Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/1377370
ASSOCIATIONINSIGHT Portable Sanitation Association International News BIWEEKLY EDITION MAY 26, 2021 Page 9 Industry Pioneer: Harvey Heather…continued from page 8 Craig Mendenhall, now retired from his company, American SaniCan in Portland, Oregon, worked with Harvey at USANCO beginning in 1973 as a salesman. According to Craig, because of a company-wide search to name this new product, his "suggestion of 'Strongbox' was selected." The unit was strong and like an actual strongbox, and was sturdily made, durable, and secure. Craig remembers in the early days of production that 12 units a day was the standard. Demand steadily increased as the Strongbox became more well-known. Cardboard Portable Restrooms? Harvey Heather's innovation and creativity have already been firmly established. In the same March 2010 PRO Magazine issue, Craig Mendenhall relates another story that illustrates Harvey's continuing desire to explore all possibilities to improve and to strengthen the portable sanitation industry. Craig describes Harvey's idea of a cardboard unit: "These units could knock down flat and, in theory, you could stack or nest hundreds of thousands of units on a flatbed trailer. In a short time, at a festival or event, you could then pop them up and be ready for service. The restrooms were made of corrugated material for added strength, and they had a waxy outer coating to resist stains and promote longevity for an admittedly temporary restroom solution. I'm not sure how Harvey planned to handle the issue of a waste tank in a collapsible unit, though." As with all Harvey's employees, Craig was active in the PSAI and he has fond memories of his first PSAI Convention and Trade Shows in Atlanta in 1976 and in Las Vegas in 1977. Sale of USANCO in 1985 Gregg De Long, retired PolyJohn Western Regional Sales Manager who previously worked with USANCO, also contributed to the March 2010 PRO Magazine. According to Gregg, in 1985, Harvey (who was 60 at the time) sold USANCO to Dow Chemical who continued to produce the unit under the Union Plastics brand. The USANCO molds were sold several times after that and were eventually purchased by PolyJohn, but they never produced a unit on that design. Apparently, through the passage of time, some of the molds eventually ended up in Australia. A truck carrying a mixed load of wood and Strongbox units. Gregg De Long Fact: As a member of the Tournament of Roses Association, Harvey and United Sanitation Co. provided units for the Tournament of Roses Parade for many years. An aerial view of a Tournament of Roses parade from the 1950s in downtown Pasadena, California. Continued on page 10