Flushed
by success, PORTA-JONs have come of age
BARBARA
THIEDE
Special
to The Observer
A 50th anniversary celebration
at a fine old home. A wedding in the park. A symphony playing a summer evening concert in
a town square, competing with the cicadas.
What do they all have in
common?
The need for outdoor -- what's
the gracious word? -- facilities.
From home showcases to
weddings under the stars, from golf tournaments to NASCAR prerace parties, outdoor events
require portable restrooms. But that's often the last thing on a host's mind.
Folks will be fretting over
décor and catering, say those who help plan such events. All of a sudden, eyes go wide.
Said Mary Tribble, CEO of
Tribble Creative Group: " `Oh no,' they'll say. `We have to do PORTA-JONs !' And
you'll say, `But wait! There is a huge variety of options now.' "
Gone are the days, Tribble
said, when people have to stand in line to visit a hot tin can.
Over the past five years, say
event planners and those who rent the units, portable restrooms for special events have
gone from "yuck" to "wow!" And business is booming. Kevin Gralton,
editor of Portable Restroom Operator, the industry magazine based in Georgia, said
special-event business accounts for about a third of the industry's revenue.
Rent on a basic unit starts at
well under $100 per event, but Tribble said she has arranged elaborate, trailer-mounted
units costing as much as $3,000.
Many of these upscale restroom
coaches are surprisingly roomy. Twenty-eight feet or more in length and 8 feet wide, they
can include as many as four private restrooms on the women's side, and two on the men's.
Skylights, vanity lighting and even hardwood floors are available.
"The industry is always
looking at changes and ways to improve the product," said Flay Anthony, general
manager of PORTA-JON of the Piedmont, the leading supplier of portable restrooms in
Charlotte and the surrounding counties.
Companies like PORTA-JON now offer everything from a basic unit to restroom
coaches with men and women's areas that feature running water, air conditioning, AM/FM
stereo and more. Companies rent units designed just for children, or roomy Americans With
Disabilities Act-compliant models.
PORTA-JON has rented portable restrooms for race events and
HomeArama, said Katie Potter, who is in charge of special-event sales.
Coaches include porcelain
commodes and sinks with dark green cultured marble, oak cabinetry, pictures on the walls,
dark green simulated marble walls with oak trim along with music and air conditioning or
heating. Anthony describes one unit, his company's "Oasis Royale," that features
porcelain commodes, cultured marble vanity tops and oak-trimmed interiors.
Most of the coaches look
something like an RV. "When you receive it from the factory, they're very nicely
detailed," Anthony said.
Still, some event planners try
different tricks to make the portable facilities look a little less functional from the
outside. Robin Higgs, account executive with Charlotte Arrangements, has put a tent over
restroom coaches, or dressed up their straight lines with a little fabric.
Tribble remembers an event she
organized on Long Island. "The client didn't want to have a trailer sitting in the
middle of the back yard. We erected lattice work, added plants and vines, and some festive
bunting."
One reason people don't stay
longer at outdoor special events, some planners say, is that they don't feel comfortable
with the old-style portable restrooms. But units available these days are as clean and
pleasant as those in any nice hotel.
"It's evolved tremendously
to the point where they are really restrooms now," Gralton said. "They've gone
up in quality to become real crowd-pleasers." |
