Philadelphia, PA – January 5th, 2026 – Hearthfire Holdings, a vertically integrated real estate development and investment firm focusing on Class-A self-storage assets, announced a year of significant growth and strategic advancement across its national platform.

Throughout 2025, Hearthfire expanded its portfolio through ground-up development and strategic acquisitions, strengthened its leadership team, and achieved substantial national media attention. Together, these milestones reinforce the firm’s disciplined growth strategy and provide a strong foundation as Hearthfire enters 2026.

Over the course of the year, Hearthfire launched new investment and development initiatives across several highly desirable U.S. markets, including the Philadelphia, Chicago, and Detroit MSAs, the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia, and Tampa Bay MSA.

2025 highlights and key achievements

Self-Storage Development in Lehigh Valley, PA

Hearthfire’s largest project to date ($16.6M) is the closest to the company’s Philadelphia headquarters. This new construction will deliver 850 units and 81,349 nrsf to the Lehigh Valley market by August 2026, and will be managed by CubeSmart. Located at the center of a high-visibility retail corridor anchored by regional retail destinations and reinforced by exceptional highway access, the site benefits from sustained commercial reinvestment and long-term demand fundamentals.

Self-Storage Development in Detroit MSA

Hearthfire opened a new self-storage development in the Detroit MSA as part of its ongoing expansion within high-growth Midwest metropolitan regions. Following land acquisition in May 2024, construction was completed and doors opened for lease-up in August 2025. The $8.7M project delivered 475 units and 29,150 nrsf to the trade area. The Detroit Metro has seen increased demand for institutional-grade self-storage facilities, and this ground-up development project marked Hearthfire’s entrance into the MSA.

Expanding Midwest Presence Through the Chicago MSA

Hearthfire continued to build scale across the Midwest with the acquisition of two value-add self-storage facilities as well as a ground-up development site within the Chicago MSA. The acquired facilities total 46,664 nrsf, 282 units, while the $8M development project will deliver an additional548 units and 63,125 nrsf. These investments align with Hearthfire’s long-term strategy of building a diverse portfolio of self-storage facilities across key logistics- and residential-driven markets.

Entering Virginia: Shenandoah Valley Ground-Up Development

Hearthfire added Harrisonburg, Virginia—a regional hub in the Shenandoah Valley and home to James Madison University—through a $12.5M ground-up development. . The project broke ground in August 2024, and opened for lease-up in December 2025, delivering 660 units and 74,450 nrsf. The property is managed by CubeSmart and serves a market supported by stable population drivers, institutional anchors, and limited new supply.

Entering Florida: Tampa Bay MSA Expansion

Hearthfire expanded its presence into the Tampa Bay MSA, enhancing the company’s strategic reach in one of the fastest-growing storage markets in the Southeast. A $13.8 million expansion will add 286 units and 29,800 nrsf to the existing 301 units and 38,387 nrsf, scheduled for completion in May 2027. The project reflects Hearthfire’s strategy of scaling within high-growth metropolitan regions supported by strong demographic and economic trends.

Lease-Up Class-A Self-Storage in Detroit MSA (Taylor, MI)

Hearthfire also closed on a Class-A self-storage facility in Taylor, Michigan, within the Detroit MSA. The property consisting of 927 units and 92,375 nrsf adds to their presence within the market and complement the firm’s newly-opened ground-up development in the region.

According to Sergio Altomare, co-founder and CEO of Hearthfire Holdings, “2025 has been a milestone year for Hearthfire Holdings. We have established ourselves as a leader in the self-storage industry with substantial growth potential through investments in key metropolitan markets, reaching important development goals, and internally promoting proven leaders withinour team. This momentum provides the foundation for continued growth in our data-driven development and expanded footprint within the industry in 2026.”

Leadership development

In September 2025, Hearthfire announced that Pete McDaniel was promoted to Chief Development Officer, recognizing his leadership in expanding the firm’s development pipeline and overseeing the successful delivery of multiple major projects. Dan Paetzhold also stepped into the role of Director of Construction, bringing additional operational excellence and project management discipline to support continued growth.

National media recognition and growing industry visibility

In 2025, Hearthfire Holdings received the most significant amount of media coverage to date, including MSN, NewsNation, The Epoch Times, Yahoo! Finance, Business Insider, NTD News, and numerous other national and regional publications. This coverage is indicative of an increasing demand from the public and the self-storage industry for the industry to be seen as a recession-savvy asset class, underscoring Hearthfire Holdings’ role as a growing operator in the industry.

Positioned for accelerated growth in 2026

2025 was a year of growth for Hearthfire. These milestones reflect both scale and operational discipline across the platform.

• Transitioning the entire portfolio to REIT third-party management: Extra Space and CubeSmart

• $58 million in new investments.

• $5.2 million in store revenue (up from $4.1 million year-over-year).

• $80 million in active construction budget.

Driven by an expanding pipeline, Hearthfire Holdings has strong momentum entering 2026.

For additional information, please contact investors@hfireholdings.com. All other media inquiries and interview requests should be directed to Thomas Mustac, Senior Publicist at Otter PR, at thomas.mustac@otterpr.com.

About Hearthfire Holdings

Hearthfire Holdings is a vertically integrated real estate development and investment firm specializing in Class-A self-storage assets across high-growth U.S. markets. The firm manages the full development lifecycle, including site acquisition, design, construction, operations, and asset management. Hearthfire’s data-driven investment strategy and vertically integrated infrastructure enables consistent execution and long-term value creation.

For more information, visit https://hfirecapital.com/.

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