Released on: September 2, 2008, 7:58 am

Press Release Author: Steve Dubinsky

Industry: Consumer Services

Press Release Summary: In the fall of 2005, Beyond Storage owner, David Gast,
wrestled with the biggest decision in the 20-year life of his family\'s business:
continue to be taxed with franchise fees of a large national brand, or risk his
future to establish a unique local brand.

Press Release Body: ST. LOUIS, MO. (September 2, 2008) — With production teams busy,
a steady flow of jobs to install, and designers seeing more new prospects than ever,
you won’t hear much complaining at Beyond Storage. Despite question marks in the
economy, David Gast, owner of the hometown space improvement business is sleeping
more comfortably than he did three years ago. In the fall of 2005, Gast wrestled
with the biggest decision in the 20-year life of his family’s business: continue to
be taxed with franchise fees to remain under the safe haven of a large national
brand, or risk his future to establish a unique local brand. He knew he could build
a better closet; he was determined to build a better business.

Now three years removed from the launch, Gast attributes a successful transition to
the basic premises which led him to leave the franchise system in the first place:
•Beyond Storage pays no franchise fees and passes this savings along to customers
•Beyond Storage can focus solely on the St. Louis market
•The family business has been improving St. Louis spaces since 1985; their expertise
exceeds that of any competitor in the marketplace
•Beyond Storage is free to source the best materials and accessories available for
its customers; the business is not limited to a list of corporate-approved,
preferred vendors.

That’s not to say Gast is resting on his laurels. To the contrary, during the past
three years, he has added new hardwood and green lines to the Beyond Storage product
mix.

“Ultimately, we felt we were just paying for the name,” says Gast. “In 20+ years
we’ve seen and met virtually every space improvement challenge imaginable. We share
this expertise with our customers and we do it for less since there’s no franchise
fee to pay.” Beyond Storage is committed to the St. Louis market, both in terms of
the customers it aims to reach, and its choice of business partners. Whenever
possible, Beyond Storage seeks to do business with other St. Louis businesses, such
as Captiva Marketing and Wilkes Group, providers of web design and direct mail
services respectively.

“In the end,” adds Gast, “we’ll succeed if we deliver a consistently high-quality
product, at a competitive price, and with unsurpassed service … no matter what we’re
called.”

Beyond Storage, a space improvement company began operations in 1985 as St. Louis’
first custom closet franchise. In 2005, the company adopted its current name to
reflect the expanded scope of its business. Beyond Storage has designed more than
50,000 systems including closets, garages, pantries, entertainment centers, kids’
rooms, laundry rooms, mud rooms, home and commercial offices, and more. Beyond
Storage operates a state of the art wood fabrication and lamination facility, where
it manufactures each system to custom specifications. Learn more about Beyond
Storage at www.BeyondStorageSTL.com.

###


Web Site: http://www.beyondstoragestl.com

Contact Details: Beyond Storage
2033 Concourse Drive
St. Louis, MO 63146
(314)997-0150
(314)997-2688
info@beyondstorage.com

Steve Dubinsky
steve@strategicmarketingnetwork.com
(913) 491-3010