With a background in finance and a knack for making the numbers work, Chris saw an opportunity to develop some of the first climate-controlled self-storage facilities on the East Coast. In 2005 he brought the idea to Childress Klein, pairing it with CK’s reputation for customer service and management.

Under Chris’s leadership, CK built and sold its first two self-storage facilities, then launched its own brand, SpaceMax Storage. The division focuses on modern, climate-controlled facilities in established neighborhoods, often giving new life to former big-box stores, such as a former Target near Stone Mountain and a former Walmart Neighborhood Market in Nashville. Features like indoor vehicle storage draw customers from a wider area and support longer stays.

In less than 10 years, the division developed more than 1.2 million square feet of self-storage, with facilities in Atlanta, Charlotte, Greenville and Nashville. Several, including the Stone Mountain and Powers Ferry locations, now operate under the Life Storage brand.

Today Chris oversees development and management of the firm’s self-storage portfolio and supports Atlanta’s corporate projects, including general ledger, payables, receivables and project accounting.