The Adams French Team
Phil French
President & Chief Executive Officer
Born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, Phil French was a graduate of Lawrence Central High School. He attended Indiana University and is an active member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, Indiana Chapter.
In 1985, Phil purchased Ideal Uniform, a Uniform Rental Company/ Industrial Laundry in Chicago. The business maintained sales of $5M with 100 employees, and was eventually sold in 2000. During that period of time, Phil consulted with a partner on a self-storage deal that would begin his interest in the self-storage business. In 1990, Phil joined the family business of Mechanics Laundry, eventually becoming Chief Operating Officer in 1993. Mechanics Laundry maintained sales of $100M, operating in five states with 1600 employees. The focus of his tenure as COO was to streamline operations and prepare the company for an eventual sale, which occurred in 1998 when Mechanics was sold to Cintas, a Fortune 500 company.
From the Cintas sale, Phil retained Progress Linen which was a linen rental company operating in two states with $12M in sales and over 200 employees. His mission was to again position that company for an eventual sale, which occurred in 2002.
After the Progress Linen sale, Phil took two years to thoroughly understand the self-storage business and scout for suitable land to develop a self-storage location. He developed, built and opened Rhino Self Storage in 2004, and leased the 62,600 square foot facility to stabilized occupancy in twenty four months. In 2007 he purchased two existing Storage Depot locations plus an adjacent operating car wash; the Rhino location was re-branded to match the Storage Depot name. In 2008 he began construction on another ground-up storage development on South Emerson Avenue, with rapid leasing creating the need for an expansion in 2010. In 2013, Phil acquired Hoosier Storage and immediately expanded the facility. A seasoned executive, Phil has owned and operated over 500,000 square feet of self storage.
Jim Adams
Chief Operating Officer
A graduate from Purdue University with an MBA from Butler University, Jim has succeeded in a range of business ventures.
Jim joined Simply Self Storage in 2003 to become VP of Operations, Construction, and Marketing. He managed multiple new site developments operations and portfolio acquisitions of self-storage properties across multiple states. During his time, the company went on to develop and acquire over 40 self-storage facilities in six states. He developed an automated storage concept, successfully creating multiple unmanned kiosk-operated storage facilities managed from a central office.
After leaving Simply Self Storage, Jim started Secure Hold Storage in 2006 to focus on development, acquisition, and operations within the self-storage industry. He built two automated self-storage locations in north east Indiana, which were operated from a central Indianapolis location. In 2007, Jim joined with Phil French to continue the acquisition and development of self-storage in the Midwest. Jim has developed various real estate projects including retail, automotive dealerships, multifamily and self-storage projects.
Matt Robinson
Vice President of Sales and Acquisitions
Born and raised in Indianapolis, Matt attended Bishop Chatard High School and graduated from Indiana University. Matt joined Adams French Property in 2020 and has a focus on acquisitions within the self-storage industry.
As Vice President of Sales and Acquisitions, Matt’s responsibilities include creating strategic, long-term relationships with current self-storage business owners through knocking on doors in specific self-storage markets. Matt’s relationships he is building are not about today or tomorrow, but about being there when a self-storage business owner is ready to talk about their options of an acquisition with Adams French Property. Matt’s other responsibilities include market research, involvement in the underwriting process on various projects, and a high level of involvement during the due diligence and closing periods on all acquisitions..
Carrie Howery
Executive Director
Carrie has been working with the French family since 1993 as part of Mechanics Laundry & Supply. When the laundry sold, she stayed on working with Phil and his entrepreneurship of Self Storage. During this time, she leased up the first storage, Rhino Self Storage which was later branded Storage Depot. As the company expanded, Carrie managed the 5 storages under Storage Depot and 2 smaller storages under Secure Hold Storage.
Carrie assists and supports the development team with all platforms of commercial real estate and development. She is also responsible for overseeing and maintaining the corporate office, Human Resources, monthly payroll, accounting and reporting to JV partners.
Max French
Finance & Development Associate
Max is a graduate from Indiana University and the Kelley School of Business with majors in Finance, Entrepreneurship, and Corporate Innovation.
Max joined Adams French Property in 2016 and concentrated on development and acquisitions within the self-storage industry. Max’s responsibilities included site selection, micro and macro market analysis, financial underwriting, project management, and construction management for all new business ventures. He also leads discussions with equity and debt partners to secure appropriate financing for each individual project.
Max managed and procured over $65M of self-storage developments and acquisitions for the Adams French Team in his time with the company.
In 2021 Max and his brother Darroll started French Brothers Investments LLC and purchased Rocky Glen Mini Storage in Peoria, IL. After closing on the 21,000 square foot storage facility and securing debt, Max and Darroll converted an additional 16,000 square foot pharmacy building into 104 Climate Controlled storage units ready for leasing in Spring of 2022. With the addition of gated parking, the property has doubled its rentable footprint in six months.
Now working as an Associate with Adams French Property, Max and his brother Darroll provide an auxiliary team to target and acquire select storage properties in the Midwest. From site selection, through contracting and entitlements, all the way to construction completion, and finally operations, Max and Darroll support the growth of Adams French Property.
Darroll P. French III
Operations and Development Associate
Born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, Darroll French was a graduate of Brebeuf Jesuit High School. He attended Indiana University with a Minor in Economics, Kelley School of Business Certificate, and a focus in Psychology.
Darroll joined Adams French Property after five years with Jordan Standard Distribution focused in Consumer Goods, Liquid Bottling, Manufacturing, Brand and Website Development, Inventory Analysis and Customer Relations.
As Operations and Development Associate, Darroll focuses on Property and Storage Management Revenue Growth within the Adams French portfolio, as well as accelerating internal efficiency within the company.