Meet our management team
SmartStop 3PM brings together the operational depth of Argus Professional Storage Management and the enterprise breadth of SmartStop Self Storage, giving independent owners access to one of the industry’s most experienced management teams.
Meet our management team
SmartStop 3PM brings together the operational depth of Argus Professional Storage Management and the enterprise breadth of SmartStop Self Storage, giving independent owners access to one of the industry’s most experienced management teams.
Executive Leadership
H. Michael Schwartz
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer
H. Michael Schwartz is Founder, Chairman and CEO of SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. (SmartStop), a self-managed REIT with a fully integrated operations team of more than 1,000 self-storage professionals focused on growing the…
H. Michael Schwartz
H. Michael Schwartz is Founder, Chairman, CEO and President of SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. (SmartStop), a self-managed REIT with a fully integrated operations team of over 1,000 self-storage professionals focused on growing the SmartStop® Self Storage brand. SmartStop, through a wholly owned subsidiary, also sponsors other self-storage programs. SmartStop is the eleventh-largest self-storage company in the U.S., with an owned and managed portfolio of more than 400 properties in the US and Canada.
In 2007, Mr. Schwartz founded Strategic Storage Trust, Inc., a fully integrated, self-administered and self-managed self-storage company, owning and/or operating 169 self-storage properties in 21 states and Toronto, Canada. In 2015, Mr. Schwartz negotiated the $1.4 billion sale to Extra Space Storage, Inc., the second-largest storage operator in the United States. In January 2019, he successfully negotiated a second full-cycle REIT liquidity event with the all-cash merger of Strategic Storage Growth Trust, Inc. with Strategic Storage Trust II, Inc. for $12.00 per share. Over the past seven years, Mr. Schwartz has overseen the return of approximately $1.2 billion of equity and profits to investors.
Mr. Schwartz has more than 33 years of experience in real estate, securities and corporate financial management. During the last 22 years, he has transacted more than $6.5 billion in commercial real estate. He is a renowned expert who is frequently invited to speak at national conferences and has been interviewed by major news media.
Mr. Schwartz holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration, with an emphasis in finance, from the University of Southern California.
Korey Hanson
President, Chief Operating Officer
As President of SmartStop 3PM, Korey Hanson is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the management company and more than 460 managed storage facilities.
Korey Hanson
President & Chief Operating Officer
As President and COO of SmartStop 3PM, Korey Hanson oversees all aspects of the management platform and more than 460 facilities across North America.
Korey helped build the company from its founding as Argus Professional Storage Management in 2012, advancing from Area Manager to Director of Operations to President. When Argus joined forces with SmartStop in 2025 to form SmartStop 3PM, Korey took on expanded leadership responsibilities, applying more than a decade of self-storage operational expertise to the combined platform. He works closely with the full management team to drive day-to-day efficiency, leads new management acquisitions, and maintains strong client relationships across the portfolio. He also sits on the Board of Directors for the Arizona Self Storage Association. Korey is a University of Arizona graduate.
Bliss Edwards
Executive VP Canada
Bliss Edwards is Executive Vice President, Canada for SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. With more than a decade of self-storage industry experience, she leads the company’s Canadian acquisition, development, and expansion strategy. Since joining SmartStop in 2019, Edwards has played a key role in…
Bliss Edwards
Bliss Edwards is Executive Vice President, Canada for SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. With more than a decade of self-storage industry experience, she leads the company’s Canadian acquisition, development, and expansion strategy. Since joining SmartStop in 2019, Edwards has played a key role in accelerating the company’s growth across Canada, overseeing the expansion of SmartStop’s development pipeline by fourfold and helping establish the company as one of the top self-storage operators in North America and a leading operator in the Greater Toronto Area. In 2025, Edwards was named a national winner in the Canadian Women in Real Estate Awards, recognizing her leadership, strategic vision, and contributions to the commercial real estate industry.
Gerald Valle
VP of Strategic Operations Growth
Gerald Valle brings more than 30 years of self-storage operations experience to SmartStop 3PM, with a career spanning Public Storage, Extra Space Storage, and The William Warren Group.
Gerald Valle
VP of Strategic Operations Growth
As VP of Strategic Operations Growth, Gerald Valle brings more than 30 years of self-storage industry experience to the management platform, having built his career with some of the most recognized names in the space. Gerald joined SmartStop in 2017 and transitioned into his current role when SmartStop partnered with Argus in 2025 to form SmartStop 3PM.
Prior to SmartStop, Gerald spent nearly 15 years with Public Storage, ultimately serving as Regional Vice President of Operations, and 10 years with Extra Space Storage as Divisional Vice President of Operations and Vice President of Sales. He also served as Vice President of Operations for The William Warren Group, overseeing the StorQuest Self Storage portfolio. His career spans large-scale portfolio management, revenue optimization, and operational leadership across some of the country’s largest and most successful self-storage brands.