Gerardo Raya learned a lot about satisfying customers from years managing Hispanic grocery stores. He also learned the value of keeping team members happy.

Now he applies those skills as co-owner of SM&S (Site Masters & Sanitation), a restroom rental company serving the San Francisco Bay and surrounding areas from home base in Hollister, California.

Launched with brother-in-law and business partner Jorge Medina in 2021 with just two dozen restrooms, the company now has more than 300 units and a reliable and growing customer base across the construction, special events and agricultural sectors.

“In retail, customer service was always a priority,” Raya says. “I’ve tried to incorporate what I learned in retail with the portable restroom business. We’ve delivered fast, friendly and efficient service to customers, and that has worked brilliantly. 

“Customers like it when we act fast. They reach out and say, ‘I need a unit. When can I have it?’ We like to do same-day delivery. Sometimes they have their units within two or three hours. That saves headaches for them and keeps their business moving forward. It also keeps us moving forward because they come to rely on us.” 

It’s all driven by an energetic team, backed by time- and labor-saving technology that includes a comprehensive customer service software package.

Natural connections

At the time the business started, Raya was moonlighting as a mobile bartender and offering portable restrooms as an add-on. Medina, meanwhile, had long experience building up portable restroom companies in the Bay Area; a couple ultimately were acquired by major operators.

Medina was working for a company he had just helped grow from two service trucks to more than 10 within a few years. “That’s when he said, ‘Now is the time. Let’s make it happen,’” Raya recalls. “He said, ‘Let’s buy more units and form a legitimate company.’ That’s how it began.”

Today Raya is CEO and handles marketing and administration while Medina works in the field as a driver coordinator and dispatcher. Carlos Perez is an event planner and sales manager; driver/dispatcher Mario Erazo helps with sales, and driver/maintenance Jaime Raya (Gerardo’s father) takes care of maintenance. He also custom-fabricated three 12-unit and two eight-unit trailers to boost restroom transport efficiency.

The restroom and related inventory is supplied almost exclusively by Satellite Industries. Besides the 300 standard restrooms, the inventory includes 20 ADA units and 30 hand-wash sinks. Ten restrooms are mounted on single-unit trailers, and 10 more on two-unit trailers. A VIP trailer has men’s and a women’s stalls with sinks, flush toilets and a flush urinal on the men’s side. 

Two hundred barricade panels and 5,000 feet of chain-link fencing were supplied by Steel & Fence Supply Raya recalls, “An event coordinator customer said, ‘I need a company that does it all. Either you bring the fencing and barriers and the toilets, or you don’t bring any 

“We pay competitive salaries. We have engagement events like Concha Fridays. We pay attention to their personal lives: How’s your family? How is your daughter doing in school? 

“We strive for flawless communication. We’re all on the same page. Everyone knows the programs we’re launching for a given month. It’s a way of empowering them to let customers know, ‘This is the company for you.’ When employees start referring you, that’s when you see the customers coming in.”

Elite service

The business mix includes about 40% construction, 10% agriculture and the balance between public festivals and private events. Customer service has been critical; it is one thing that sets the business apart from national-scale players, which have a large presence in the area. 

“We try to be as friendly as possible,” says Raya. “I ask our drivers to treat the customers as if they were family and to give them as few headaches as possible. Nobody wants to deal with portable restrooms when they have a $2-3 million project going on. 

“On top of that, we keep them happy and engaged with a rewards program. We started a campaign last year where after every sixth unit they rent,  

Extra attention to cleanliness also makes SM&S stand out. “We polish all our units when they are serviced,” says Raya. “We wash and sanitize them. You can feel the cleanliness inside. We tend to stay away from the typical restroom air fresheners. We use scents more like you would find at home or in luxury hotels, like apple cinnamon or tropical fragrances.” These are purchased from American Supply Company in Salinas, California. 

Unit condition is also important. Restrooms are kept free of graffiti. Older units that show signs of wear are sold off or used on the agriculture side. The newest units are showcased at public events like festivals and parades. For private events that run into night hours, units are fitted with solar-powered lights, sensor-driven to come on when a user opens the door. 

Both of the company’s service trucks are from Satellite. A 300G unit has 180 gallons of waste capacity and 120 gallons of freshwater; a 650G has 430-gallon waste and 220-gallon freshwater tankage. Both have aluminum tanks and carry Westmoor Conde pumps. The smaller and less obtrusive truck makes a good impression at public events.

Superb software

Technology helps SM&S please customers while staying organized. Each driver/dispatcher carries a cellphone; calls from customers go straight to them. Using ServiceCore software, designed for portable restroom service, septic service and similar businesses, they can see the inventory in real time.

The program ensures that customers’ calls are answered promptly: “So much depends on how fast customers can reach us. If we don’t pick up the first time, they’re going to call the next company on their list. We don’t want to give them that chance.”

Team members can quote jobs on the spot, and that enables them to expedite the delivery. As soon as the driver/dispatcher submits a work order, the system creates an invoice. It also generates recurring invoices for companies that keep units for months at a time. Invoices are sent electronically and automatically; paper invoices can be created for customers who want to receive them by mail. 

“Before, we used to have trouble with cash flow,” Raya says. “We would wait until the end of the month and figure out who owed us what. This software keeps track of all that in real time. It simplifies our work by a bunch.” Customers also like the flexibility to order through different channels. Phone orders are the most common, but orders also can be taken on Instagram, Facebook, Yelp or by text.

Also on the technology front, SM&S places trackers inside the trailer-mounted restrooms, used mostly by construction and agriculture customers that move them from site to site. “Now instead of calling the customer and asking where the trailer is, we just go into our system, find it, go service it and keep moving,” Raya says.

Up-to-date marketing

The partners take pride in their marketing approach, which relies heavily on social media. In the early days, their Instagram account featured both mobile bartending and restrooms. “Before we knew it, a lot of construction companies were following our portable toilet Instagram,” says Raya. “We’re being a little more modern with technology, not being scared of it. We’ve done a lot of videos and sent a lot of ads through the social media platforms.”  

At the same time, a key part of marketing is good, old-fashioned listening and responding to customer needs. “They aren’t talking to us for no reason,” says Raya. “They are taking the time to tell us their wishes and desires. We pay really close attention to that. 

“One of our customers told me another restroom company spent at least two or three minutes reaching out to ask how things were going with the units. But when it came to actual service, they never showed up. That was eye-opening for me. I don’t need to bother customers that way. If they are not happy, they’re going to let me know. My job is to prevent those calls from coming in — to make sure I resolve their issues before they are even aware of them.”

Looking ahead, public events are a key focus for SM&S. The biggest to date was a July 4 parade in Fremont that rented 20 standard restrooms, and 10 ADA units and 12 sinks. Sales manager Perez is aiming higher. “He is getting us big events like the Fourth of July parade in San Jose. We’re also looking to do the Fourth of July biker rally in Hollister. That would be a big accomplishment for us.”

It’s clear this three-year-old business has accomplished a lot already.

SM&S, Hollister, California

OWNERS: Gerardo Raya and Jorge Medina

FOUNDED: 2021

SERVICE AREA: San Francisco Bay Area, San Benito County, Monterey Bay

EMPLOYEES: 5

SERVICES: Restroom rental; temporary fencing and barricades

WEBSITE: www.sitemastersca.com