Two Leeward Students Win Scholarships From Company

PEARL CITY/AIEA - Seniors Monica Orcine from Pearl City High and Amanda Tanhchaleun of Aiea High are among the recipients of Hawaii Self Storage scholarships.nThe company held an awards ceremony honoring the winners last week at its Pearl City facility. nMonica, the daughter of Noe and Monica Orcine, wants to attend the University of Hawaii Manoa to major in biology. nAmanda, the daughter of Khamtan and Chau Tanhchaleun, is bound for the University of Portland Oregon to major in nursing. nThe two were among 10 public high school students from across Oahu who have been awarded Hawaii Self Storage scholarships worth up to $4,000. nEach will receive annually renewable $1,000 awards for a maximum of two years for associate degrees and four years for bachelor's degrees. nThe awards began in 2004 "as a way of giving back to the communities we serve," said Pearl City resident Shaun Salvador, Hawaii Self Storage's facility manager and scholarship coordinator. n"As we've expanded our locations across Oahu, we've also expanded the number of high schools whose students are eligible to compete for these scholarships," he said. n" Hawaii Self Storage understands the importance of education in helping students develop into leaders who will make a difference in the community. We are committed to continuing our scholarship program and to providing students with the financial resources needed to help them achieve their educational dreams." nStudents interested next year's scholarship program should speak to a school counselor, call 836-1500 or visit the Web site at www.hawaiiselfstorage.net/communitypride.asp. nLooking for an entrepreneurial idea that will take you away to a tropical island? Then this trend's for you. Air conditioned self storage has become a $21 billion business nationwide, nearly doubling in size over the last decade. Last year alone, 3,000 new sites opened, and now one in every 11 households rents space in nearly 50,000 self-storage outlets. nSo where does the tropical island part come in? Growth of storage facilities on the space-deprived islands of Hawaii has outpaced the national average. As of last year, Hawaii only had 73 outlets, but eight new facilities recently opened, and a dozen more sites are already in the works. nAside from sandy beaches and picturesque sunsets, Hawaii also has the highest rental fee for storage space at about $3 per square foot per month due to the high price of land. To compare, the national average is less than a dollar per square foot per month. But Hawaiian renters seem to be getting their money's worth--the newest facilities on the island are being compared to small resorts, featuring 24-hour access, air-conditioned hallways, fancy business centers and wireless internet service.