Honor World Toilet Day this Nov. 19, take a moment and check in with the next generation of portable restroom operators.
Customer Care, Clean Equipment and Marketing Savvy Sell Restrooms
Kalla Taylor, operator
Stop N Go Portable Toilets
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Build customer relationships: “Building personal relationships with customers is crucial,” says Taylor, who started operating Stop N Go in 2020 after Judy Taylor-Clark, her aunt and the owner of the company, retired. “There’s always competition everywhere, so maintaining those customer relationships is very important.
“I’m always reaching out to them – calling to see what we can do to assist them,” she continues. “Since we’re family and locally owned, they don’t need to call an 800-number or a broker to do business with us. And when they call, they talk to someone directly right away.
“We’re one of the only family-owned and operated restroom-rental businesses in Milwaukee, so we like to deliver that personal family touch. If something needs to be handled, I’ll handle it.”
He Went From Pro Football to PRO Magazine
Russell Shepard, owner
Shep Boys Waste Management
Houston, Texas
The essential nature of wastewater work: “I wanted to do something comparable to the companies my parents had run,” Shepard says. “[A family friend] told me to think about starting a porta potty company, which would be cheaper to start up than other things I was considering.
“He told me people are peeing and pooping every day, so there’s always a need for the service. It’s been a very sound investment — as recessionproof a business as I’ve seen. I’ve already been approached twice about selling the company, which tells me we have something really good going on.”
Highway 38 Dumpsters & Restrooms Faces a Challenge Serving Solar Eclipse Visitors
Jessica and Seth Gregory, owners
Highway 38 Dumpsters & Restrooms
Hagerstown, Indiana
Know when and how to ask for help: Most of the company’s units were committed for unrelated jobs. So, with only 50 available to handle the eclipse, Jessica Gregory sought help.
“I put an ad in PRO to see if somebody had units we could buy or rent. That’s where Jamie Hunter came in. He reached out and said, ‘What do you need? I got it.’ He’s been an angel to work with, answering questions and giving advice.”
Hunter is the owner of 25-year-old Hoosier Portable Restrooms in Carmel, a suburb of Indianapolis.
“It was an actual physical ad,” Hunter says. “I’m still old school enough that I still like having a physical magazine. I told her I’d be happy to give her a hand. She said, ‘How many can I have?’ and I said you can have all you want. We worked out a very reasonable and inexpensive way.”
Young Gun Takes on the Arizona Portable Restroom Industry
Brody Solomonson, operator
Waste Rentals, a division of Nationwide Waste Services
Mesa, Arizona
Pursue the dream, regardless of your age: At age 15, Brody Solomonson transitioned from scooping horse manure to working for his father at Nationwide Waste Services. Brian Solomonson, Brody’s father and president of Waste Rentals in Mesa, Arizona, had been in the brokerage space for years, connecting businesses with site and sanitation services. Brody took to the work immediately.
“At 15, Brody was doing over a hundred phone calls a day and over a couple of million dollars a year in sales,” says Brian.
Brody didn’t just make sales; he listened carefully to customers, which turned into crafting a business plan. When he was 17, he approached his dad with an idea. “Brody came to me and said he would like to open up a local portable restroom operation here in Arizona,” Brian says. “So we started Waste Rentals and it’s been very successful. Brody was instrumental in that.”
Businessman Sees Lucrative Side of Portable Restrooms
Brian Knoper, owner
Kerkstra Portable Restroom
Hudsonville, Michigan
Making lemonade out of pandemic lemons: “We essentially learned how to generate more revenue with the same services,” Knoper notes. “It was definitely a make-lemonade-out-of-lemons moment [the COVID-19 pandemic].
“It was a month or two before we could finally see what revenue looked like and realized it wasn’t going to be a colossal tragedy. But for that first month or so, we just didn’t know. I don’t know if I ate or slept for a month straight. It was quite an experience.”
California Grocer Turns Restroom Operator
Gerardo Raya, owner
SM&S (Site Masters & Sanitation)
Hollister, California
Lessons he’s carried over from retail: “In retail, customer service was always a priority,” Gerardo 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.”
Timing Is Everything for a New Restroom Operator
Chad Howard, owner
Halftime Rentals
Charlotte, North Carolina
What is most rewarding: “This isn’t a sexy business, but it’s mine,” Howard says. “I’m not building it for someone else like I was at P&G. And the impact I can make on other people’s lives has been rewarding. These drivers haven’t always been given a chance. One of them thanked me for being able to buy a house after living in an RV for years.”
Advice: “My sister is a clinical psychologist and says 90% of her clients’ regrets are from something they didn’t do. So, take a chance. It’s hard work but it’s also fulfilling. The hardest part about starting a business is starting.”
