OUR PEOPLE
Pinnacle Storage Properties
Robert E. “Robby” Dunn, III, Chief Financial Officer
Prior to entering the self storage sector, Robby had a background in residential investments in both multi-family and single-family properties. He is currently a principal in approximately 650,000 net rentable square feet of self storage facilities either existing and/or in development. Robby is the author of three books and numerous management-related articles that helped shape insurance industry education standards.
Robby is a graduate of the University of Kansas with a BA in English Literature.
John Manes, Chief Executive Officer
Prior to starting his own self storage real estate investment company John most recently served as Chief Operating Officer for The Jenkins Organization (TJO), a fully integrated real estate company specializing in the self-storage industry. As the COO, John’s primary function was to oversee all home office and field operations.
John joined TJO in 2011 after serving as one of 3 Regional Vice Presidents with Uncle Bob’s Self-Storage (now Life Storage), one of the five publicly traded Self-Storage REITs. John began at Uncle Bob’s as a District Manager in 2005 overseeing the Austin and San Antonio markets and in 2009 was promoted to one of three Regional Vice Presidents. In this capacity, John was responsible for the performance of over 120 properties and 200 employees. For three consecutive years, John had the best performing region in the portfolio. He is a former board member of the Texas Self Storage Association, where he has served on a number of TSSA committees and chaired the Education Committee in 2018.
Erik Osterhus, Chief Development Officer
Prior to joining Pinnacle Storage Properties, Erik gained his storage business experience through his efforts to develop a storage facility in the Houston area. Extensive travel across the state while working as a Petroleum Landman provided him the opportunity to develop a thorough understanding of self-storage markets in a wide variety of locales. Through his efforts, Erik has established relationships with real estate professionals, builders, architects, civil engineers, feasibility experts, investors and other industry insiders.
Erik holds a BA in History from the University of Texas at Austin.
Ross Smolen, Vice President of Acquisitions
Prior to joining Pinnacle, Ross led Exostretch, a technology transfer start-up, which produces a stretchable, thin-film battery. Under Ross’s leadership, Exostretch participated in business plan competitions and programs, including NASA’s iTech program, Caltech’s FloW Cleantech competition, The National Science Foundation’s I-Corps IN-LA Blitz Program, and Baylor’s New Venture Competition.
Ross is a graduate of the Cyvia and Melvyn Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Houston where he served as External Relations Officer for the Undergraduate Real Estate Scholars. Ross is a licensed real estate agent and has experience in commercial brokerage and construction management.
Pinnacle Storage Managers
Cassie Dodgen, President
Her tenure at Pinnacle Storage Properties began in 2016 where she quickly advanced from Property Manager to Area Manager. She was instrumental in the growth of Pinnacle’s portfolio from 3 to 20 locations.
Cassie’s journey in the storage industry began in 2012 with The Jenkins Organization (TJO). At TJO she was promoted from Property Manager to Area Manager. Her past responsibilities included store takeovers and representation at “time of sell.” She also worked as a trainer, auditor, and adjuster.
Cassie excels in operations and is a sought-after speaker in multiple facets of the storage industry.
Brandon McBride, District Manager
He is presently responsible for oversight of properties in Texas as well as out-of-state locations. His responsibilities include hiring, training, revenue management, store takeover, due diligence, and team development.
Prior to joining Pinnacle Storage Properties, Brandon excelled as an insurance agent at Allstate, where he worked in sales, training, and community marketing. While at Allstate, Brandon propelled the agency into the top 1% in national growth.
Brandon is currently pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice.
Rania Bitar, Vice President of Finance
Prior to joining Pinnacle Storage Properties, Rania was employed in a similar role with Pegaso Properties, a real estate management company located in Houston, Texas.
Rania holds a B.A. in Banking and Finance from the Lebanese American University.
Pat Stokes, Accounting, Payroll and HR Administrator
Her responsibilities entail payroll, new hire onboarding, annual open enrollment insurance negotiations, continuing development of employee handbook, and scheduling AP and AR for Storage Maintenance Solutions.
Prior to joining Pinnacle Storage Managers, Pat served as Corporate Operations Coordinator/Trainer for over 30 storage facilities, developed procedure and training manuals, and implemented retail, postal centers and truck rentals at various storage locations. She was involved in oversight and takeover of new facilities.
Pinnacle Storage Affiliates
Aaron Lohmann, CEO and Co-Founder,Earn.re
Aaron Lohmann is the CEO and Co-Founder of Earn.re. Earn is developing one of the first US regulated digital platforms for trading commercial real estate securities – empowering both investors and project sponsors.Aaron is a seasoned US real estate developer with experience in housing, commercial, and public real estate projects.
Christina Alvino, Owner, FineView Marketing
Like you, marketing expert Christina Alvino has often wondered and discussed what makes marketing such a powerful and effective tool for companies to acquire new business. Is it your presence in the digital space? Is it just about building relationships? Is it because your message is consistent across every piece of communication?
Since 2006 Christina has been living and breathing real-life, in-the-trenches business experiences that have helped shape her view on marketing and what makes a company successful. Christina takes a fully integrated approach to marketing, discussing with clients all phases of development and execution of marketing strategies to improve campaign effectiveness and drive results.
Christina has served as an executive level marketing leader in the storage industry since 2011, with prior experience managing marketing and operations for multi-property brands. She is highly skilled at assessing needs, generating options, and implementing solutions. She has a strong background in budgeting, planning, and implementing marketing operations initiatives designed to improve culture, employee performance, and operational results.
Her successes include: Pinnacle Storage Properties, Storage Plus, World Class Capital Group, Yellowstone Property Management, Guardian Storage, Eat’n Park Hospitality Group, Tile & Designs, Rachel Carson Homestead Association, and Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, just to name a few.
Christina has presented at both the national and local levels on topics including, content marketing and buyer personas, how marketing and operations need to work together, local community level branding, and how consumer buying behaviors affect self-storage.
She served on the American Marketing Association – Pittsburgh Chapter board for over four years holding various positions included VP Communications and President. She was presented with The Extra Smile Award at Eat’n Park Hospitality Group, an award presented to one employee each year who goes above and beyond for the organization. In 2014, Christina was selected as one of Pittsburgh’s 50 Finest. Participants in this elite group are the area’s most accomplished men and women, chosen for their career success and involvement in the Pittsburgh community.
Learn more about FineView Marketing at www.fineviewmarketing.com
Dan Kryzanowski, Rocket Dollar
Roderick Robinson
His entrepreneurial back ground has led him to partner on multiple deals in the categories of self-storage with Pinnacle Storage Properties, sports apparel and nonprofit 503C organizations.
Rod is the founder of CDR Charitable Foundation which serves to meet the nutritional, clothing, and academic resource deficit in underprivileged and underserved youth.
