Dean Strander has built a sanitation business that is as diverse as its service territory.
His Strander’s Sanitary Service, based in Lodi, Wis., covers a three-county area featuring picturesque dairy farms, small villages, fast-growing subdivisions and Madison — Wisconsin’s state capital and second-largest city. Customers range from individual homeowners to large industries with all stops in between.
Strander serves this broad base with a diverse menu of services that includes septic tank pumping, lift station cleaning, grease trap service, waste hauling, confined space entry, televised inspection and location, portable restrooms and portable cooling fans.
“We’re in a rural area that covers the countryside and several villages. In our case, you can’t put all your eggs in one basket. You have to diversify to keep your staff employed year-round,” says Strander, 64.
Pumper profiled Strander 10 years ago, and we’re returning as part of our occasional feature, “Looking Back: 20 Years of Pumper Profiles.” We found that Strander’s service offerings haven’t changed, but he’s selectively purchased equipment to either improve efficiencies or build revenue.
“We’ve added equipment to help us do a better job for the work we’ve always done,” Strander says. For example, he bought a portable grease trap cart a few years ago to avoid running long hose lines when servicing grease traps in hard-to-reach locations.
The opportunity to build revenue was behind adding portable cooling units. The large electric fans from J&D Manufacturing, which help cool the air by adding a light mist, are welcomed by man and beast alike on hot, sticky summer days. Strander rents the cooling units to a variety of outdoor events, including livestock shows, fund-raisers, corporate receptions and weddings.
PUSHING PROFESSIONALISM
Strander was no stranger to the service industry when he and his wife, Darlene, launched the company in 1978. After operating a service station and vehicle repair business along a busy Interstate highway for many years, he started looking for a different business venture in the 1970s as oil companies started phasing out traditional service stations in favor of retail/convenience stores.
“I looked at many different things. It was natural to look at a service-oriented business,” he says.
With that in mind, Strander took over a struggling local waste hauler. Until 1985, he ran the septic service and waste hauling business, while keeping the service station. He gradually added other services and equipment including portable restrooms in 1980, a jetter in 1987 and a video inspection system in the mid-1990s.
Strander points to major advancements in equipment and industry regulations since he joined the liquid waste industry more than 30 years ago. He recalls in the 1970s, specialized equipment for the sanitation industry was harder to come by in the Midwest than on the East or West coasts. “The first (service) truck we had was designed for handling ag manure. It had a chain-driven PTO pump. You have to chuckle about it now, but that’s what we had,” he says. Strander greatly appreciates the vacuum pumps and accessories produced by today’s specialty manufacturers.
In addition, industry regulation and operational professionalism have improved over the decades, Strander says. “Some needed (waste disposal) codes have come about since the 1960s. Back then, a lot of waste ended up in rivers,” he says. “It’s all been for the good. I think mandatory education and licensing has made for a better group of people in this industry.”
Strander is a former vice president and president of the Wisconsin Liquid Waste Carriers Association. He served for 15 years on the organization’s board of directors and continues in an advisory role as its first honorary member. He has served on several committees with Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources officials to try to strike a balance between environmental interests, land owners and waste haulers.
“It takes a lot of time but it is well worth the effort because the industry’s input is extremely important,” he says. “You learn that there is some give-and-take. You’re not going to win them all, but you try to reach solutions that everybody can live with.”
IN THE GARAGE
In keeping with its diverse customer base, Strander’s Sanitary keeps a big equipment list. Its vacuum truck fleet includes a 2004 Sterling with a 4,750-gallon steel tank and a 406 NVE (National Vacuum Equipment) pump. The bottom of the rig’s tank is wrapped in stainless steel and it has stainless steel hose trays. Strander also runs a 1995 Ford LTL-9000 built out by Imperial Industries Inc. with a 5,000-gallon steel tank, aluminum hose trays and a 406 NVE pump installed by Advance Pump & Equipment Inc.
Rounding out the vacuum fleet is a 1990 Ford LTL-9000 with a 2,750-gallon steel tank and a Jurop R260 vacuum pump from Chandler Equipment Inc. All of the trucks have pressurized freshwater for spillage cleanup and hose washing. All of the trucks are equipped with SHURflo freshwater pumps for cleanup.
Strander Sanitary also uses two jetters from Lely Manufacturing Inc. — a 300-gallon unit with 500 feet of hose and a 170-gallon one with 300 feet of hose. Both jetters have pumps from Giant Industries. In addition, the company uses a large Spartan Tool rodder and two smaller rodders from General Pipe Cleaners.
Strander’s television locating and inspection system is from Radiodetection Ltd. The company also uses a Radiodetection camera and a Spartan Tool ProVision camera 2.0. Confined space entry equipment and clothing is from M Tech Company and Milwaukee Rubber Products Inc.
Stander Sanitary also has a 2000 Chevrolet crew cab stocked with tools, small jetters and cables, two other Chevrolet pickups, a Bobcat S185, and a Conde ProVac aluminum grease trap cart from Westmoor Ltd. A tow-behind Gardner Denver air compressor runs a Power Booster from Pressure Lift Corp. for extra deep vacuum jobs. A DrumIt drum filling vacuum head from Elastec/American Marine is available for spill containment as needed.
SERVING PORTABLE SANITATION
The company’s portable sanitation business is a year-round operation. Construction sites are steady rental customers, while fairs and special events are concentrated in the summer months. Strander has about 500 units from Satellite Industries Inc., PolyJohn Enterprises Corp., PolyPortables Inc. and Five Peaks Technology. Also available for rent are 20 sinks from PolyJohn, Satellite and PolyPortables.
Three rigs are used to transport and service the units. They include a 2006 Ford LCF (low cab forward) built out by Bosserman Tank & Truck Equipment LLC with a 750-gallon waste/250-gallon freshwater aluminum tank from Amthor International with an HXL 4V Masport pump. The rig can carry up to 10 units on a flatbed. Also, a 2001 Ford F-550 built out by Coleman Vacuum Tank Manufacturing Corp. with a 650-gallon waste/250-gallon freshwater stainless steel tank and a two-unit carrier. The third rig is a 1998 Chevrolet HD 3500 built out by Advance Pump & Equipment with a 540-gallon waste/270-gallon freshwater aluminum tank from Progress Tank and a HXL 4V Masport pump. This rig can haul up to six units.
Strander’s Sanitary also uses a slide-in 200-gallon waste/100-gallon freshwater steel tank with a Jurop pump built by Imperial Industries. It is carried by a 1995 Chevrolet pickup equipped with a lift gate.
Portable sanitation technicians get help on the cleaning with equipment from Gamajet Cleaning Systems Inc. A 12,000-pound Hyster forklift and a 3,000-pound all-terrain forklift from an unknown manufacturer are used to move the units in the yard and for loading and unloading at rental sites.
SPECIAL EVENT CHALLENGES
Not surprisingly, a diversified operation means there is seldom a dull moment for Strander. “I’ve never been one to back away from a challenge,” he says. “I always like to find a way.”
One annual challenge is Ford Ironman Wisconsin, a one-day athletic competition held in Madison where Strander’s has provided portable restrooms and sinks the past 10 years. The event, which attracts thousands of spectators to watch athletes swim 2.4 miles, bicycle 112 miles and run 26.2 miles, requires about 130 units placed along race courses that wind throughout the city.
The Strander’s crew stages units about three days in advance and must move them along the race courses as the event progresses. Then, they must remove all the units after the last race ends at midnight so Madison’s streets and sidewalks are not blocked the next day.
“This one is a logistical nightmare, but we’ve figured out ways to make it work,” Strander says. The solution, now used at all special events that Strander serves, was to create a photo record of unit placements. This allows the setup crews and event managers to simply refer to the photos when placement questions arise.
“It keeps us from having to sit around and discuss the placements each year. The organizers just love it because it saves everybody a lot of time,” he says.
ADDRESSING DISPOSAL
Meanwhile, septic and portable sanitation waste disposal is a long-term challenge that Strander and other Wisconsin waste haulers are working to address. The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board, about a year ago, approved new regulations to limit phosphorous in state waterways. The new rules, to be phased in this year, will affect municipal treatment facilities and fertilizers applied to farm fields.
Strander is among 10 waste haulers, recruited through the state associations, who were gathering data on the septage they collected. The data includes detailed information on the households where the waste is collected. A laboratory analysis of collected waste samples will be conducted to document the effect of household septic systems on overall phosphorous levels in the state.
Strander says the new study is intended to supplement data collected 25 years ago when most residential septic tanks were smaller than those used today.
“Finding usable disposal sites is becoming a big issue. This applies to waste haulers and the (municipal and industrial wastewater treatment) plants,” he says. “If you don’t have somewhere to put the waste, you’re out of business, plain and simple.”
To ensure he’ll have field disposal options, Strander paid just under $1,000 to have soil analysis conducted for three sites that he plans to use over the next year.
A COMPETENT CREW
Strander happily notes that staffing isn’t a challenge thanks to longevity and employee cross-training. Rick Wolff, lead septic service driver, has been with the company for 22 years and Mike Kittleton, lead portable restrooms service driver, has been with Strander’s for five years.
Strander’s stepdaughter Rita Burdine and granddaughter Nina McConnell manage the office using Septic Tracker software from Tracker Solutions for septic service and Summit XP Rental Profit software from Ritam Technologies LP for portable restroom rentals. Burdine’s husband, Shane, who has been with the company for about 10 years, is trained and licensed for confined space work.
“I’m very fortunate to have a great crew,” Strander says. “Nearly everyone is cross-trained so they can virtually jump where they’re needed.”
The staff’s flexibility and efficiency has allowed Dean and Darlene Strander to be able to gradually spend time away from the business, particularly in Florida where Dean enjoys hunting wild boar and fishing for tarpon.
“I guess one challenge for me is finding time to slow down, but I’ll find a way,” he says.
