Portable On Demand Storage
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Portable On Demand Storage, Inc. | |
 |
|
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1998 Clearwater, Florida |
| Headquarters | Clearwater, Florida |
| Key people | Peter Warhurst, CEO |
| Products | Service (Storage/Transport) |
| Slogan | Onsite or Out of Sight |
| Website | www.pods.com |
Portable On Demand Storage is a company founded in January, 1998 in Clearwater, Florida by Peter Warhurst, Roy Courtney, David Revelia and Bill Ash. PODS pioneered the concept of a portable storage container. The container is brought empty to the customer's home, where the customer loads it with their belongings and lock it themselves with their own padlock. Then PODS takes the container to the local warehouse for storage until it is delivered to the customer again. Customers can also keep the container onsite. PODS also provides moving options for short or long distance moves and can often provide packing and loading options as well.
Contents |
[edit] History
Peter Warhurst and Roy Courtney launched a mini-storage business in 1996, shortly after the introduction of the concept by Door to Door Storage of Seattle, WA. They then conceived of a pick-up-and-delivery service using less expensive land for the actual storage. Though some competitors used wooden crates, they wanted a more weather-resistant box. New partners, David Revelia and Bill Ash, came on board and a new kind of storage industry was born. The founders designed a portable weather-resistant container for delivery and placement at ground level in order to ease loading. They also created and patented a hydraulic lift system, referred to within the company as "Podzilla", designed to significantly reduce shift of contents and securely transport the container. Within the first two years, the company grew well beyond the Tampa Bay Area with 14 locations in Florida, half of them franchised.
[edit] Franchises
The original franchise agreements were for markets with populations of 400,000 requiring an investment of up to $1.5 million. PODS receives a fee of $75,000 and 10% of revenues for billing, marketing, and call center support from the Clearwater corporate headquarters. Newer franchises are smaller, for markets of 200,000 or fewer.
The largest franchisee, owns franchises in Florida, Colorado, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York, Texas and Minnesota.
[edit] Locations
Tallahassee, FL
[edit] The PODS Brand Container
There are over 308,563 PODS containers in use at last update.
PODS containers come in two sizes.
1) Approximately 8 feet high, approximately 8 feet wide, 12 feet long.
.....This size may accommodate 1-2 rooms.
2) Approximately 8 feet high, approximately 8 feet wide, 16 feet long.
.....This size may accommodate 3-4 rooms.
They are manufactured by PODS with a steel frame construction and marine grade wood interior. An engineer certified that the sturdy, weather resistant container can withstand a wind velocity of up to 110 miles per hour while partially full.
| Approximate Measurements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Exterior Overall Dimensions | 12 foot | 16 foot |
| In Feet: | ||
| Length | 12' | 16' |
| Width | 8' | 8' |
| Height | 8' | 8' |
| In Inches: | ||
| Length | 145 1/4 | 193 1/4 |
| Width | 92 1/2 | 92 1/2 |
| Height | 101 | 101 |
| Interior Nominal (not taking interior beams into consideration) | ||
| In Inches: | ||
| Length | 141 1/4 | 189 1/2 |
| Width | 90 | 90 |
| Height | 95 3/4 | 95 3/4 |
| In Feet | ||
| Square Feet | 88 | 118 |
| Cubic Feet | 706 | 945 |
| Interior Clear (taking interior beams into consideration) | ||
| In Inches: | ||
| Length | 138 | 186 |
| Width | 83 | 83 |
| Height | 90 1/2 | 90 1/2 |
| In Feet | ||
| Square Feet | 80 | 107 |
| Cubic Feet | 603 | 807 |
| Door Opening | ||
| In Feet: | ||
| Width | 6 ft 8 in | 6 ft 8 in |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in | 6 ft 4 in |
| In Inches: | ||
| Width | 82 | 82 |
| Height | 77 1/8 | 77 1/8 |
| Empty Weight | 1750 lb. | 2000 lb. |
| Unit Load (PSF) | 83.3 lb. | 78.1 lb |
| Total Load | 8,000 lb. | 10,000 lb. |
The floor of the container is 4 inches off the ground. It is equipped with a roll-up door at one end. The roof/ceiling is made from a translucent plastic to allow light to enter the container from above. They are manufactured at several company factories nationwide at a rate of one about every 20 minutes.
[edit] Competition
There are a number of competitors in the portable storage business:
- SMARTBOX Portable Self Storage
- American Portable Mini Storage
- Door to Door Storage
- Mobile Attic
- Outta Site Mobile Self-Storage
