When natural disasters strike, boots-on-the-ground operations make all the difference. In the immediate aftermath, first responders are critical in saving lives. But it’s the rebuilding process happening months later that requires many industries that aren’t at the forefront of people’s minds.
In the hours, days and months that follow, when infrastructure is destroyed and people are left without power, portable restroom companies are essential. But what happens when the natural disaster strikes too close to home? That’s what happened to Head Honcho in Kankakee, Illinois, when on March 10, 2026, a deadly tornado touched down in Kankakee County.
“I guess you could consider where we live as ground zero of the tornado,” says Cameron Gerth, president and operator at Head Honcho. “Our house, we lost a third of it.”
Cameron and his wife, Meredith Gerth, the business manager at Head Honcho, live on the east side of Kankakee County. Head Honcho’s headquarters is located on the west side of the county. Their office building, trucks, trailers and portable restroom units sustained major hail damage, an unexpected obstacle for the relatively new company.
INTRODUCTION
The Gerths opened Head Honcho in September 2023. Meredith Gerth is a health and life insurance broker. Cameron Gerth spent his career working in construction. Both grew up in families that owned businesses, so the idea of owning a business was always on their radar. While on construction sites Cameron Gerth routinely noticed that most portable restrooms were from out of the area and lacked the cleanliness that he thought was appropriate.
“I just saw the need for a local, smaller, more dedicated portable restroom company,” Cameron says. “I had to use porta potties all the time, in my old jobs and they were never great. That’s where the idea came from.”
When he pitched the idea to his wife, she was immediately on board. Head Honcho initially purchased 35 PolyJohn portable restroom units, along with a few sinks. While they bought the restrooms new, they invested in a used Freightliner with low mileage and added a liftgate and slide-in vacuum pump.
“We didn’t have to keep too many toilets sitting around because we were putting them out so fast,” Cameron says.
Initially, the Gerths operated Head Honcho out of a home office but the company grew quickly. By year two, they purchased additional inventory and a commercial property to host a business headquarters and storage space.
CAPITALIZING ON COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
With Cameron’s background in the construction industry and the couple’s deep ties to the community, word of mouth provided all the company’s clientele.
“Cam came from a construction background and a family business that was in construction for years in the area. I came from a family business in the convenience store gas station industry. So, between the two of us, we know quite a few people,” Meredith says. “We were able to get started and pick up business and grow quickly based on that.”
As of April 2026, the company has 200 PolyJohn portable restroom units. Head Honcho operates a 2006 Isuzu NPR with an 800-gallon aluminum tank with 530 gallons of freshwater and 270 gallons of wastewater. The truck has a Masport slide-in. They also have a 2020 Ford F-550 with a 1,100-gallon aluminum tank that Imperial built out. The company also added a full-time route driver, Audra Paquette, who handles the majority of recurring rentals while Cameron does the other routes. Head Honcho also brought in an office person, Erin Stowe, to field calls and handle administrative operations.
The company’s clients change slightly with the seasons. During the summer, Head Honcho rents an increased number of portable restrooms for events like graduation parties and weddings. However, long-term rentals for construction projects remain the mainstay of the company’s business. Following March’s deadly tornado and the rebuilding that needs to take place, Head Honcho is figuring out how to best serve its community while rebuilding its own inventory, business and home.
REBUILDING AFTER DISASTER
While it’s easy to feel helpless in the midst of a natural disaster, despite dealing with their own tremendous loss of property, the Gerths jumped into action to help their neighbors.
“Right off the bat, I delivered several toilets to areas like my neighborhood,” Cameron says. Head Honcho also delivered portable restrooms to power companies and volunteers. While trying to help their community, the Gerths were simultaneously assessing the help they needed.
“I think we lost somewhere around 20 toilets that have completely, I guess, disappeared,” Meredith says. “We recovered two of them; but they were just a pile of broken plastic.”
For a company that’s used to helping, needing assistance isn’t easy. “To be on the other end of it is very different for us,” Meredith says. “It’s amazing how communities can come together after something like that.”
TRAILER TRIAL AND ERROR
Growth often requires trial and error. In addition to providing portable restroom units, Head Honcho purchased a portable restroom trailer, a JAG four-stall trailer. The company rents out the trailer forspecial events.
“It’s been busy. It’s been slow,” Cameron says. “I think we’re in kind of a weird market here where it is an expensive investment in the service.”
While Head Honcho has seen some demand for the trailer, it’s not enough for the Gerths to consider investing in additional trailers at this point in their business plan.
“I can’t say it’s been the best part of our business, but we have rented it a lot of times and it’s been to some cool places,” Cameron says.
OBSERVATIONS
Surprises: The Gerths launched Head Honcho because they knew there was a need for additional service in the community; however, they were surprised by just how big the need was. Almost immediately, they were booked out and trying to balance scalable growth. “I did not anticipate the struggle of growing fast and trying to make sure we have the inventory for future rentals without overspending on buying toilets,” Cameron says.
Best thing about the job: “My favorite thing is going to places,” Cameron says. “I like being out and about, and that’s been the coolest part for me, being able to somewhat be able to design my route and schedule.”
Advice: Starting a new company requires a lot of startup capital. The Gerths say it’s important to balance buying quality assets with cost-saving decisions. “I think a lot of people go buy everything brand new and it’s hard to maintain,” Cameron says. “One day you’ll feel like you’re on top of the world, but there’s a lot of unforeseen and everything is expensive.”
LOOKING AHEAD
As Head Honcho looks ahead, the company is balancing growth with customer service.
“I just don’t want to get too big because I think that’s such a thing,” Meredith says. “I think sometimes if you get too big, you kind of lose control over the quality of the service you provide.”
As a company that attributes its growth to word of mouth and community connections, the idea of losing the endorsement of its clients is something it won’t risk for anything.
“We don’t want to go out to dinner at a restaurant and have somebody come up to us and say, ‘You’re not doing a good job,” Meredith says. “We want to see happy customers when we are out and about.”
Head Honcho hopes to grow at about the same rate it has over the past three years. By the end of 2026, they plan to add up to 50 more portable restroom units.
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