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Door to Door- Company History

Door to Door- Company History

Founded in 1996 by Tim Riley, a first time entrepreneur Door to Door Storage and Moving containers were a hit from the start. Tim was a former Director of Marketing for Shurgard Self Storage, who saw a need for a change. The first Door to Door operations were and are based in Kent, Washington. Kent, Washington is located centrally between Seattle (north 18 miles) and Tacoma (south 18 miles). Door to Door Storage and Moving isn’t the only thriving business in Kent. Other corporations include, the Boeing Company, Starbucks Roasting Plant, Oberto Sausage Company, Flow International and more.  In just 2 years, Door to Door had expanded to 4 other large cities and they currently have 22 service areas that serve major metropolitan areas. Door to Door is presently located in the states of; Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Denver, Orlando, Miami, Chicago and Dallas. These states combine to serve 3,600+ cities and neighborhoods. In 2001, Inc. Magazine rated Door to Door the 54th Fastest Growing Private Company in America. Door to Door Storage and Moving has the tag line, “You pack it up. We pick it up!” Door to Door Storage and Moving has about 280 employees across the country, with sales reaching over $40 million dollars. CEO is John Rogers, and VP of operations is Bill Simonson. Door to Door Storage and Moving currently holds 8 US Trademarks and 2 Canadian Trademarks.

Door to Door Storage and Moving claims to make the self storage industry different by making it less of a bother to folks who need storage. The idea of the Door to Door Storage and Moving business was to combine storage, moving, truck rental, and delivery into one. By providing containers that are delivered to the customers, the customer pack the container (up to a week at your residence) and then Door to Door picks the container up and stores it at a secure warehouse facility. This service from Door to Door Storage and Moving is great for the home or office setting when storage and moving is needed.

In 1999 Door to Door Moving Services was created to fill the need for a reliable long distance moving and full service moving businesses. Oftentimes in the larger cities, people rely on public transportation and don’t have personal vehicles, and many have never driven, let alone a large moving truck. Door to Door Storage and Moving recognized this need and structured its expansion to include the larger metropolitan areas of the country. Door to Door Moving services states they offer hassle free moving services to fit your needs. It compliments the original idea of the Door to Door Storage and Moving business and holds its own on growing.
 
Top competitors for Door to Door Storage and Moving are; Mobile Mini, PODS (portable on demand storage), Big Box Storage, and Smart Move. PODS is probably the most recognized name, founded in 1998 with 120,000 steal framed containers in use in the US, Canada and Australia. Smart Move uses hard plastic “vaults” called Smart Vaults and they each contain their own GPS system so tracking is not an issue. Smart Move is in about 35 states and 60 major metropolitan areas. Door to Door Storage and Moving states that compared to PODS and Mobile Mini they are the only ones who offer container covers and a breathable container. There was more competition within a year of the company being founded, companies like Shurgard Storage Centers and Public Storage jumped on the mobile storage container bandwagon. Currently, Shurgard and Public Storage are not in the mobile storage container business. Rather they scrapped the idea of mobile storage to concentrate on the traditional idea of self storage.

Door to Door Storage and Moving prides themselves on treating their employees with respect. This in turn, allows the Door to Door Storage and Moving employees to be proud associates of a business that they admire. Door to Door Storage and Moving employees are recruited from the best of the best and trained to exact specification of the Door to Door Storage and Moving principles. A “team” environment is very much encouraged to maintain the standards for Door to Door Storage and Moving.

Employment with Door to Door Storage and Moving involves being associated with other employees that want to make the business successful. It all boils down to training, educating, and providing each employee with the desire to thrive in a very competitive industry. Medical, dental, vision, long term disability, life insurance and a 401k plan are available for full time employees of Door to Door Storage and Moving. Also available are retirement plans, paid time off (vacation, holidays and sick time), and flexible spending accounts. Additional benefits for employees of Door to Door Storage and Moving include direct deposit, employee referral program and corporate discounts like; Lasik eye surgery, home ownership/refinancing, pet wellness plans and Nextel. 

On the Door to Door Storage and Moving website you can find a lot of information about the company, storage, moving, boxes and supplies and more. Door to Door Storage and Moving in depth employment and career section is very positive and paints a nice picture of the Door to Door Storage and Moving Company.

As listed on the Door to Door Storage and Moving website, the company has many “statements” which are:

• Mission Statement- “Deliver smarter storage and moving solutions to homes and businesses.”

• Values Statement- “Serve others with integrity, care, reliability, and knowledge.”

• Vision Statement- “Become America’s #1 portable storage and moving provider.”

• Employee Statement- “Create a work environment built on support, professional growth and excellence.”

• Customer Statement- “Provide quality customer service worth recommending to friends.”

• Investor Statement- “Create value by building a great long-term company.”

Door to Door Storage and Moving and Door to Door Moving Services have proven to satisfy the niche that in the self storage industry that only mobile storage could fill. By constantly reviewing their systems and keeping their employees happy and trained, Door to Door Storage and Moving has a bright future in the self storage business.

While all this seems to paint a rosy picture of Door to Door Storage and Moving Services, please check with your local (if available) or statewide office to see if Door to Door Storage and Moving can transport your goods. Some disgruntled past Door to Door Storage and Moving customers expressed displeasure in Door to Door Storage and Moving not being able to deliver the packed storage containers to the customer’s new home address. In some areas, Door to Door Storage and Moving is also known as City to City Moving, which is a little funny if they can’t deliver to your city but claim to.

Door to Door Storage and Moving seems to have their act together as a whole but seem to lack in the availability of states and cities that can actually move to. By working on this, Door to Door Storage and Moving could make their business even better by growing out and not up. Technology may play into Door to Door Storage and Moving current business plan by adopting GPS tracking systems and scheduling procedures.

Natalie Thomas

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