Meet Charlotte “Charlie” Fall, President of Access Self Storage

Background & Career

1. Can you tell us a little about your professional background and the path that led you to Access Self Storage?

My career has always been centered on people, operations, and hospitality. I spent many years in restaurants, including leadership roles with Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. and Tavern on the Green, before moving into meetings, events, and workplace hospitality with Convene, where I led multiple properties and teams. Along the way I also gained experience in retail and real estate, both areas I’ve always been naturally curious about. Access brought all of those worlds together for me: people, operations, customer experience, real estate, and business performance.

2. What initially interested you in the self-storage industry?

What interested me was how much more complex the business is than it appears from the outside. Self-storage sits at the intersection of real estate, retail, operations, revenue management, sales, technology, and customer experience. I enjoy businesses where all of those pieces have to work together. The human side connected with me too. People often need storage because something in their life is changing. They may be moving, downsizing, starting a business, growing a family, or going through a difficult transition. There’s something meaningful about meeting people where they are and making that moment a little easier.

3. What experiences throughout your career have had the biggest influence on the way you lead today?

Hospitality has shaped me more than anything else. It taught me urgency, attention to detail, teamwork, and empathy. You learn quickly that every person walking through the door is carrying a different story, and you don’t always know what kind of day they’re having. I try to lead the same way. I believe in high standards, but I also believe people perform at their best when they feel respected, understood, and supported. And leaders need to stay close to the work. You can learn a lot from reports, but you learn more by walking a property, talking with employees, listening to customers, and asking questions.

4. What are you most proud of professionally?

The people I’ve helped develop. I’m proud of the businesses I’ve helped improve, the locations I’ve opened, and the results my teams have delivered, but what stays with me most is watching someone I coached or believed in grow into a stronger leader. To me, one of the best measures of leadership is whether the people around you are better because you were there.

Joining Access

5. What attracted you to Access Self Storage and this opportunity?

Access has a 50-year history, an established reputation, and people who really know this business. That foundation was very attractive to me. I was also drawn to the real estate side of the business and to third-party management specifically, where an owner hands you their property and trusts you with their investment. I like the accountability that comes with that. There’s also a real runway here: new markets, new formats like FlexSpace, and a team that already keeps tenants longer than the industry average. It felt like a role where I could bring what I already know while still having a lot to learn, and I liked that combination.

6. What were some of your first impressions of Access and the team?

How welcoming and knowledgeable the team is. There is a tremendous amount of institutional knowledge here, and people genuinely care about their properties, their customers, and the company. As the new person, I see my first responsibility as listening. I’m not coming in assuming things need to change simply because they’ve been done a certain way. I want to understand what works, what makes Access special, and where the real opportunities are before making decisions about what comes next.

7. As you step into the role of President, what are you most excited about?

I’m excited about the possibilities. I’m ambitious about where Access can go, but I’m also a big believer in getting one percent better every day. Progress doesn’t always come from one huge initiative. Sometimes it’s improving one process, removing one obstacle for an employee, making one customer experience easier, or asking a better question. When an entire organization thinks that way, those small improvements compound into something meaningful.

8. Is there anything about Access that has stood out to you since joining the company?

The loyalty within the organization. There are people who have spent a significant portion of their careers here, and that says something about a company. There’s history, pride, and a real sense of ownership. I see that as a strength. That tenure shows up in the results, too. Access keeps tenants longer than the industry average, and that doesn’t happen by accident. The opportunity now is to respect that experience while continuing to evolve, challenge ourselves, and look for smart ways to make the business even stronger.

Leadership & Culture

9. What does a strong company culture look like to you?

For me, culture is how people behave when leadership isn’t in the room. It’s whether people help each other, whether they feel comfortable speaking up, and whether they understand that their role matters to the success of the business. My West African heritage influences this too. In Senegal, there’s a concept called Teranga. It’s often translated as hospitality, but it really means generosity, community, and making people feel that they belong. That has always resonated with me. I believe the strongest cultures combine that sense of care and belonging with accountability, high standards, and a shared desire to keep getting better.

10. Access has always placed a strong emphasis on people and our “Helping at Every Step” philosophy. What does that philosophy mean to you as a leader?

It resonates with me deeply, because to me “Helping at Every Step” is hospitality. And hospitality is really about meeting people where they are. One of the things I find most meaningful about self-storage is that we often enter someone’s life during a transition. Sometimes it’s exciting: a new home, a growing family, a new business. Other times it’s difficult. Someone may be downsizing a parent’s home, relocating unexpectedly, or storing belongings connected to someone they’ve lost. We may not always know the story behind the unit someone is renting, but we can remember that there probably is one. That makes the work bigger than simply renting space. And I believe that philosophy has to exist internally too. If we want our employees to take great care of our customers, leadership has to take great care of our employees, through communication, coaching, development, and support.

Getting to Know Charlie

11. What’s something about you we might be surprised to learn? 

I know an embarrassing amount of Forrest Gump trivia. That comes with spending years at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., so I’m probably more prepared for a Forrest Gump trivia competition than anyone reasonably should be. I’m also naturally very curious. If I don’t understand how something works, I tend to keep asking questions until I do.

12. What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I really enjoy spending time with family and friends, contributing to my community, and staying active. My newest obsession is kettlebell training. I recently started taking classes and absolutely love it. There’s something satisfying about getting stronger and seeing progress little by little. I also love food, travel, and learning about different cultures. And after so many years in hospitality, I’m not sure I know how to walk into a restaurant without noticing the service, the flow, and how the operation is running.

13. What’s one piece of career or leadership advice that has stuck with you?

Never become so senior that you stop listening to the people closest to the work. The people operating the business every day often see opportunities and problems long before they show up in a report. Stay curious. Ask questions. Be willing to change your mind when you learn something new.

14. Finally, is there anything you’d like to say directly to the Access team as you begin this new role?

First, thank you. Everyone I’ve met so far has been incredibly welcoming and generous with their time and knowledge. I also understand the responsibility that comes with stepping into this role. Access has a long history and people who have invested years in building this company, and I respect that tremendously. I’m ambitious about where we can go, but ambition doesn’t mean coming in and immediately changing everything. My first responsibility is to learn. You’ll see me in the stores. You’ll see me asking questions. You’ll probably hear me ask “why?” quite a bit. And I hope people will always feel comfortable telling me what’s working, what isn’t, and what they think we can do better. If we take care of our people, take care of our customers, stay curious, hold ourselves to high standards, and keep trying to get one percent better every day, there is a tremendous amount of opportunity ahead for Access. I’m excited to be here, and I’m excited to build the next chapter together.