We’ve heard the phrase before, “Not all heroes wear capes.” In this unprecedented time of need, many wear scrubs, uniforms and even chef’s hats. Then, too, there is the hero who arrives in the nick of time to keep your family safe when you least expected the need. That’s the guy from Pride the Portable Toilet Company and WOW! Septic Services of Benton Harbor.
The team at Pride Portable Toilets and WOW! Septic are an essential part of caring for many of the health issues that may arise during the current pandemic.
From being at the hospital for COVID-19, to food delivery transportation companies that deliver all of our food, their sanitation company is proud to be part of taking care of human needs in this historic of time that finds us all in this together.
Pride the Portable Toilet Company and WOW! Septic Services of Benton Harbor, owned and operated by Ron Colvin, can deliver the equipment necessary when septic issues pop up due to everyone being quarantined in their homes, working from home and more.
Colvin’s team is helping municipalities with tanks and lift-stations to keep systems running properly in a time of great need.
When companies and private households need to know where issues lie in their system, Pride the Portable Toilet Company and WOW! Septic Services can use critical gear like cameras to inspect the lines and perform the work necessary to get things working properly, safely, and in a healthy manner. They offer a new way to clean sewer lines with a high-speed cleaner that acts quickly and easily.
Ron Colvin started his unique company after years of work in the concrete foundation business where he poured thousands of bases across Michigan’s Great Southwest before he elected to head in a different direction. He had clearly seen the need for a portable toilet company that would provide clean portables to the contracting trades industry across the region.
Ron says, “I started out with funds borrowed from my family to purchase an existing business in Michigan City back in 2007. That business had 38 toilets and a customer base of about 60 contractors.” Later, he had to buy an old portable service truck from a company that had obtained a new one from the government to help provide hurricane relief service in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. He says, “They sold me their old beater for $1,400 and it proved to be a good truck for about three years, but I was on pins & needles daily.”
The gregarious businessman admits, “I couldn’t have started at a worse time with the building industry going into the tank, gas prices hovering near record highs and no real capital, all while having to drive long distances to handle 38 portable toilets in an area that I was unfamiliar with from Gary to LaPorte, Indiana.” However, operating on borrowed family money, “Failure was not an option, so I teamed up with a cousin to help with the bookwork and working multiple other jobs, I worked to build the company and headed towards gaining a license to operate in Michigan.” Ron will be forever grateful to his cousin, Stacey Humphreys, for helping bring Pride to life.
Once Colvin had his Michigan license secured, he bought part of a company in Chicago, another in Lansing, and added operations in Eau Claire and Dowagiac as he advanced his operations across Southwest Michigan. He invested in parts of businesses ranging from Detroit to New York, gaining valuable experience and innovation along the way.
Ron’s latest purchase in the Harbor Country community of New Buffalo pushed his enterprise into becoming one of the largest on-site sanitation companies anywhere in the region with more than 1,000 rental units ready to deploy. 
Not happy to just get bigger without also getting better, Colvin says, “As we have grown, we have witnessed the demand for luxury restroom trailers which brings a whole new menu of options to provide for some of the most luxurious events down to even small backyard parties working to keep things classy.” Part of the fun of day-to-day operations at Pride the Portable Toilet Company is, “When the phone rings, we have no idea where the next one may be headed!”
Over the years, Colvin has essentially split into three different branch companies in order to assure that every call and every customer gets exactly what they want and need. He notes, “We have long-term rentals which provide the bread-and-butter part of our business including such clients as contractors, parks, schools, golf courses and the like, and then there are the people that are hosting an event in search of specialty items.” He adds, “We are there to provide 100’s of units if necessary, event trailers where requested, and we service everything, which can lead to some pretty crazy hours.” By way of example, “The farmer that needs to meet all the regulations placed on them, so we have established paperwork to document everything, arrange for all the products necessary, follow protocols and follow all actions to meet demands and regulations.”
Amazingly, this huge enterprise is all operated professionally and efficiently by just over a dozen people, because everyone’s on the same page. From initial requests for information to rapid deployment, first-rate service and efficient pricing & billing to unit retrieval upon completion, Pride the Portable Toilet Company works diligently to assure smooth and easy relationships with every client every time.
The evolution into the septic business was a natural progression stemming from the service of portable units which sparked questions regarding septic tank pumping options. That prompted creation of WOW! Septic Services, advancing Colvin’s enterprise into a full-service sanitation business for Michigan’s Great Southwest.
Today, the joint venture provides sanitation of all types from the largest community events and get-togethers once they are allowed again, to fitting the needs of contractor jobs to help keep costs down and sub-contractors on-track.
Ron says,”We work with the farmers in our area to ensure that they are taken care of for the food industry and providing the people working there with safety and great on-site sanitation.”
He admits, “When I launched the business, I had no idea all the places we would be connected with from lakes and rivers, drilling & dredging, sanitation for the produce grown here and shipped worldwide, to weddings and the various celebrations of life.” He adds, “We are at the parks, sports fields, beaches, backyards, pole barns and even in hunting areas. From highway work sites to the largest buildings in the region, from festivals to community events, we had no idea the directions we were headed, yet we have worked with and been educated to assure clients of all types that we can, and do, provide the best in community sanitation.”
Ron laughs now, thinking, “I figured that portable toilets were just at my buddies’ parties and alongside new homes being built, but man was I wrong…and I’m glad that every time the phone rings the adventure arises from wondering who and where comes next?” They have truly become The Event Professionals.
Check out the options including clean, sharp portable units wherein you can select the style and type of fragrance, the lighting, and even hook your phone up and play your favorite music inside in a steady atmosphere of 68-degrees. Call for details at 269-208-1484 or visit online at the link below for Pride the Portable Toilet Company, headquartered in Benton Harbor: http://PridePortableToilets.com
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