Sunday, April 15, 2012

Lots of Loos



So, here’s a bit of scoop . . . You may find it long and uninteresting, but it is a milestone at this house.

As you know, back in November, we received news that our shop was selling, and we would be “kicked out” in March. It was devastating news and we were, quite honestly, miffed about the situation. Door (slammed) Closed. That very afternoon, a visitor presented an unexpected opportunity. Hmmmm, door (slightly) open.

There are copious details that I'm sure you don't want to hear —but as of yesterday - we are now the owners of Buck’s Sanitary Service in Eugene Oregon. Whoo Hoo! Pew Wee! The sense of déjà vu is legitimate as we owned this business (with 2 other parties) from 1995-1999. In ’99, we sold to Waste Connections, but it simply doesn’t fit with their core assets as they do garbage, not toilets. We are excited to tackle this opportunity as it was a grand passion of ours. (portable toilets + passion = yeah, we’re weird)

We were certain that Advanced Waste Automation (AWA) would fit perfectly with this new arrangement. However, the company that we had the dealership with—purchased a much larger truck manufacturer that has an established dealership in Oregon. As of now, the decision is that all the business will be handled by the older company, leaving AWA with nothing. Now that’s a punch in the gut! Scott loves this niche and has loyal and satisfied (downright thrilled) customers (who are screaming mad about the new arrangement). We started AWA, knowing that customer service was going to make the difference. We knew it wasn’t going to be a “get rich quick” scheme. The dedication and patience was beginning to pay off and Scott’s knowledge and tenacity were slowly changing the market in our region. We are certainly not ready to “throw in the towel”, but for now, it is a waiting game.

For awhile, blog posts may be infrequent and highlight portable toilets. Of course, while I’m learning new software programs and answering phones, I’ll be dreaming about painting the office. My focus will be marketing which is right up my creative alley. As we introduce the new logo— we welcome you to “Scratch and Sniff”—just kidding:)

2 comments:

jessica said...

Since we're great friends, and we live in a trailer, any chance you could drop one of those babies off in our back 40 just in case our septic ever goes on the fritz? :)

Amy said...

Hmmm...sure glad for folks like you who are passionate about this line of work! If we're ever in need of a buck, we'll know where to go!