Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/1370962
ASSOCIATIONINSIGHT Portable Sanitation Association International News BIWEEKLY EDITION MAY 12, 2021 Page 19 Remembering Dorothy Sansom By Lee Sola, Past PSAI President C lyde and Dorothy Sansom put together a truly successful partnership. Their firm, Johnny-On-The-Spot, was arguably one of the most viable and profitable portable sanitation companies. They were headquartered in St. Louis, and they also had a number of branches in the area. As company leaders they were very inventive in bringing totally new ideas to their relationships with their staff, customers, and vendors. Dorothy was primarily responsible for sales and marketing and the customers loved her. An interesting story that I heard was how they met. They both owned small diners in St Louis and they competed with each other on the same street. They basically could see the other's establishments on a daily basis. As you can imagine, their competitive juices were constantly tested. Clyde would place a large sign in his front window offering a complete breakfast for $2.49. Dorothy would then put up even a bigger sign at her diner advertising an even larger breakfast for $2.19. This type of competition went on for quite some time. In hearing Clyde tell the story, they were both losing money at this rate, but neither of them would give up. At some point in time, Clyde needed to have his grease trap cleaned. He called the pump service and set his appointment. When the time came to have the pumping done, the charge took almost all of the profit he could muster in a month. When the truck finished at his diner, the driver promptly headed over to Dorothy's place of business and performed the same task for her. At that point, Clyde went over to her diner and commiserated on how expensive the pumping service was and how tough the restaurant business was. That meeting of the minds set them on a course of forming not only a personal bond of marriage but also a professional bond of opening their own pumping business. Of course, it wasn't long before they explored further opportunities in the waste field. Portable restrooms, super pumpers, safety barricades, and many other services soon followed. Their personal and professional career blossomed as son Mannie and daughter Phyllis were added to the fold while the St. Louis market was booming. When they sold their business, it was one of the most successful in the industry. Another side of Dorothy was how she loved to dance and have fun. I remember that the PSAI had a function in, I believe, Phoenix one year. I'm not sure if it was a mid-year event or a convention. Anyway, one night we had a dinner scheduled for the PSAI group to go to a certain dinner/club. It was very lively, and a great evening. The evening was scheduled to end around 11:00 pm. The last of our buses was due to leave no later than 11:15 pm. Continued on page 20 Dorothy Sansom Lee Sola