THE TEAM
Partners Rick Turner and Harvey Austin own Central Maine Septic. They provide portable restroom and septic services in south-central/coastal Maine within a 100-mile radius of their office in Skowhegan. Help in the field comes from four full-time and three part-time technicians, including lead driver Don Chamberlain and Turner’s son, Ricky Jr. Lori Hayden runs the office, handles phones, dispatch and billing. Turner’s wife, Wendy, does payroll and accounts payable. A couple of extra technicians were brought onboard specifically to help with the Trek Across Maine event.
COMPANY HISTORY
Before getting into the business, Turner hauled wood to pulp mills. When the roads were impassable during mud season, he helped his friend Austin plow snow and do spring cleanup projects. “We just got to talking back and forth trying to find something we could do together,” Turner says. “And after a couple years we decided to get some portable toilets and a septic tank truck.” In November 2002, with 11 unassembled units and one used vacuum truck, they got started.
The units were rented out as soon as they got them assembled, and they quickly bought 14 more. That process repeated throughout the winter and spring, and by the end of the following summer they had 100 units. Their current inventory stands close to 500, along with three service vehicles, two septic trucks and several trailers.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
To get the contract for the Trek, Turner and Austin literally ran after the business. “When we first started our business, we saw loads of portable restrooms going by our facility here in town. We chased them down to see what was going on, to see where they were all going.” It turned out the event was going out to bid for the following year so they went after it and won a three-year contract with the sponsoring American Lung Association. One key advantage in their favor was they had the resources to provide restrooms for the whole length of the Trek. In the past, several companies along the route had been needed.
THE MAIN EVENT
Despite relentless rain, nearly 2,100 bicycle riders spent Father’s Day weekend, June 19-21, 2009, riding 180 miles from Sunday River Ski Resort in Newry to Penobscot Bay on the coast. The University of Maine in Farmington put them up Friday night, and Colby College in Waterville took them in on Saturday. People rode alone or in teams, but it is neither a race nor a relay. It’s a fundraiser for the Lung Association’s Maine chapter. “Winners” are the riders who get the most pledges. This year they brought in $1.6 million. The 25th year for the event attracted riders of all age groups and all skill levels, as well as more than 500 volunteers.
BY THE NUMBERS
Rest areas for the Trek were set up every 10 to 20 miles in fields, schools, shop yards, ballparks and convenience stores. Riders had access to food, water, mechanical help, medical attention and, of course, portable restrooms. The company provided units for all rest areas, as well as the overnight stops and Steamboat Landing Park at the finish line in Belfast. This required 137 of the company’s forest green Standard units and 15 Enhanced Access units from PolyPortables Inc. Ten to 12 units were set up at each rest area. Numbers were determined based on past rides and pre-registration figures.
LET’S ROLL
Deliveries began on Thursday as the company set up the units needed for Friday. Likewise, on Friday, they set up units needed for Saturday. Saturday was a busy day for them, as they picked up Friday’s units at one end of the course, took them to their shop for cleaning, then delivered them to the opposite end of the course for Sunday’s ride. Fortunately, their yard was on the route. On Sunday, they picked up Saturday’s units. The units used at the finish in Belfast couldn’t be delivered until after midnight that morning, so a team worked during the night to get 19 Standard and two ADA-compliant units set up there by 4 a.m. Those were removed on Monday.
Deliveries were made using the company’s service vehicles with attached trailers.
KEEPIN’ IT CLEAN
The company places a strong emphasis on providing clean restrooms. Turner believes this gives them an edge in a competitive industry. “We keep them clean, that is number one,” he says. “When someone opens the door, there’s nothing the matter, there’s no cobwebs, they’re clean, they look brand new.”
Before the event, units were pressure washed and steam cleaned inside and out with a bleach/detergent mixture. Deodorant tabs were added at the site. The company uses Green Way Products from PolyPortables Inc.
Units were pumped out when they were picked up, then brought back to the shop for cleaning. The company used a 2004 Chevrolet 4500 built out by Crescent Tank Mfg. with a 650-gallon waste/350-gallon freshwater steel tank and a Conde pump, a company-built 2005 Chevrolet 4500 with a 650-gallon waste/ 250-gallon freshwater steel tank with a Conde pump, and a 2006 Chevrolet pickup outfitted by Best Enterprises Inc. with a 300-gallon waste/90-gallon freshwater steel tank.
THE SILVER LINING
Each year seems to bring special challenges. Last year it was bikers putting trash in the tanks, a problem easily solved this year by providing sufficient trash receptacles. This year the challenge was the weather. “The whole weekend it rained. It was miserable for us, it was miserable for the riders. The guys were drenched,” Turner says. But the team persevered and the client was happy. “They came the week after the event and sat down with us and thanked us a hundred times and told us we did awesome,” Turner says. “We always get together and see what we could do better. Every year you learn something.”
