I’ve attended the same indoor-outdoor springtime farm equipment trade show for the past several years and, as is my habit, I’ve always made a mental note of the portable sanitation setup.
It’s a challenging special event, with unpredictable April Wisconsin weather, sprawling grounds and big crowds (with attendees often skewing older) playing a role in portable restroom choices. I’ve never talked to the event organizers about their decision-making, but I can tell that they’ve struggled to strike a balance between providing the most comfortable facilities and controlling costs.
From what I saw this year, I’ve determined that comfort has finally trumped budgetary concerns. Clean, green Ameri-Can Engineering restroom trailers parked amid the outdoor equipment displays indicate a trend among special event planners to provide better and better facilities.
The first year I attended this trade show, organizers ordered smaller, no-frills restroom trailers that were a welcome sight on a cold, rainy day. However, the second and third year, I found standard drop-tank restrooms lined up inside party tents. The weather was particularly cool one of these years, and portable heaters were used to blow warm air inside the tents. With a few sinks and ADA units, the facilities certainly seemed adequate.
But perhaps adequate was no longer good enough for a trade show that draws thousands of potential equipment buyers. If you want to encourage them to stay on the grounds longer and enjoy the experience, it’s got to be a good idea to give them a better restroom experience.
So it came as no surprise when I found the restroom trailers — bigger and better models from Pit-Stop Portables in Brownsville, Wis. — parked at the show this year. With climate-controlled trailers, the show sponsors no longer had to worry about near-freezing temperatures, soggy grounds or basic drop tank restrooms discouraging some customers from sticking around.
Perhaps you’ve had customer’s request restroom trailers more often in the past year or two. Are those inquiries piling up to the point you might be considering either adding to your existing fleet of trailers or buying your first trailer? Are you waiting to hear from other contractors about the demand for bigger ticket items like this?
If so, we’re here to help. This month, PRO is stuffed to the gills with valuable information on restroom trailers.
COMPARE THE UNITS
With the economy presenting significant challenges to many portable sanitation providers, you need as much information as possible to make sound purchasing decisions. For starters, turn inside for the second in our series of restroom trailer roundup stories, focusing on the mid-grade unit offerings designed to serve many customers who want the comfort and convenience of a trailer, but don’t need a VIP model. Writer Ed Wodalski (“Comfort on Wheels”) offers a side-by-side comparison of many manufactured trailers, with a unique look at the specifications you value most in a restroom trailer. Through the report, you can compare everything from frame sizes to hitch configurations, even learning which models come with an iPod dock for the stereo system.
A year ago we compared entry-level trailers and received a positive response. Let us know if this feature was helpful, and we may look at the top end models next time.
WHAT ARE OTHERS THINKING?
In our Think Tank feature (“Rolling Profit Centers”), writer Mary Shafer talks to PROs about the market for specialty or restroom trailers in their territories. One company, Bob’s Johns in Durango, Colo., has two restroom trailers and is considering adding a shower trailer to serve a major client, the U.S. Forest Service. The company reports an increase in requests for trailers, particularly for performers at music venues.
Another company, Bio-Gard Inc., of Columbia, Mo., is taking a wait-and-see approach to purchasing a restroom trailer. With music festivals on the rise, the company is continually gauging demand to determine if a trailer would be a sound investment.
A HOT SHOWER FOR INDY CAMPERS
In this month’s On Location story (“Freshen Up”), we travel to the Indianapolis 500 to see how Maui Showers of Burnsville, Minn., provides thousands of hot showers for fans camping at the storied racetrack venue. Writer Betty Dageforde learns how the specialty company has streamlined service procedures and improved trailer design to give good value to its customers.
While not every contractor can serve a high-profile event like the Indy 500, Maui Showers’ efforts prove that campers at major special events are willing to pay $10 to clean up.
PORTABLE SANITATION OF THE RICH AND FAMOUS
In this month’s PROfile story, (“The Kohler Experience”), I had the good fortune of peeking into the VIP restroom fleet of plumbing fixture giant, the Kohler Co.
Entrepreneurial company owner Herbert Kohler Jr. saw a restroom trailer parked at one of his famed Wisconsin golf courses for a major tournament in 1999 and decided then and there that the company should build its own trailers. Kohler later contracted with Ameri-Can Engineering to add to its fleet. His goal was to design a trailer that would be at home at the highest-profile special events in the nation.
Since its first unit was produced, Kohler trailers have parked at some pretty tony affairs, from Triple Crown horseracing tracks to the NBA All-Star Game to New York fashion shows. Kohler’s product manager for restrooms, Steve Hoffman, shares some of the design touches that help place the distinctive forest green trailers in those special locations.
