By Dennis Quick
Senior Staff Writer

You’re moving, so you order a huge container or two delivered to your house, pack the containers at your leisure and have them delivered to your new residence whenever you want.

Such is the service UNITS Mobile Storage provides. The Johns Island-based company delivers 8-foot-by-12-foot or 8-foot-by-16-foot containers to on-the-move homeowners and business owners, who pack the containers and then leave them for UNITS trucks to pick up and transport to the customer’s new address.

It’s a concept Clearwater, Fla.-based Portable On Demand Storage developed back in 1998 with its PODS brand, and is part of the nation’s $18.5 billion self-storage industry.

Michael McAlhany caught on to the concept nearly three years ago, when he founded UNITS Mobile Storage. He began with about 30 containers, a truck and a 5,000-square-foot facility in North Charleston.

Since then, UNITS has moved to a 25,000-square-foot Johns Island warehouse, added a truck, with another in the works, and boosted its inventory to nearly 300 containers.

The growth of his business has led McAlhany to embark on a franchising campaign.

UNITS Mobile Storage already has franchises in Columbia, Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Charlotte, N.C. However, McAlhany is eyeing a bigger goal: 400 franchises nationwide over the next five years.

By the end of this year, he hopes to sign six to 10 new franchisees.

McAlhany is spreading the news about UNITS’ franchise opportunities by attending trade shows from Las Vegas to Washington, D.C., to Miami. He offers an enticing pitch to would-be franchisees.

“The moving and storage industry has seen significant growth over the last two decades and shows no signs of slowing down,” McAlhany said. “With more than 41 million Americans moving yearly, UNITS is offering a tremendous business opportunity in a widely untapped market with a steadily growing client base for years to come.”

McAlhany acknowledges that his toughest competitor is PODS, which has franchises in 44 states. Still, he believes UNITS’ water- and mold-resistant containers, container-rental rates and overall service will enable his company to grab a sizeable share of the market.

Franchisees must invest between $250,000 and $500,000 to open a UNITS franchise, including a one-time franchise fee ranging from $40,000 to $60,000. A potential franchise territory must have a population of at least 400,000.

Franchise owners receive a week of training at UNITS’ Johns Island headquarters along with sales, marketing and operational tools needed to develop their territories and manage their operations.

Additionally, franchisees must purchase at least 10 containers before opening their business. Franchisees will recoup their investment in about 18 months, McAlhany said.

Also, aspiring franchise owners will need a storage facility of at least 25,000 square feet with 30-foot-high ceilings, plus a heavy-duty delivery truck and a lift truck capable of lifting at least 15,000 pounds.

Dennis Quick is senior staff writer for the Business Journal. E-mail him at dquick@charlestonbusiness.com.

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