Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/1351540
ASSOCIATIONINSIGHT Portable Sanitation Association International News BIWEEKLY EDITION MARCH 17, 2021 Page 10 Industry Pioneers: Ed Cooper, George Harding, and PolyJohn…continued from page 4 PolyJohn was immensely successful, and it grew rapidly with these men in charge. Work began immediately to retrofit the Whiting, Indiana facility, and manufacturing commenced shortly thereafter. This location became the corporate headquarters of PolyJohn, and it is the main manufacturing location today. International Growth and Expansion PolyJohn began international operations in 1989 in collaboration with Vernon Hills. Ed Cooper was, yet again, innovative and visionary in entering the European marketplace. Vernon Hills, General Sales Manager for Portaloo in Leeds, UK, flew to Indiana to meet with Ed and his team and obtain these new plastic portable restrooms for Portaloo. Ed persuaded Vernon to form a partnership and PolyJohn UK Limited was formed in 1993. Vernon promoted the sale of PolyJohn products throughout Belgium, France, Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Germany. Vernon Hills eventually expanded PolyJohn International's reach to South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. Since this was now truly a global operation, the name of the company was changed to PolyJohn International Limited in June 2004. Vernon passed away recently, and you can learn more about his unique contributions to the portable sanitation industry in the "In Memoriam" article on page 18. Industry Expansion and Exploration Ed Cooper and PolyJohn have been at the forefront of many current standards in our industry. For example, in 1988 PolyJohn started Ameri-Can Engineering, a restroom trailer manufacturer with employees Ron and Gladys Bird. In 1990, Ameri-Can became an independent company. Even then, Ed saw that luxury trailers would eventually become an important part of the products our industry has to offer. Today, restroom trailers are staples at weddings, special events, and even construction sites across the globe. The PolyJohn Family – From Past to Present George Harding eventually retired, and George Hiskes and his sons decided to get back into the solid waste business in 1992. Ed Cooper purchased the company outright, continuing to improve and enhance PolyJohn and its customer-oriented culture. Even as it became a large international company, Ed Cooper still ran PolyJohn as a family business. In 1992, Ed's sons—Mike and Ken— joined the team, and these second-generation leaders began making an impact on the firm. Ed Cooper was also a strong supporter of the PSAI. He served on the Board of Directors and was a volunteer on numerous committees. In 2005, Sanitation Journal selected Ed as its "Person of the Year." The award honored his "honesty, integrity, and treating customers and friends like family." This truly captured the essence of Ed Cooper. Ed's greatest recognition came in 2007 as the recipient of the "Andy Gump Award," the highest honor in the portable sanitation industry. Ed was nominated by none other than Barry Gump, Andy's son. PolyJohn headquarters in Whiting, Indiana In 2007, Mike Cooper accepted the Andy Gump Award for his late father, Ed, from Barry Gump. Continued on page 11