Greg Borchert of Mr. John in Pittsburgh is a guy who goes above and beyond for the company’s customers.

“I just believe it’s more or less if they ask you to do something, do it ‘no questions asked,’” says Borchert, 34, who recently was honored as runner-up for the Portable Sanitation Association International Service Tech of the Year award. 

Borchert has been at Mr. John for six years, but it’s actually his first job in portable sanitation. Prior to joining Mr. John, the Pittsburgh native worked as a technician in the vending industry. “No more moving pool tables,” Borchert says.

He wanted to change jobs, and he heard about Mr. John from his brother-in-law, who is a Mr. John employee. He joined Mr. John and “hit the ground running,” he says. “I caught on quick.” 

David Kropf, Mr. John operations manager, lauds Borchert’s willingness to do what is needed. 

“It’s tough to find people who really want to step up and contribute,” he says. “Greg, really over the past year and a half, was the guy who was really stepping up. His attitude and … just being available to us; he communicated very well. He contributed in many different ways. 

“He approached us wanting to progress, and he made last year a lot easier on us as a company,” says Kropf, who nominated Borchert for the PSAI award. “Over the past year and a half, he shined.” 

Borchert says learning of his nomination was a great feeling. “It was a real pleasure. I’m extremely honored.” 

After seeing Borchert prove himself, Mr. John asked him to become involved in its Short Service Employee Program. In the three-week training program, Borchert teaches new employees safety, equipment, repairs, routes, paperwork and anything else they need to learn. 

When the program started a few years ago, there was training but no written procedure. “It was just learning the route and cleaning procedures,” he says. Now he incorporates a wider scope of tasks into the training. 

“I was always interested (in training),” says Borchert, who mentors new employees as soon as they start at Mr. John. “I train guys on the routes. The first couple days, they learn how to clean the restrooms.” 

They also learn about some of the unforeseen things they could encounter, such as when obstacles block a driveway or their delivery space. “It’s on-the-job training — one week in the shop, then pretty much on the road,” he says. 

Learning to deal with customers is another important part of training. “To me, that comes with time. When I first started, I took these routes over from a guy doing them for 27 years,” Borchert says. 

So he relays to new employees the importance of meeting the foreman or people in charge of a site or job. “Customer relations go a long way.”   

He leads by example to show new employees the company’s expectations of work ethic and professionalism.

Borchert continues to thrive and grow in the industry. In fact, he says, “I love this; I could see myself being here for a long time.”