The University of Portland has announced a RISE Campaign gift of special equipment for carpet cleaning from Michael E. Nelson, who graduated from UP in 1976 with a business degree in accounting. Nelson has made previous gifts to the University, including one to establish a Walter E. Nelson Distinguished professorship in the Pamplin School of Business. The donated equipment, valued at nearly $20,000, includes a Tennant V-WA-26 wide area vacuum and an (R14) Tennant TM9001689 Rider Ready Space Extractor with accessories. Both devices help reduce mold and bacteria and use up to 90 percent less water then conventional equipment.
Nelson’s prior gift to the Pamplin School of Business was in memory of his father, who in 1945 founded Walter E. Nelson Company, which today has become one of the Pacific Northwest’s premier janitorial and paper supply distribution networks. Michael Nelson joined the business full time after graduating from the University of Portland.
The company today offers service in janitorial, paper, chemical and packaging supply needs. It has grown significantly over the decades and today includes a state-of-the art corporate office and warehouse facility on Swan Island. The company also has branches in Klamath Falls, North Bend, Seattle, Bend, Walla Walla, Spokane, Astoria and Eugene.
Nelson’s gift is part of the University’s RISE Campaign, which was announced in December 2010 and seeks to raise $175 million by 2014. The campaign has raised more than $172 million to date and is one of the largest development campaigns ever for a Pacific Northwest private college or university.
For more information contact the development office at 7395 or hanna@up.edu.