At the 2026 Inside Self Storage World Expo in Las Vegas, QuikStor Chief Innovation Officer Andre Hadzi-Pavlovic sat down with host Shane Adams for Episode 1.3 of the Go Local Interactive podcast, recorded live from the show floor. Over roughly 17 minutes, Andre covered how QuikStor came to be under its current ownership, why self-storage technology is finally catching up, and where QuikStor is investing next: automation that moves NOI. The episode also features a news roundup and a conversation with SecureLease.
From investor to builder
Andre has spent most of his career in software: startups, both sides of venture capital, and a short run in private equity. He was clear about which side he prefers. Building product beats financial engineering.
His path to QuikStor ran through Trojan Storage, QuikStor's parent. As an operator, Trojan wanted its technology to serve owners, not the other way around. In Andre's words, the goal was to "control software, be able to have it do what's gonna drive the owners' wealth." Trojan first built a platform in-house, then acquired QuikStor about four and a half years ago. The founder stayed on as a minority owner.
Self-storage tech is overdue for a reset
Andre was candid that self-storage software has trailed sectors like multifamily. Years of consolidation slowed innovation. Now new entrants are building modern platforms, many with AI at the core, and he does not think the window has closed for anyone. His shorthand: "MySpace existed before Facebook." Being first is not the same as winning.
On capital, he drew a line between private equity, which buys for exit multiples, and venture capital, which funds growth toward an acquisition. He sees the current wave of investment and consolidation as a cycle, the same way he views frustration with REIT dominance. Markets swing, then level out.
What's next: automation built around NOI
Asked about QuikStor's focus for the next six months, Andre kept it simple: "It all comes down to NOI." That means heavy automation in two areas.
- AI-driven revenue management. Instead of blanket rate increases, QuikStor is using tenant signals, such as payment data and how often someone uses the gate, to predict who is likely to stay and price increases accordingly.
- Automated lead capture. Every web inquiry and phone call should land somewhere. The goal, he said, is "not missing opportunities" to have "a lead from a website or a call go missed."
He said QuikStor plans releases in both areas over the next two months.
Open ecosystems and real attribution
Andre drew on the 1980s Microsoft versus Apple fight to make a point about software platforms: "A closed ecosystem's never gonna be the best thing in the long run." He credited Go Local's tech team, including David Rahia, for building integrations that work, and called out integrations that break Google Tag Manager tracking and leave operators guessing which marketing actually drove a rental.
That led to a bigger gap in the industry. "The concept of multi-touch attribution really didn't exist in self storage," he said. A single rental can touch a website, a call center, an agency and the facility management software. Andre argued that data should be unified and shared across all of them, so operators can finally measure customer acquisition cost and lifetime value, metrics he noted have only recently entered the conversation.
Why ISS matters
Andre runs R&D and product management at QuikStor, and he treats shows like ISS as field research. "It's great to get together with our customers, our partners, our vendors, everybody," he said. Hearing operators' problems firsthand helps QuikStor build for the needs they have not put into words yet.
Hear the full conversation on the Go Local Interactive podcast. Shopping for facility management software? See what QuikStor can do for your NOI at QuikStor.com.
