Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/1357210
ASSOCIATIONINSIGHT Portable Sanitation Association International News BIWEEKLY EDITION MARCH 31, 2021 Page 3 Industry Pioneer: Ed Crafton…continued from page 1 Continued on page 4 After the war, Ed married Mildred "Mitzi" Blaize in 1949 and they began a loving and inseparable partnership in life and in business. Ed used his mechanical and technical abilities to build homes in and around the Indianapolis area, ultimately ending up in the Bradenton, Florida area as a home builder. In 1956, Ed started Wellcraft Boats in Bradenton. Always looking for new ideas and new concepts, he chose fiberglass as his construction material of choice. Fiberglass Portable Restrooms In 1961, Ed expanded the idea of fiberglass boats into a fiberglass portable restroom. His invention was the "Sani- John," and it was incredibly unique in concept and design. From an April 2004 article in Pumper Magazine: "I thought that it was a great idea," Crafton recalled in a 2003 news story in the Sanitation Journal. "They were completely round, they looked like missiles, and there wasn't a market for them." Work with George Harding A fellow inventor who was also in the fiberglass boat business in Florida was George Harding (profiled previously for this work with Ed Cooper and the founding of PolyJohn in 1984). In another remarkable coincidence, after Harding's patent for the "polyethylene portable toilet cabana" on June 3, 1969, he and Ed Crafton began working together in late 1971 to develop a new type of unit. In 1972, these two inventors developed the "Poly-San" round plastic restroom! PolyPortables (1972)—Bradenton, Florida With the "Poly-San" unit now created and ready for production, Ed Crafton founded a portable restroom manufacturing company, PolyPortables in Bradenton, Florida. As the business grew, Crafton continued to explore possibilities in this relatively new industry. PolyPortables was also an early member of the new PSA (now PSAI) which was formed in 1971. Again, he was willing to work with others and to share ideas for innovation and improvement. By 1978, PolyPortables had developed a new modular, square plastic restroom which was a far cry from Ed's "fiberglass missile" unit from 1961. Tragically and sadly shortly after production of these new units had begun, the plant burned completely to the ground. Ed and Mitzi made the decision to move PolyPortables to Arkansas to have a more centralized location in the country. PolyPortables (1978)—Dahlonega, Georgia While on vacation en route to Arkansas, the Crafton family visited Dahlonega, Georgia at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Fact: Fiberglass was invented in 1932–33 by R. Games Slayter, a 1921 Purdue graduate who had a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering. The first fiberglass boat was made in 1937 but widespread production did not begin until the mid-1950s. As you can see, Ed Crafton was involved in the leading edge of a new industry. R. Games Slayter, photo courtesy of Owens Corning