THE TEAM
Sierra Restroom Solutions, a Reno, Nev., company in business since 2003, was started by Keith Capurro and Charles Oppio, who later brought in investors Chad Belding and Jeff Palmer. Belding and Palmer head up the team of 15 to 18 service techs who attend to business at the Best in the West Rib Cook-off in Sparks, Nev. For four years, the company has provided all aspects of sanitary equipment for this 20-year event, which takes place over the Labor Day weekend for a six-day period.
COMPANY HISTORY
Capurro and Oppio started the company with 200 restrooms and one service truck. Belding and Palmer brought prior experience in the industry. The company expanded the inventory to a total of 1,700 portable restrooms (1,500 are Satellite Industries Inc. Maxim 3000 units). In addition, the inventory includes 90 The Wave hand-wash units from Satellite as well as other related equipment. The fleet (a mix of Chevrolets, GMCs, Isuzus, all with Masport pumps) grew to 11 service trucks, built out or accessorized by either FMI Truck Sales or Tank Technologies & Supply Co. The current crew numbers 30.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Belding and Palmer both had worked in the industry prior to joining Sierra Restroom Solutions, and had worked this particular event. Through their connections they were able to bring the business to the newly formed company.
“People think that the special events just happen; you do the business and wait to bid the next year,” Belding says. “I stay in touch with the special events coordinator, the purchasing managers, catering, all year long. We know the layout and how the event runs. We have relationships with the rib vendors. We pump their graywater and the holding tanks. For the VIP tent, where they have 150 tables, we will buy tables for ten — and bring our employees and their families.
THE MAIN EVENT
The Best in the West Rib Cook-off, sponsored by John Ascuaga’s Nugget in Sparks, a northern Nevada casino, has gained a reputation that many in the rib business say is “the Super Bowl of cook-offs.” Sparks is a sister city to Reno, and the event is widely supported by locals, but attracts abut 500,000 contestants and visitors from across the country. The 24 rib-cookers hail from New Jersey, Kentucky, Minnesota, Ohio, among others, and competed in the 2008 event for cash prizes and bragging rights. It’s estimated that 100 tons of rib meat are consumed by visitors who pay the vendors from $5 to $25 to sample and cast votes for their favorite. Traffic is blocked off in a four-block stretch of a city street in front of the Nugget. Visitors are transported to the festival from several venues in the area.
Each evening, music is provided in Rib Village (a VIP tent), by nationally recognized entertainers, while rib-cookers provide the food. Groups or companies must buy a table for ten for $800 to $900 on premium nights to participate in these activities. These funds generally cover the expenses of the extensive program.
BY THE NUMBERS
For the 2008 event, held Aug. 27-Sept. 1, Sierra Restroom Solutions provided 100 portable restrooms, including 90 Satellite Industries Inc. Maxim 3000 units and 10 handicap units, also from Satellite. To ensure clean hands and plenty of water for washing, Sierra provided 42 The Wave hand-wash units from Satellite and 36 250-gallon holding tanks by PolyJohn.
To accommodate visitors during the long days of activities, banks of as many as 20 restrooms and as few as five were situated on side streets at intersections so attendees had easy access. A handicap restroom was included in each bank, along with two hand-washing stations. The holding tanks were placed conveniently for the rib-cookers, who utilized them to dispose of graywater from equipment clean-up every day.
One service van was kept on location throughout the six days to fill resupply needs or respond to any emergencies that might come up.
KEEPIN’ IT CLEAN
Each morning before the 10 a.m. official opening, eight of Sierra’s service vehicles and eight technicians arrived on site to begin the job of completely hosing off and wiping down each restroom, and resupply paper products and chemicals. Waste was pumped and restroom holding tanks were replenished with freshwater. The 250-gallon holding tanks were also pumped out every day. The daily process took about 3.5 hours.
During the cook-off, Sierra provided two attendants, in uniform, on site from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. who continually moved between the banks of restrooms to collect trash, clean up restrooms as needed and replace supplies. Palmer, who is operations manager, says having this presence on site helped prevent vandalism and assure visitors that someone is paying attention to sanitary conditions.
LET’S ROLL
Setting up so many restrooms, holding tanks and hand-wash units took an entire day prior to the opening, and another day to take down — for a total of eight days on the job. Units were transported in about 10 trips using a trailer that carries 16 units, an Isuzu flatbed truck carrying an additional dozen restrooms, and a Chevrolet pickup. Once in the proper location, water and chemicals were added to the restrooms and the hand-wash units. In addition to having a service truck on location during the entire week, two fresh restrooms were staged nearby in case technicians needed to swap out a dirty or damaged unit during the day.
FOLLOWING UP
Personal attention paid to clients after special events and throughout the year is important to maintaining the best service during crunch time. About 25 percent of Sierra’s business is handling special events in a 150-mile radius, and the busiest time is May to September. Communication with rib cook-off organizers is key to a good ongoing relationship.
“Following the cook-off, we have a breakdown meeting with the Nugget to judge our performance,” says Belding, the company’s sales manager. “We discuss what we think we need to change. We want everybody on the same page.’’
