Construction slowdowns, a sluggish economy and even a brain tumor have threatened the careers Josh and Shannon Reading have built in the portable sanitation industry. But so far, nothing has been able to derail the couple from succeeding at whatever they take on.
Together, the high school sweethearts (and parents of two) have spurred dramatic growth in their startup business, JR’s Johns in Grant Park, Ill., effectively doubling revenue every year, even in the clutches of a recession a few years ago.
“Failure was not an option,” Josh recalls. And while that statement might appear cliché, it helped the couple focus and proceed aggressively (yet thoughtfully) when launching their family business six years ago.
It wasn’t a far stretch, however, from what Josh had grown up with. In fact, it seems that everything in his life has led him to where he is today – a successful and proud third-generation worker in the septic service and underground construction industries.
“I knew at a very young age that I wanted to be a sewer/water contractor,” says Josh, 34, recalling playing with his toy backhoe every day when he was just a toddler.
His grandfather started doing septic work in the late 1960s in the south Chicagoland area, and his father, Mike, soon joined the business. Josh’s parents started M & J Underground (named for Mike and Jan Reading) 20 years ago, focusing on septic service and sewer and utility construction and televising. And it was Josh’s dedication to the multigenerational family business that led him, sideways, into portable sanitation – and a new venture.
THE FAMILY PASSION
After attending high school and college together (both have degrees in business administration), Josh and Shannon, 35, knew they would join Josh’s family business. In the early 2000s, while Josh was working in the field for M & J, Shannon began working with Josh’s mom in the office, and the business was doing very well.
“M & J started getting busier and busier,” says Josh. “We do a lot of municipal work.” Among its many projects, M & J does road-building construction – including sewer, water, storm sewer, concrete, asphalt and excavation – as well as sewer cleaning and televising.
Josh began noticing clients wanted portable restrooms at construction sites. Since Josh already had a pumping license (M & J’s Jean’s Septic division does septic tank pumping and installation), he thought about expanding his business accordingly, getting into the portable restroom market.
Pregnant with their second child, however, Shannon was a bit apprehensive of this uncertain new venture – especially in a metropolitan area served by numerous portable restroom providers. But Josh was convincing. “He is ever the entrepreneur,” she notes.
“It was another option for business revenue,” says Josh. “Part of my motto is I try to sub out as little work as possible.”
STARTING SMALL
Josh bought six restrooms (starting with Five Peaks Technology) – two for an M & J project already underway and four to keep on the company’s 3-acre site for future needs. They ended up with 20 to 30 units the first year, and today JR’s Johns has about 250 units. Their initial startup costs were a little over $2,000.
“We started a portable restroom company in the worst economy people have seen, and we’ve grown it exponentially,” Josh says. As it turns out, the diversification proved a wise move. Josh says that while M & J was at its peak revenue in 2006-2007, the following three years took a huge toll on the septic and excavating business.
“The housing market completely dried up. The private money stopped spending,” recalls Josh. There was not much work to bid on. “The only way M & J was able to stay in the business was our history in service work [municipal work, water main breaks, etc.]. That’s what we fell back on.”
So for Josh and Shannon to have a growing portable sanitation business on their own was a blessing. What started, Josh says, as “just a second job” has now become a successful business in its own right.
Shannon is sole owner and office manager of JR’s Johns (as well as mom to a 5-year-old and a 7-year-old), while Josh works that business as well as for M & J.
“We have come very far,” Shannon says. “I’m much more comfortable.” In addition to Josh, JR’s Johns has two to three employees and serves a five-county region taking technicians in a 100-mile radius.
BETTER BUSINESS CLIMATE
JR’s Johns is still one of the smaller portable restroom operators serving the sprawling Chicago market. The equipment list includes 30 ADA-compliant units (most by PolyPortables Inc.), 18 sinks (a combination of Five Peaks, PolyPortables and PolyJohn Enterprises) and two vac trucks – a 2005 Ford F-650 with 1,000-gallon waste/500-gallon freshwater stainless steeltank from Imperial Industries, and a 2012 Fuso FE-160 with 16-foot flatbed and lift gate and a 300-gallon waste/150-gallon freshwater steel slide-in unit by Imperial Industries.
While they’re one of the small guys in the neighborhood, they are planning to grow, especially diversifying in a volatile construction and housing market.
“I know that things are starting to turn around,” says Shannon. “We’ll have a bigger construction market this year.” They are also servicing special events, farmers’ markets, charity runs and backyard house parties.
OVERCOMING ADVERSITY
The family’s optimism was tested by a recent health crisis. In March 2012, on a vacation to Walt Disney World in Florida, Shannon suffered a grand mal seizure. “She was unconscious for four to six hours,” says Josh, noting that for the first couple weeks, doctors had no explanation for the attack. When a second neurologist discovered a brain tumor, Josh says, “They thought brain surgery was the answer, but it’s best to have it done [back at home in Chicago].”
In April, Shannon had surgery to remove the tumor and surrounding tissue, and they later learned the tumor had been malignant.
“Things are going well,” says Shannon brightly. “I did go through chemotherapy and radiation as a precaution. Brain cancer is a little different. There are still cancer cells in my brain, but as long as they don’t start forming a new tumor, it’s fine.” Subsequent MRIs have been clear. “The doctors are very pleased,” says Shannon, lauding her parents, Steve and Margie O’Connor, who, with no prior experience in the sanitation business, pitched in to help keep the company going during her recovery. “We couldn’t have done it without them.”
Shannon’s recovery has gone well, and she’s been slowly building back her strength and has even begun training for a half marathon. Prior to her seizure, JR’s was getting so busy, they were thinking of hiring more help. They’ve also been working toward a goal of making the company more efficient by investing in technology.
TECHNOLOGY UPGRADE
Shannon has been training to use Clear Computing software and will soon show their drivers how to use it. Prior to implementing this program, Shannon had used less-effective Web-based mapping to create service routes. “It would take hours to set up a route,” she recalls. She’s confident this system will streamline routing and increase efficiency by sending routes directly to iPads on their trucks.
“It will help keep track of production, and it will help us manage it remotely,” she says. “It will allow us to see where drivers are at with GPS … and we needed some software to better manage our inventory.’’
With Shannon’s health on the mend, housing starts improving and a steadily growing portable restroom division, the Readings are ready to take on new, lofty challenges. Next up? Perhaps bringing service to other cities.
“I’ve always wanted to expand into other metro markets,” says Josh, noting that Milwaukee and Indianapolis could be on their radar. “If we can gain a share in the Chicago market and then expand into those markets, that’s been a long-term goal for me.”
