What goods or services do you provide?

We are a property management company focusing on self-storage facilities. We are also a U-Haul dealership, provide moving labor service and have a full line of U-Haul boxes including the absurdly popular U-Box.

What’s new or exciting at your place?

All Nations is now managing a new property in Dotsero, at 4000 U.S. Highway 6, with 56 acres of storage space for RVs, boats, cars, heavy equipment and more. We can store just about everything that your HOA complains about. We are adding new customers daily, and that is very exciting to us. We have a three-stage plan to develop the property into a solar farm, with covered parking under the solar array.

What strategy do you use to differentiate your business from your competition?

I was once in a meeting of investors for a large development in the valley and asked why they where charging a 200 percent markup on their houses. Here, we charge a price that is fair, not what the market can bear. Where RV storage in other places charge $200 per month, we top out at $100, and that is for a 50-foot pull-through space. I know of some people locked into $100 spots for their pop-up campers and that is just a shame. We also act as the Dotsero Chamber of Commerce, promoting other Dotsero business.

What philosophy do you follow in dealing with your customers? What can your customers expect from you?

I have to say I really like working with all the people I get to meet. I use an ancient philosophy — some may recognize the phrase “Do unto others as you would have done to you.” It’s been around for a while but really does work in this business as in our personal lives. We keep our prices low for our surface storage as well as our mini storage because it is the right thing to do. We really try not to auction off our storage units and work with people to catch them up if something bad happens in their life.

Tell us a little about your background, education and experience: The basic story is that after the Marines were done with me, I worked as a bus driver and got my AA degree. My wife holds a master’s degree and teaches kindergarten at Gypsum Elementary while writing curriculum for the state on the side. Our kids are the core of our lives. Kalista, Scotland and Liberty are just terrific to be around.

What is the most humorous thing that has happened at your business since you opened?

It was not funny at the time, but in retrospect I got to fly like Superman. We often go to Denver to bring trucks up to our U-Haul dealership. Usually we put whatever car we are driving on an auto transport, which says in large letters, “check that hitch is tight before driving car onto ramps.” I didn’t.

I was standing on the tongue of the trailer and motioned for Tonya to drive up, and just as she hit the ramps I was sent sailing up onto the hood of the SUV. A painful lesson, but now I am sure to tell all my customers to check the hitch.

P.S. Don’t forget to check the hitch.