Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/1426970
7 I PSAI Association Insight, November 10, 2021 PolyPortables units prior to Keith (a small company sold many years ago); and ServiceLoo based in London, again using Satellite Tufway units, managed by John Muldoon and Ray Farr (sold over the course of time to a number of companies). However, these three companies—except for ServiceLoo—remained local operators, whereas Keith promoted his business on a franchise/license business model throughout the UK. My Beginnings in the Portable Restroom Industry – Site A Loo I joined Site A Loo on July 4, 1988, in the position of manager, duly dressed in a suit and tie for this new appointment. My first introduction to the toilet industry was to "unstuff" the arrival of a 40-foot container of approximately 70 toilets that arrived that morning. Needless to say, I never wore a suit again—though I did keep a tie in the desk drawer, just in case. And so, my adventure within this new, fledgling industry in the UK started. In late 1989, Keith asked if I would like to accompany him to the US to both visit PolyPortables facilities in Dahlonega to meet Ed, as well as attend the PSA conference in Las Vegas, so on October 31, we flew to Atlanta. It was a very memorable journey, especially the PSA conference in Vegas. Was it the conference I remember, or the bright and dizzy lights and atmosphere of Vegas? In any case, that set both Keith and me to thinking about setting up a similar trade association for the industry in the UK— The History of the Portable Toilet Industry in the UK and Ireland (continued from page 3) (continued on page 8) though at that time the number of rental operators was very small, most of whom were Site A Loo operators up and down the length and breadth of England, so the idea of the association was put on the back burner for a couple of years. Satellite Industries and PolyJohn in the UK Other manufacturers were also looking at the UK market—none more than Satellite Industries, which already had a presence in the UK and Ireland with ServiceLoo in London and Tufloo in Dublin (owned and operated by Tom Costello, who still runs his very successful company on a daily basis), both established in late 1986/early 1987. Then PolyJohn entered the market under the guidance of two ex-Portaloo managers, Vernon Hills and Bob MacRae (sadly, Vernon passed away in January 2021, another leading light within the international sales community). Thal (UK), Ltd, an offshoot of Thal GmbH, entered the market in 1992; we also have the home- grown manufacturer Shorelink International Limited, based in Essex, which started around the same time and is still going strong today. From such small beginnings, the industry in the UK has grown phenomenally over the past three- plus decades, and now supports in excess of 130,000 plastic portable toilets as well as luxury trailer style units and more recently welfare units. Even with the current worldwide pandemic, business is continuing to expand and grow. Keith's initial thoughts of expanding the UK market with portable toilets were to first approach his contacts within the plant and tool hire (rental) business, and so initially the industry grew on the back of plant hire companies. To promote the name Site A Loo, he licensed operators to designated Yellow Page areas of operation; but without the means to fully police this operation, it was soon abandoned and Site A Loo became a direct sales operation of PolyPortable toilets to the general expansion of the market in the UK and Ireland. In early 1990, PolyPortables, Inc., had just employed a sales representative who was given the task of opening an office in Germany as well as looking after the