Christopher Ramsey, CEO of A Metro Climate Controlled Self Storage

40 years ago, Chris Ramsey's parents purchased the Liedkie Moving & Storage Company, thrusting him into the business as a child. Now the CEO of this 120 year old company, Chris has worked his way up from being a mover to a moving salesman and now all the way up to CEO. He even remembers the times when the school bus would drop him off at the warehouse rather than his house. His dedication and tenacity are obvious key aspects of his commitment to this field of work, which he inherits from his parents. He explains how his father started the same way, working first as a mover, and then moving his way up in the company. Many years after Chris' family became the owners of Liedkie Moving, Chris created A Metro, a company which specializes in climate-controlled self-storage. Since moving goes hand-in-hand with storage, this undertaking was a no brainer for go-getter Chris.Despite challenges like everchanging rules and regulations and the labor-intensive work of moving, Chris foresees both companies continuing to grow and flourish. Currently, A Metro has 22 locations, but in ten years time, he anticipates 100 locations all up and down the East coast. With Liedkie holding steady at 100+ employees and A Metro around 50 employees, Chris is proud that both companies are continuously able to help local families during one of the "top three most stressful times" of their lives (moving). He is especially happy to be doing business in the Capital Region, for which he praises as "underrated" for its community and variety of local entrepreneurs. He speaks on the various networking opportunities afforded to him by working in this bustling (but not too busy) area. Not only that, but he enjoys using his companies for good by partnering with and donating to charity organizations like Toys for Tots.Chris expresses his admiration for his profession, saying, "I love this stuff, it's fun for me. It can be stressful but I'm ready for it".Chris Ramsey is a CEO You Should Know!

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hey, it's Dug from WGY Morningsand I have another CEO you should know.
Chris Ramsey is the CEO of ledKey Moving and a Metro self storage.
Hey Chris, good morning, Ahi, Good morning Duds. We always
start at the beginning. How didyou even get started in this business?
Yeah, so basically, my parentsown a moving company that is a hundred

(00:23):
and twenty years old at this point, and that's Linkey Moving in Storage.
So they actually bought it from Lidkeyaround forty years ago. And now I'm
taking over, taking over the reins. So yeah, that's how I got
started in the business. Worked myway up from being an actual mover and
then moving salesman too, now runningin the business. So you literally are

(00:44):
that CEO says Listen, I wasputting boxes on that truck when I was
thirteen. I know how this stuffgoes. Yeah, I've been running around
the warehouses since I was a kid. The school bus, I always tell
the story the school bus used toactually drop me off at the warehouse.
So that's where I've been there mywhole entire life. So yeah, I
know the business inside and out.So now that you're on this side of

(01:06):
it, was your dad good atthis? Or what dare you're like?
Man dad? Now that I thinkon this, Yeah, So he started
the same way, right, Hestarted with basically with one truck. Then
he bought the leak key moving instorage. So he started the same way
I did. Really started as amover and then you know, grew the
business and then obviously the a metrocell storage started later because moving and storage

(01:30):
go together. From when he started, I won't go all the way back
one hundred and twenty years, butfrom when he took over versus where you
are now. Obviously the world haschanged, This business has changed. Talk
about some of that. Yeah,so the business there's obviously a lot more
rules and regulations these days. Idon't know if you could actually build what

(01:52):
we've built if you started today,just because all of how the landscape has
changed so much. But you know, back then, you just worked very
hard. There wasn't really many rules, There wasn't really any regulations, so
he was able to grow very quickly. Both my parents, my mother's involved
too, so they did a greatjob. And you know today we have

(02:13):
over one hundred employees at just themoving company alone. The self storage has
around fifty so they're both very large, and I'm happy to continue to keep
growing them. That's the game plan. Every business comes with its own set
of challenges, whether it's finance,whether it's medical, self storage, and
moving. I'm sure it does two. What's the number one issue you face

(02:34):
in twenty twenty three, So thisis also a great story. The moving
is very labor intensive, very hard. As you can imagine, you're dealing
with people's personal belongings at a verystressful time in their life. Moving,
they say, is one of thetop three most stressful things that people will
do in their lifetime, and Ican vouch for that that is true.
So the moving is a very difficultbusiness. The great thing about it,

(02:55):
the moving business, is it leadsus into the storage business, which is
a great business. You know,self storage, you know, very hands
off, you know, more ofa real estate play. We recently started
raising private equity for the self storagebusiness within you know, hopes to expand
it to a hundred facilities. We'reat twenty two right now. So yes,

(03:17):
the moving is very hard, verylabor intensive, but it does feed
our other business, the self storagebusiness, which is uh, you know,
relatively easy, especially compared to themoving. You know, I hold
in my hand a new cell phone. Actually, as a matter of acting,
everything is done via cell phone rightnow. But you still are those
things where you gotta roll up yoursleeves and you gotta get sweat. I

(03:38):
mean, you gotta get work andyou're in one of those games. Yeah,
there's you know, technology is nevergonna not not anywhere close to taking
away the moving business or the selfstorage business for for the you know,
honestly, So yeah, both ofthose businesses, I'm pretty safe. No
AI, you know, no U, no robo are going to start moving

(04:00):
you anytime soon. So yeah,I think we're safe in that aspect.
What makes the Capitol region where youwant to do business and where you've been
successful for so many years? Sothe Capital region is actually I think very
underrated. You know, there's youknow, it's spread out, but there
is a lot of people here,and there's a lot of great business people,
a lot of entrepreneurs. As Igrow my social media's and I start

(04:24):
doing more interviews like this, youstart finding and more people start reaching out
to you, and you really realizethat there's a lot of great people around
the area that are you know,doing big things, not only me,
but you know you talk to alot of them every day. So you
know, there's a lot of peoplehere, a lot of opportunity. You're
not in such a big city whereyou know, if you want to go
and buy a building it's too expensive, you can. It's still semi affordable

(04:46):
around here compared to New York City, you know, Miami, the other
big cities. And uh, there'sa lot of opportunity here and a lot
of people that are willing to helpyou. A lot of other great talent
are there, causes near and dearto your business and your co companies that
you know, this is just partof who we are. This is how
we give back to the Capitol region. Yeah, everything we do usually is
for kids. So toys for tots, any organizations for kids is really the

(05:13):
main thing that we try to do. You know, those the kid the
kids are great and obviously a lotof them are coming up right now with
Christmas time here rolling them rolling uparound here anytime soon. So those organizations
are definitely our favorite to to giveto. I always ask at the end,
and I assume we've covered this alittle bit, but Crystal Ball,
ten years from now, tell mewhere you are and where your businesses are.

(05:36):
So ten years from now, themovie company will still be running great
around here, you know, locally, and the South storage probably will have
expanded again to one hundred facilities.We're at twenty two right now, so
hopefully we'll be not only in theCapitol region but up and down the East
Coast at that point. Right Sothat's that's where I hope to be ten

(06:00):
years. I can see a smileabout that as you know that's going to
happen, and I can also seethe stress that's coming on to you as
you go. There's gonna be alot of work to get there. There's
definitely going to be a lot ofwork to get there. But I love
to do this, I really do. Some people say that and you know,
you feel like it's not true,but you know, I love this
stuff. It's fun for me.So yeah, it would, it would

(06:23):
be stressful, but I'm ready forit. Last one, just because do
all of your drivers know the exactheight of the Glenville Bridge and a notice
stay away from it. That's great, that's a that's a great question.
I it's I'm amazed by how manytimes it gets ran into even me,
you know, being in this business, it's it's shocking how many times people
hit it. But yes, allof our drivers know not to go near

(06:45):
that bridge, I'll tell you that. But god, I'm shocked every time.
Every time. Chris, good stuff. Really appreciate it, continued success.
Absolutely, thank you very much.I'm Doug Goudy. That's Chris Ramsey,
CEO of led Key Moving and aMetro self Storage. He's a CEO.
You should know