Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/1394762
PSAI Association Insight, July 21, 2021 I 3 The Revolution of 1984 Ever the innovators, industry pioneers Ed Cooper and George Harding of newly formed PolyJohn Enterprises, developed a revolutionary new product, the restroom trailer. It was 1984 in Columbus, Ohio where the construction of a mammoth 32-foot trailer with eight restroom stalls took place. With electricity and water connections, along with the "look and feel" of an indoor bathroom, this product offering was a tremendous upgrade to the portable restroom industry. Henry McCall, longtime Satellite Southeast Area Manager, worked with Waste Management at the time and was instrumental in developing this trailer known as the "Crowd Pleaser." The Revolution and Evolution of Restroom Trailers (continued from page 1) Early Restroom Trailer Manufacturers Two of the earliest trailer manufacturers had their start in the mid-1980s. Ameri-Can Engineering and Olympic Fiberglass both began operations during that period, and their work built upon the budding ideas for mobile restrooms with which others had been experimenting. • Ameri-Can Engineering. Originally produced under the name "Technical Mobile Structures," PolyJohn changed the name of this new product in 1988 to Ameri-Can, and they hired the outstanding team of Ron and Gladys Bird to run the operation in Elkhart, Indiana. Ron had run the operations of BFI in Indianapolis and had acquired valuable experience in the waste industry. Gladys' experience in operations and customer relations were also a tremendous asset. Ron's first trailer sale was to his for- mer company, BFI, who requested a 24-foot model. After that time, these specifications became standard orders as BFI attempted to introduce their customers to this new technology. In addition, Ameri-Can was selected by Waste Management to build their fleet of Crowd Pleasers. According to sources, several Crowd Pleasers are still in use in the Chicago area today! In 1990, Ameri-Can became a sepa- rate company with Ron and Gladys Bird as its owners. The Ancestry of Trailers To appreciate the significance of the portable restroom trailer, one needs to keep in mind that during the middle of the 20th century, most restroom facilities were located inside homes, outside homes in outhouses, in portable restrooms, in mobile homes, and in recreational vehicles. These last two options are important to the adoption and growth of restroom trailers. Mobile Homes These structures became popular after World War II since with returning veterans and the beginning of the baby boom, housing was in short supply. Another advantage was that these structures could be moved, allowing families to travel to new job opportunities. During the post-war years, mobile homes grew in average length and bathrooms were introduced. Recreational Vehicles The first motor home was built in 1915 from a three-ton Packard truck. According to "A Complete RV History" (May 13, 2015), that first RV "could sleep 11 people and was 28 feet long." In the 1950s, RVs expanded, became more luxurious, and included restrooms. The First Mobile Toilet An obscure patent was issued to George Carter in Ft Lauderdale, Florida, on December 4, 1956. The design was for a trailer to carry "two flush type toilets that could be connected with a water supply line" as well as a "flexible soil line that can be connected to conventional sewer lines." As can be seen from the patent filing, the resulting structure is a two-stall trailer that is recognizable today. Amazingly, this idea sat virtually dormant for several decades. (continued on page 5)