Not only does Cody Mastin, co-owner of Co-Man Portables, have to be concerned with a struggling economy and maintaining the construction company clients that use his restroom services. But the Whitehouse, Ohio, PRO also has to contend with a group of reputable competitors in and around nearby Toledo and stretching into Michigan and Indiana.
Given the crowded marketplace for portable sanitation, starting a new service business proved to be more of a challenge than Mastin expected.
“I thought it would be fairly easy, and we’d get up and rolling,” Mastin says. “We had several other companies including one major competitor in the area. But about a month after we opened, another substantial business appeared on the scene, and this made it really tough.”
Co-Man Portables, in business since 2003, came about when Mastin graduated from high school and was ready to go to work full time for the three-generation family business, Randy Mastin Septic Tank Corp., established in 1960 by his late grandfather Burt Mastin.
At the time he graduated, Mastin’s sister, Mandi, and father worked in the septic business and there just wasn’t enough work to justify another partner. Thus Co-Man Portables was born as a separate entity, and Mastin set out to develop a clientele that would be sustainable and loyal in both the good times and bad.
PARTY CENTRAL
Mastin says that even though the septic service had been in the area for many years, its history did not actually benefit the new venture, other than a few synergies, such as waste disposal.
Since inception, the clientele has developed to half construction accounts and half special events. But in the past two years, Mastin has set a course to more heavily promote the private party and special event business. While the construction side has become much more competitive and price driven, Mastin is finding the event and private party side of the business more accessible as people look for more local activities and less expensive ways to enjoy their spring and summer months and vacations.
A positive factor for special events and parties is customers seem willing to pay for good service and reliability. Not so on dwindling building jobsites. In construction Mastin finds it is all about corralling costs, even with customers he has dealt with from the beginning. While maintaining his valued construction customers, he wants to change the business mix to 75 percent special events and 25 percent construction.
“Our construction business pays the bills. The special events kind of shines as everything else,” he says.
HOWDY PARTNER
Over the years, Mastin had talked with Mike Baumgartner of Toledo Tent about partnering to handle some of the weekend activities. As the economy headed south two years ago, a deal was struck. Mastin would sell his restrooms and offer tents as well. The events planners would check off two major requirements on their to-do list and have to deal with just one company and write one check.
Toledo Tent would do the installations, Co-Man would provide the restrooms and take a small percentage on the tents.
“It made sense for us to do this,” Mastin says. “I told Mike we need to help each other out. And it has worked very well. I talk with the client, find out what they need, make the deal, and we all win. We have a reputable name. He has a reputable name. We are both well known and this helps.”
Mastin enjoys the atmosphere working special events, but it’s more demanding than construction jobs in some ways.
“As a part owner, I have no problem working around-the-clock at these jobs,” he says. “We have to be up early to service, and be up late to service. We can do that. I just like it. We also run the trucks less with these affairs.”
Toledo Tent takes care of all the installation and knockdown, and assumes all liability for its products and service. A tent is included in almost every special event — and having this trend has benefited both companies.
Included in their customer list is the Whitehouse Cherry Fest combined with the 135th Northwest Ohio Fireman’s Convention held in Whitehouse, where Mastin typically provides 45 restrooms and attendance averages 20,000 over a weekend.
In Ann Arbor, Mich., where the Guild of Artists & Artisans holds an annual event, Co-Man Portables provides about 40 restrooms, and offers twice-daily service for the units. For events that run over a long weekend, they keep a service truck on site along with an extra restroom in case of emergency. This is a large event with attendance as high as 500,000 over four days. Co-Man is one of two companies providing restrooms.
AT THE SHOP
Early on at Co-Man, Mastin settled on PolyPortables as his supplier of traditional restrooms, choosing to carry the Integra model for its wide door.
“A wide door makes the restrooms seem larger,” he says. “When a person walks into a unit with a small door they feel cramped. We offer a hand sanitizer dispenser on every unit. “We also carry PolyPortables’ hand-wash stations, both the SuperTwin and the TagAlong. The TagAlong is smaller and for transportation purposes can fit inside a restroom.”
Mastin has 16 handicap units from Satellite Industries, including the Liberty and Freedom 2 models. In the office, they use Datasan Computer Software by GMF Associates to track restroom inventory and handle billing.
Keeping the company’s 500 units in tiptop shape is part of the agenda with Co-Man Portables.
“Mike Cook is our inventory man, and he repairs and washes all the units as they come back to the yard,” Mastin says. “Every day, he prepares a list of required repairs and parts and this goes to my sister, Mandi, who then bills the customer for major damage as spelled out in our contract.”
Damage comes in a variety of forms, but is primarily caused by blade cutters or knives when people cut holes in the urinal or the sidewall. They also find burns from cigarette lighters. Their driver, when picking up a unit, makes note of the damage and notifies Cook. They experience less vandalism and graffiti with special events than construction placements.
Covering a radius of 50 miles from its base, Co-Man utilizes four service trucks: a 2000 Freightliner built by Satellite Industries with a 1,000-gallon steel tank, Masport pump and a pressure washer by PumpTec; a 2000 International built by Best Enterprises with a 400-gallon waste/200-gallon freshwater stainless steel tank and Udor hydraulic power washer; a 2002 International from Best Enterprises with 900-gallon waste/400-gallon freshwater stainless steel tank and Udor power washer; and a 2004 Ford E-450 flatbed used for delivery and pick up. They run two trailers that carry 14 and 10 restrooms.
STAFF & SERVICE
The staff consists of the three co-owners and three drivers. Mastin handles initial training by riding along for the first week or so to make sure the new employees understand the company’s service standards and policies, which he says are critical to maintain and grow the customer base. Technicians are provided clean uniforms from a uniform service.
The Mastins discovered that the party and special events market offered an opportunity to develop a base of repeat customers, and they soon expect to hit the 75-percent target they set for special events work.
Mastin says they follow up each event with phone calls to ask if everything went smoothly, and how they can improve future service. They also keep in touch regularly during the event, with Mastin available at all times by cell phone to resolve any problems as quickly as possible.
Despite a lagging economy, Co-Man sees special event and party work on the rise. They chalk it up to the concept of the “staycation,’’ where cash-strapped families are seeking entertainment close to home and putting off lavish trips. That translates into more restroom placements.
“People are having block parties,” Mastin says. “People are having friends over in a neighborhood and renting a restroom or several, and a tent. People are sticking close to home. They are going to local art shows, fairs and other events such as graduation parties, reunions. We are busy almost every weekend beginning in April, all the way through to November.”
