College, however, was tougher. She decided to pursue a five-year plan at Northern Michigan University because she had to pay for her education on her own. “I had some scholarships, but they didn’t cover the full tuition, so at some point I was juggling five jobs.” She worked at the student housing department, as a bank teller, at a local bar, as a bookkeeper for a roofer, and at a local beauty supply store. She eventually left the bar to work at Casa Calabria, a family-owned Italian restaurant near her school. “The money was better than working at the bar, and I was friends with about half the people working there, so it was really fun.”

To coordinate all those shifts, she scheduled all her classes on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays so she could dedicate the rest of the week to work. Her schedule was full, but she firmly believes all those jobs gave her practical experience for going out in the real world.

She graduated college in December. “The roofer I worked for packed all my stuff in a trailer hooked to the back of his truck, and he drove all my stuff to Chicago while I drove my car.” She had big dreams of living in the city and working at an advertising firm. However, when she got there, she started working at a clothing store to get some income while she sent out resumes and interviewed for other positions. “My first real job was at Enterprise Rent-a-Car,” which was also fun because most of her co-workers were also recent college graduates. “And this is where I met my husband, Kraig, whom I have been married to for 36 years.” Yet, she knew she wanted her career to be elsewhere.

Haviland answered a job ad for Extra Space Storage. “It was for a site manager job,” she says. “They interviewed me, but at the time, I wasn’t a good fit for the location with the position they were looking to fill.” Later on, as serendipity would have it, they remembered her when the same position became available at another one of their locations. So, in 1989, she joined the company.

About six months into the job, Haviland faced an unexpected situation. “A customer who was getting a divorce came to the facility to put all of her soon-to-be ex-husband’s stuff in storage,” she recalls. “Apparently, she hadn’t told her husband about it.”

He figured out the facility where she had stashed everything, but he didn’t know the unit number. “I got in one morning and about 80 locks had been cut,” says Haviland. “Nothing was missing from most of the units, except the one where his belongings had been stored.”

As any employee would have done, she called the customer to let her know what had happened. The irate customer’s reaction was irrational. “She came to the property and accused me of sleeping with her husband and letting him know where his stuff was.” The customer then threw Haviland to the ground and beat her up. “I didn’t fight back because I didn’t want to get fired.”

She managed to get away from the customer and locked herself in her office, where she proceeded to page the manager about the incident. When he didn’t come to her aid, because he was at a bar, Haviland called the police for assistance.

The manager was fired, but Haviland was promoted to his position of area manager. “I like to joke that I got promoted for getting beaten up,” she says through laughter. She then worked her way up to regional vice president, and a few years later she became vice president of operations.

“I was there for 10 years; the vast majority of that time were good years,” says Haviland. “I got to cut my storage teeth with Ken Woolley, who set me up for success by signing me up to speak at trade shows because he thought I’d do a good job.”

The company expanded, and they were working to get their first rounds of pension funds to grow. It was also around this time that Haviland felt it was time to move on. At that point, she was living in Salt Lake City, where Extra Space is headquartered. She moved back to California and worked at a company called Storage West, which was eventually bought by CubeSmart. “I worked there for five years and was then approached by a San Diego group that needed a VP of operations.”

While she enjoyed her time at Storage West, she was extremely unhappy at her job in San Diego. Not one to see it as a hindrance, Haviland saw it as inspiration. “I decided to go out on my own,” she says. “At that point, I had gained so much experience, and I knew there were plenty of operators who didn’t have the budget for a full-time staff, but I could do consulting, auditing, and third-party management for them.”

Her husband, Kraig, who had also worked at Extra Space, had started his own business helping operators set up call centers for the storage industry. “He already had the name Haviland Storage Services, so I went ahead and ran with that,” says Haviland. “We are a true storage family with my bringing Kraig into it, and now our daughter, Kylie. Many family dinners were spent talking storage, much to her dismay.”

“I knew I could help a lot of the smaller operators compete with the bigger operators, based on my experience working with the bigger names.” Her instinct was correct. She started getting clients through connections she had established through her career up until this point.

The company took off and sustained a long list of clients mostly through word-of-mouth marketing. “I was so busy promoting the properties I was trying to help, I wasn’t self-promoting that much,” she says, “so it’s mostly been referrals and people who have come to me after hearing me speak at the trade shows.”

Haviland also teamed up with longtime friend, Bob Copper, who started Self-Storage 101 for a short time. “I was running Haviland on the West Coast, and he was doing Self-Storage 101 on the East Coast, so we joined forces, helping each other with projects and referring clients to each other.”

She then joined the California Self Storage Association, eventually becoming a member of the board of directors. This is where she met the late Barry Hoeven of Westport Properties and US Storage Centers, who was also co-founder of Charity Storage, a national non-profit organization in which participating storage facilities dedicate a unit to collect donated goods. These items are then sold at auctions, and the proceeds are allocated to various charities across the U.S. The cause is very near and dear to Haviland’s heart, and she has been on its board of directors for many years. “I love the work they do, and it’s a great opportunity for facilities to do good work and give back to their communities.”

As her retirement approaches at the end of 2026, Haviland shares about her biggest career challenges. “When I was younger, it was difficult being one of the few women in the room,” she says, sharing that women were often overlooked. “Back then, sometimes we wouldn’t even be heard. I experienced a lot of that, and I’m glad to see that has changed over the years.”

At the beginning of her career, it was also difficult for her to say no to people, especially when she first started her own business. “I was afraid to say no to projects or to committees. I got a reputation of ‘Ask Sue! She’ll help you!’ And I usually would, because this industry is full of so many wonderful people, and I’ve been helped by some of the best, so I want to make sure to give that back to the industry. That said, it’s also important to know when to say no—whether it’s to a prospective client or someone to partner with. Just because someone wants me to manage their property doesn’t mean it’s the best partnership, especially when you realize that you don’t share the same core values.”

However, she’s been fortunate to get clients with shared values and whom she enjoys working with. Many of them have been with her for over 18 years on Haviland Storage Service’s third-party management side.

Haviland has many accomplishments as well. “I’m proud that I’ve stuck with the same career for over 37 years. It’s an industry I love, and I still love it. I’m proud that I won the Inside Self-Storage Best Of Manager Training and Consulting six times in the last few years. I’m proud that I was able to work with the Self Storage Association for many years on the Manager Certification and Education Committee. I’m also proud that I have enough funny stories and life experiences that people like to come to my classes and hear what happened to me,” she says. “And I’m proud that I finally got my daughter to work in storage!”

What she loves the most about having dedicated her professional life to self-storage are the people. “I have made some of the best friends I could ever ask for; and I know that even after I retire, they will still be in my life.”

While she’s ready for retirement, she’s also made sure to set up her longtime clients to be in good hands. “I’ve partnered with Melissa Huff from Lighthouse Storage Solutions. “She will take over my management contracts,” says Haviland. “She’s been working with me for the past year to learn my properties. I kind of joke that she’s me 20-some years ago. I’m confident she’ll keep doing them well and improving.” This gives her peace of mind, as she truly wanted to ensure her clients and employees would be OK. “I’m glad they feel comfortable with the transition, because they’ve stuck with me all these years, and I wanted to do right by them.”

Haviland is happy with the time she’s picked to retire. “I think this is a good time for me to exit and let younger voices come in,” she says. “It’s great that we now have so many technologies, but I don’t want to be the one who has to teach everyone about them. I just want to use AI for my recipes and my vacations, not to beat my competition.”

Alhough working in the self-storage industry has been a blessing for Haviland and her family, she’s excited for what’s to come. “I never thought that storage would’ve afforded me the life it has,” she says. “I’ve had great friends and so much support, and I couldn’t ask for anything more. Even when I look back on the challenges, I don’t have any major regrets. Some experiences may not have been the easiest when I was getting started, but it’s a great ending to a great chapter.”

She goes on to say, “I love to travel. That’s part of what I’m really looking forward to. We already have several trips planned to various islands in the Caribbean; and after the dust settles, I’d like to rent a place in Rome for a month, so that I can hop on trains and explore Italy.”

Haviland plans on doing more of the things she enjoys, such as playing tennis, socializing with friends, and going to music festivals. “And one of the best parts is that my daughter, Kylie, and her husband, Parker, left San Diego and followed us to the Carolinas, so now my granddaughter, Cleo, lives 50 miles away, and I plan on getting more time with them.”

She loves to read too, so she’ll dedicate a lot of extra time to that. Plus, she’s working on convincing Kraig to go on a safari. “He’s not sold on it yet, but stay tuned,” Haviland says. “He retired a few years ago, and now I get to go off and be spontaneous with him. He’s always been my biggest supporter, so I am excited for our upcoming adventures together.”

As she wraps up one chapter and gets ready for the next, all she feels is gratitude—for what’s behind her and for everything that’s to come.

“I’ve been very fortunate,” adds Haviland, “and it’s been a great ride.”