S3 Partners announced the appointment of Thaddeus Campbell as Director of Business Development, Strategic Branding. S3 Partners is a leading project-development and management firm with over 30 years of experience in self-storage development, including RV and boat storage. Campbell is recognized as a leading voice in Small Bay Industrial Flex development, and his addition strengthens S3 Partners’ capabilities to innovate and expand in emerging commercial real estate sectors.
Campbell has emerged as a prominent advocate and thought leader in the Small Bay Industrial Flex (SBF) space. Through his work at Self Storage Association trade shows and at ISS World Expo and leading virtual events under Flex Park Partners and Safe Storage USA, Campbell has educated hundreds of investors and developers on identifying underutilized niches and capturing growth opportunities in 1,000–2,000 Small flex bays. Campbell also runs a highly followed podcast–approaching its 150th episode–within the self-storage and SBIF industries that highlights personal stories of people in these sectors.
Prior to joining S3 Partners, Campbell led business development initiatives at Safe Storage USA and Flex Park Partners, forging partnerships, curating educational content and driving deal flow in the SBF space. His track record includes coordinating multi-stakeholder forums that connect capital sources brokers, and developers around flex-space projects—fostering a community of practice that accelerates adoption of the asset class across major markets.
Founded nearly a decade ago by Barry Sherman, S3 Partners has a stellar reputation in self-storage development and related commercial-asset projects. Barry Sherman, a licensed architect and developer, has overseen entitlement, design and construction of more than 200 self-storage and similar SBF projects nationwide. As a respected industry leader, Sherman serves on the Colorado Self Storage Association Board, where he contributes to shaping best practices and regulatory guidance for storage development in the region. Under his leadership, S3 Partners has delivered innovative solutions—from covered RV/boat storage conversions to multi-story urban facilities—and cultivated long-term relationships with capital partners, municipalities and service providers.
The appointment of Thaddeus Campbell aligns with S3 Partners’ strategic vision to diversify its service offerings beyond traditional self-storage into adjacent asset classes poised for growth. Small Bay Flex has attracted heightened interest due to decades of underinvestment, rising demand from last-mile logistics, trades, and light manufacturing, and a limited supply pipeline. Campbell’s deep expertise in branding, market positioning, and deal sourcing for flex-space projects complements S3’s development and entitlement capabilities, enabling the firm to guide clients through underwriting, site selection, and go-to-market strategies for Small Bay Flex parks.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Thaddeus to the S3 Partners family. His passion for Small Bay Flex development and ability to connect stakeholders across capital, brokerage and operational domains will enhance our value proposition,” said Sherman. “Thaddeus’s insights into emerging flex opportunities will help our clients capitalize on the next wave of industrial innovation.”
“Joining S3 Partners represents an incredible opportunity to blend S3’s proven self-storage development expertise with my experience in Small Bay Flex,” said Campbell. “Moreover it is a dream come true to work directly with Barry Sherman who has been my mentor in commercial real estate since I first entered the self-storage industry in 2021.”
In his S3 position, Campbell will focus on the following:
- Market Education & Branding: Crafting thought leadership content, events, and digital campaigns to raise awareness of Small Bay Flex benefits and positioning S3 clients for success.
- Deal Sourcing & Partnerships: Leveraging Campbell’s network to identify off-market and on-market acquisition and ground-up opportunities, collaborating with brokers, investors, and local stakeholders.
- Underwriting & Feasibility: Integrating S3’s development process—site due diligence, entitlement, design—with Campbell’s small-bay financial modeling and renewal-driven rent-step analysis.
- Adaptive Reuse & Hybrid Concepts: Exploring conversions of underutilized properties into flex-space, blending showroom-style bays and standard steel bays, backed by S3’s technical and entitlement prowess.
Toy Storage Nation is honored to recognize S3 Partners as a longtime sponsor of the TSN RV & Boat Storage Workshop, including the upcoming workshop, July 18, in Anaheim, Calif.
