A story in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune this week brought to light the important role the portable sanitation industry plays in disaster relief. The major metro newspaper featured Satellite Industries Inc., which manufactures restrooms, vacuum trucks and related accessories in suburban Plymouth, Minn. Read the full story here:
http://www.startribune.com/business/125052764.html
Interviewed for the story was Satellite President Todd Hilde, who was also pictured at the company with a worker assembling restrooms in the background. Hilde shared the history of the company and talked about recent natural disasters that have fueled increased sales in a lagging economy. Many of you are familiar with Hilde and Satellite from visiting the company’s displays at the Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo International over the years.
Hilde explained that the company sold about 1,000 restrooms to aid in the earthquake relief in Japan, and another 1,000 for use in fire, tornado and flood recovery efforts across the U.S. Among the buyers was A1 Evans Septic Tank Service in Minot, N.D., which recently bought about 150 units for flood relief. Later this summer, we will run a story about how A1 Evans is serving their flood-ravaged community.
Hilde used the interview opportunity to explain the critical work being performed by portable restroom operators.
“People really take sanitation sewer systems and water treatment plants for granted. Those really are what divide us from the developing world,” Hilde told the paper. “You find out how much when you have a natural disaster, and those key functions go down.”
