Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/1357210
ASSOCIATIONINSIGHT Portable Sanitation Association International News BIWEEKLY EDITION MARCH 31, 2021 Page 7 Industry Pioneer: Ed Crafton…continued from page 5 Continued on page 8 A few other stories: • Clyde Sansom, founder of Synergy World and another pioneer in our industry, often took trips to a cabin in North Georgia. Quite often on these trips, Clyde would take a day and ride his motorcycle down to Dahlonega to visit his friend, Ed Crafton. On every visit, Steve recalls being "mesmerized" as these two long-time friends shared a multitude of stories about the industry, the PSAI, and many of the "colorful personalities" involved. On a higher level, Steve described these visits as "two innovative people sharing ideas." (If only there had been audio and video of these visits!) • He was an admirer and a collector of the artist LeRoy Neiman and had several of his prints prominently displayed throughout the offices. • PolyPortables was a "pet friendly company." Steve says that dogs were "important members of the company." In a PRO Magazine article in 2006, Jim Kneiszel wrote about the various PolyPortables' pets. In the article, Kathy's dogs— Rebel, Weedle, and Pepper—are mentioned as regular company members. Roxie, a stray shepherd mix that showed up at the factory and "promptly had nine puppies" was also a member of the team. Jim Pierce, the southeast regional manager had Maggie, an Australian shepherd. Cindy Bailey had a shih tzu named Mitzi in honor of Mitzi Crafton. Steve said that the pets and the humor balanced the hard work and the commitment to the customer that drove PolyPortables' success. • As he got older, Ed loved to have fun on his motorized scooter, particularly at Pumper Shows. Steve recounts that Ed typically liked to put the scooter into "high" (against the advice of everyone) and to zip around the trade show floor. On one occasion, however, Ed hit "high" and then "reverse" by accident and almost ended up in the canal of the Opryland Hotel! Later Years Ed turned over control of PolyPortables to his daughter, Kathy in 1992. Although he was 71 and retired, he continued to spend time at the office and was still involved with the PSAI and the Southeastern Portable Sanitation Association. In fact, Kathy said, "He never really retired." In 1996, Ed Crafton was awarded the Andy Gump Award for his lifelong dedication and impact on the industry. In 2000, he received the Ralph Macchio Lifetime Achievement Award given by the National Association of Wastewater Transporters (NAWT) and Cole Publishing. Ed Crafton passed away on December 13, 2003 and Mitzi passed away on September 23, 2008. The contributions of the Crafton family to our industry were monumental and will long be remembered. After Ed During her tenure, Kathy Crafton successfully grew the company due to her wide variety of skills and knowledge. In Atlanta in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Kathy was an operator and owned the largest portable restroom company in the area, Atlanta Porta-Potty. LeRoy Neiman (1921–2012) was an American artist known for his vibrantly colored expressionist paintings and screen prints of athletes, musicians, and sporting events. The Andy Gump Award