When Jason Cressman visited job sites served by his father’s modular office trailer business, he saw construction equipment along with an opportunity to alleviate customer stress.
His father, Robert Cressman Sr., owns Complete Modular Services, setting up modular trailers at job sites. Naturally, those sites also required portable toilets, temporary fencing and wastewater solutions, all of which came from other suppliers.
However, Cressman noticed a recurring issue. “With my father’s company, we ended up doing a lot of service calls for unhappy customers,” he recalls. “Their water tanks weren’t working properly, their waste tanks were frozen and so on. That was really why I started my business, not necessarily to rent them portable toilets, but to help our customers who use the office trailers that we install.”
Filling this market gap is why Cressman launched Complete Site Solutions four years ago. Based in Swedesboro, New Jersey, the family-owned company started by supplying portable toilets but quickly grew into a comprehensive site management partner. Today, the company carries an inventory of 600 standard portable toilets (featuring PolyJohn and Satellite units), restroom trailers, holding tanks and handwashing stations.
The company operates with a team of five, including Cressman’s brother, Robert, who is the operations/growth manager. Edwin Diaz, Peter Martinez and Willy Chavez, service technicians, and Ray Arzounian, delivery driver. They rely on Freightliner M2s built by Imperial Industries for route service and Ford F-600 Portalogix trucks from Robinson Vacuum Tanks for special events and deliveries.
Complete Site Solutions recently expanded its lineup to include temporary fencing, an opportunity that Cressman picked up after meeting with ZND US fencing at the WWETT Show. This strategic addition allows the company to secure sites, preventing unauthorized access to construction zones.
A big event for them is the Detroit Tigers Opening Day. “We always look forward to it,” Charles says. “It’s spring and everybody’s moving out from the cold winter. And it’s the signal for the start of our busy season.”
Five Takeaways on Rapid Growth and Site Solutions:
1. Identify and Solve Pain Points
Complete Site Solutions was born out of Cressman’s ability to identify and solve pain points. By noticing the frustrations construction customers were experiencing on site, he found his entry point. Discovering new sales openings often comes down to paying close attention to what is making other people unhappy, and offering a reliable, transparent solution to fix it. “I just wanted to help them alleviate the stress of customer service-related issues,” Cressman says. “I actually saw a lot of opportunity and a lot of unsatisfied customers out there, since there was really only one major provider in the game.”
2. Connect to Related Services
By working closely alongside his father’s modular trailer business, Cressman created a natural sales funnel. “My dad segues me to a lot of customers,” says Cressman. “He installs their modular units and in turn they need portable bathrooms or office trailer tank systems on site. So they use him for the installs or removals of the office trailers and then they bring us in for toilets and tanks.”
Adding temporary fencing was another natural choice. “We do a lot of schoolwork with my father’s modular business,” he notes. “On all those projects, we have to secure the site with temporary fences so no kids can get access to the construction zone.”
3. Invest in Your Team
Finding and retaining good employees can be a major challenge in the portable sanitation industry. Cressman tackles it by investing heavily in his workforce to ensure loyalty. “I’ve been lucky enough to start out with a great employee [Edwin], and then he shares his work experience with his peers and then the next thing you know, there’s other people that are asking to work for us,” he says. “I do my best to take care of our guys: We pay a competitive wage, supply employee medical benefits [health, dental and vision] and we also offer retirement plans and 401(k). I invest a little bit more in my employees because I value them as individuals, and without them, we would not be able to reach the goals or the standards that we have set as a team.”
4. Build the Port and the Ships Will Come
Managing finances during rapid expansion can be intimidating, but Cressman believes in the power of owning premium assets. So, instead of cutting corners, he invests in brand-new trucks, trailers and toilets. “It is always a worry making large investments, but a wise man once told me that if you build the port, the ships will come. So, investments are a necessity,” says Cressman. “We might not be the cheapest provider, but we do offer the most premium product that we can, and our customers appreciate that.”
5. Ignore the Outside Noise
When asked what advice he would give his younger self today, Cressman emphasized the importance of tunnel vision. “If I could go back to the start, I would give myself the advice to not worry about what every other company is doing and focus strictly on myself, my company and my team,” he says. “Don’t fret about competitors’ pricing or what their equipment might look like or how their service is. Just focus on us and don’t worry about the outside noise.”
By tuning out competitors, operators such as Complete Site Services are free to focus on providing honest quality service, which is what really matters. “Our mission is to provide honest, dependable service and deliver exactly what we promise our customers,” Cressman says. “I believe in transparency, clear communication and taking responsibility when challenges arise. By putting integrity and customer satisfaction at the forefront of everything we do, we strive to earn our customers trust on each project.”
