Zach Bailey has a passion for acting and has been in a number of movies and commercials. He says acting has helped him in the business world.
Zach is 20 years old and works for the family business, Bailey’s Septic Service & Portable Toilet Rentals in Reading, Pennsylvania, following in the footsteps of four previous generations of his family. His father, Todd Bailey, is the current owner.
“Yes, I have a little side thing for acting when I’m not here at work or in college,” he says. “I was in Happy Gilmore 2. I also had a cameo appearance in No Hard Feelings, a Jennifer Lawrence film that came out about three years ago. I did a brief cameo in Law & Order.”
He’s also been in a Shipley Energy commercial. Some productions took place in nearby Philadelphia; others required travel to New Jersey or New York. Instead of looking at acting as a detraction from his business career, Zach says the two occupations have a lot in common.
“Honestly, it’s helped me a lot in how I approach interactions with customers and how I handle certain situations,” he says. “Acting tends to be high-pressure, especially with auditions, which has really helped me in navigating some of the more challenging moments in business. If I’m going into an audition for a big part, it’s the similar feeling of when you’re dealing with a customer who might be agitated.”
Zach says the best approach with an upset customer is to de-escalate the situation and help them work through whatever they need from you to provide the best results for them and you.
“The first thing is asking questions and understanding where they’re coming from, just putting yourself in their shoes and seeing it through the customer’s lens,” he says. “Don’t take it as a personal attack. And don’t treat fire with fire. It’s not good when you’re agitated and they’re agitated. It just doesn’t work out.”
Read more about Bailey’s Septic Service & Portable Toilet Rentals in the November 2025 issue of Portable Restroom Operator magazine.
