Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/1143916
W EEKLY EDITION JULY 17, 2019 Celebrating the Life of Lou Paulsen By Karleen Kos, PSAI Executive Director … Continued From Page 1 Also before his portable sanitation days, Lou built and ran a marina…and a restaurant…and flew his own airplane. But all this wasn't enough adventure for him. In 1981, when there was an oil boom in Texas, Lou left the Midwest for the Lone Star State, determined to start a portable sanitation company. At first he worked full time nights for Texas Instrumen ts. During the day he used a skid - mounted tank in his pick up truck to service his first 20 units. After about a year, TI wanted to promote him and Lou turned them down. "Dang it," he said. "I want to run a portable restroom business!" Over the past 35 y ears, Lou has built his operation in central Texas. A talented businessman, he has grown and changed his approach as circumstances have evolved. At one point his operation included the markets of Abilene, San Angelo, Dallas – Fort Worth, and Corpus Christie. When it was clear this was leading to too much spread and an inability to control quality, he regrouped, sold off parts of his operation, and made sure his portable units were always the cleanest you could find. Lou tells all his employees – then and no w – "If it isn't clean enough for your wife or your mother or your daughter, it isn't clean enough for anybody." But that's just the beginning. Lou has leveraged his engaging personality and his marketing acumen to make his business a household name in A bilene, Texas. He has been involved in numerous community groups, and he pioneered the use of television advertising for portable sanitation services. P AGE 8 CONTINUED ON PAGE 9 There are many wonderful things people notice about Lou – these rise to the top: 1. Character: "I have known and been doing business with [Lou] for more than three decades. In all of those years [he] and I have never signed a contract for the goods he has purchased. A handshake is all that has ever been n eeded." "He has enhanced [his business] and our industry in his marketplace through innovative marketing and providing his customers with the latest restroom equipment and an extraordinary level of service." 2. Humor Lou's company's name (Can - Doo Budjet Rentals) is a play on words, and no matter when or where you meet him, he's always got a joke. Some people had a hard time getting on board with using email when it first came out, but Lou quickly discovered that email just helped him spread his stories f urther, faster. He will tell you that it is important to be both forthright and memorable – and he uses humor to great effect to achieve this. 3. Beautiful Wife Lou is part of his own "dynamic duo." He and his wife Sharon have been married 159 months. Ye s, months – because that's how they track the time at their house so they can celebrate more often. They play off of each other with humor and grace. She drives around Abilene in her white Cadillac finding construction sites that lack portable restrooms, a nd he follows up to make the sale. Though they are at an age when some people might be enjoying retirement, they are instead enjoying one another, bringing joy to their community, and running a portable sanitation company that is second to none.