The Nagels – One of the Self-Storage Industry’s Founding Families
The
Nagels
Today the firm is based in Lake
Forest, IL and owns or operates
assets in excess
of $1.2 billion
dollars. The 100
store portfolio
covers 12 states
and 6.5 million
rentable square
feet of storage.
Brothers Matt
(Chairman - 54)
and Blair (CEO
- 52) bought out their father in 1997
and formed Metro Storage LLC. At
the time the company had 42 stores.
Prior to 1997, the company was
named The Nagel Group, Inc.,
and was a successful real estate
firm developing and managing
low income housing complexes,
industrial warehouses, business and
medical offices, single & multifamily
housing and self-storage.
One of the Self-Storage
Industry’s Founding Families
The year was 1971. It was a hot
summer day in Dallas, TX when
Karl Nagel discovered the concept
of “mini-warehouses” during one of
his many business trips. He brought
this concept to Chicago and built
Illinois’ first self-storage facility in
1973. Forty-two years later, sons Matt
and Blair have expanded the family
legacy as owners o