May 4, 2001

Contact: Robert Lowery (509-963-1487/fax 509-963-2301/email: loweryr@cwu.edu)

Ellensburg, WA - A man who has been called a visionary in the world of moving and storage, Tim Riley, chair and chief executive officer of Door to Door Storage, Inc., will deliver the commencement address during Central Washington University's westside graduation ceremony Sunday, June 10, at 1:30 p.m. at the Highline Community College Skookum Pavilion.

About 200 graduates from CWU’s Lynnwood, SeaTac and Steilacoom centers, along with friends and family members, are expected to hear Riley’s address.

The Kent-based Door to Door Storage, Inc., a “convenience-oriented” approach to the self-storage business, has been listed among Washington’s fastest growing private companies.

Riley founded the firm — with the motto “You pack it up, We pick it up” — in 1996. At present, Door to Door Storage, Inc., has locations throughout Washington and California.

Formerly with Shurgard Storage Centers, Riley is credited with being instrumental in their successful 1994 initial public offering and defeat of a hostile takeover attempt by U-Haul International.

Throughout his career, Riley has been involved with more than $500 million in equity and debt financial transactions. He is considered an industry expert and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s and numerous industry, trade and financial publications.

Riley is a 1987 graduate of the CWU SeaTac Center, with a degree in business administration. He is also a member of the CWU Foundation board, and serves with the Self-Storage Association, Young Entrepreneur’s Organization and Morse Industries, Inc.

More than 300 students will earn degrees from the CWU Lynnwood, SeaTac and Steilacoom centers during the 2000-01 academic year, taking upper-division academic courses leading to degrees in a variety of majors including accounting, business administration, business education, early childhood education and law and justice.

All three centers are designed to serve students who have work, child care or other responsibilities that limit their ability to attend classes during traditional times. CWU also has centers in eastern Washington in Yakima, Wenatchee and Moses Lake.

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