Clean Showers Were on the Road — Across the USA

Last spring, summer and fall, Kris and Kurt were on the road again with their custom-made mobile showers. That was great news for the folks who participated in bike tours, concerts and car races. After a hot day of fun in the sun, all they needed was a nice shower to feel refreshed.

The showers traveled to:

Denver, Colorado, St. Louis, Missouri, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Delaware.

And…

Hurricane Season Readiness

Then, last fall when hurricane season was threatening the east coast, Kris and Kurt were taking calls for emergency relief.  Their portable showers and laundry trailers were all set to go at a moment’s notice.

Portable laundry – looking inside

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile back at home – the local team was keeping all portable toilet units clean and serviced regularly at area parks and events.

It is the meticulous attention to detail and ability to be ready to travel that sets VPS, Inc. apart from other portable restroom and shower providers.

E.A.A. – Air Venture – Elite Request

Kris and Kurt VandenPlas take pride in being able to respond quickly to a variety of new and unusual requests.

The last week of July when the Experimental Aircraft Association’s annual AirVenture event was taking place at the busiest airport in the world, hundreds of thousands aviators descended upon Oshkosh, WI.

People came from all over the world. A customer called from the E.A.A. grounds just before the start of the convention asking for a mobile restroom trailer with air conditioning for their elite client.

Within a few hours VPS was on the road to Oshkosh with the  elite unit:

Happy customer, and a cool and happy client have already booked this unit for 2012.

We Are Part of a World-Wide Network

Did you know, we are part of a world-wide network of portable sanitation professionals?

VPS, Inc. belongs to PSAI  (Portable Sanitation Association International) a world-wide organization for portable sanitation professionals.

Check it out:  http://www.psai.org/about.html

From the PSAI website, about PSAI: ” Founded in 1971, the Portable Sanitation Association International is a non-profit trade association serving the portable sanitation industry. PSAI membership is composed of two types of members, Portable Restroom Operators and Associates which include manufacturers of portable restrooms/toilets, restroom trailers, trucks, deodorizers, supplies, and services.”

At VPS, Inc. we stay on top of current information and technologies so that your business or your event, will benefit from the cleanest and best portable solutions for your toilet, shower and laundry needs. Around our globe, sanitation, safe disposal and cleanliness are really important to avoid the spread of germs and disease. We feel proud to be making a difference, right here in Northeast Wisconsin and other locations around the country.

                                                                                    Kris and Kurt

We Race to Nascar Events to Provide Showers

This fall, we provided portable showers at a Nascar Race in Dover. We also did the Spring 2011 race and both times had many people tell us, “Hope to see you here next year!” Nascar fans expressed that if there are no showers available, that they won’t be camping there either.

Kris said, “We have a loyal following and have made many friendships at these events. While the cars go round and round, we are part of the fun and always ready with clean, warm showers so that everyone can really enjoy this event while they are camping.”

Wine in the Line

Our showers have been on the road during the past three years servicing bicycle tour groups in Wisconsin, Michigan, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

During one particular event Kris said, “As riders were coming in at the end of their day, we were approached by people expressing how glad they were that WE were the shower provider. We got hugs and a big welcome! We already know next year’s location and dates for the bicycle tour.”

After one race, the “half-century” and “century” rider groups arrived about the same time which caused a line to form at the shower trailer. The event celebrates the rides with wine and hors d’oeuvres followed by a nice dinner. Since the riders wanted their showers before food and fun, they were missing the social hour and the goodies. Kurt talked with the event organizer and arranged to have wine and hors d’oeuvres brought over to the shower line. The cyclers were delighted and had a great time joking and visiting with Kurt and Kris while they waited.

Kris said, “Once people use our showers, they are very loyal to us and we are dedicated to serving them. We get to meet and form friendships with people from all over the US. This is what is so great about what we do.”

Friends and Customers comment

Here is what festival goers and sportsmen and women have to say about our portable toilets:

 “I am pretty phobic about using porta-potties  — you know the ones, tiny and dark inside and smelly. I can’t even breathe sometimes inside one so I just plain “hold it”, until I get somewhere where there is an indoor bathroom. I was at a festival recently and well, there just wasn’t a place to go indoors and then I saw some big units all lined up. I tried the portable toilet and this was a whole different experience! It was spacious inside, and it was clean – really clean. I could move inside, plus I was surprised to see hand-sanitizer inside, too.”   –  Fran, Bellevue                                                                                        

“After fishing all morning on the lake, we came in hot and tired and of course needing to use a restroom.  There was a VPS porta-potty near the boat landing. I was pleasantly surprised that is was so clean inside. In spite of this boat landing being a high use area, it did NOT smell bad inside. There was room enough to turn around inside along with plenty of toilet paper, too. This was obviously, well-maintained and cleaned often.”  –  John,  Green Bay

“When my family and I are at an event, I know it’s clean when I see a VPS toilet on site.” — Annie,  from Appleton

“We were at the pre-season Packers game recently (August 19)–it was a nice hot summer evening and after tailgating, my husband stepped into a porta potty on the way to the stadium–it was NOT a VPS unit–needless to say, it was an unpleasant experience and it did not even have hand sanitizer. Then I stepped onto the Packers parking lot on the way to our seats and spotted a VPS unit– even on a hot night–the porta potty did not have an odor, it was well-stocked with toilet paper and had plenty of hand santizer. My husband peeked inside, too and was amazed at how clean and pleasant it was.  — A & J from Green Bay

We are never complacent and always want to hear from you–so we can improve our service. We appreciate your support. Here are some more thank you notes we received:

“Thanks for helping the bike tour run smoothly”. From Eric S.

Thank you again for your wonderful service” –From Mike & Cathy C. “

“Thank you very much for keeping your toilets cleaned and hand sanitizers full. It does go a long way for your company.” —From Jeremy M

“The trailered restroom was fabulous. Thank you! Thank you! — From Cindy W

“Thank you for consistently excellent service. We will continue to recommend you to others & will call you first for any future needs!” –Pam & Joe V.

VPS Gives Back, too

Uganda needs money to build water towers so Joel Stratton from Acts 1:8 Ministry agreed to sit on the rooftop of Margaritas Restaurant — for a long time- – one and a half weeks to be exact– to raise money for the water towers. He pitched his tent on the roof and promised to stay there  until enough money was raised. But there was one huge problem, no place “to go”– what was he to do?

VPS responded by donating an electric toilet— it was a little pot with a flusher. Joel was very appreciative (“relieved” in fact) to have this luxury.  His toilet was set up in its own little tent. Take a look:

Joel's electric potty with its own privacy tent

VPS and the Fence with the Packers slogan

Each year the painting of the Packers slogan on the original fence facing Lombardi Avenue is a much anticipated event as the new message is created. Some years, we’ve even helped with the painting. As always, we donate the use of a portable toilet to make the job more comfortable.

Read about this year’s original Packers fence– Packers Fence Painting

Potty Prep for NFL Concert/Season Opener

It takes lots of folks to prepare for the NFL concert before the season opener Packers game on September 8.

We’ve been in on the planning, the meetings and securing the needed equipment.  Staff will be on site Thursday September 8 from 2-7:30 p.m. to ensure general restroom cleanliness, restock soap and paper supplies and to keep things running smoothly.

Beer distributors have stocked and restocked area establishments with supplies of beer. With all that beer, we are ready to help out with VPS porta potties. Check this out:   Potty Prep-WFRV TV Aug 31

Laundry Relief – What We Do is Unique

Help After the Hurricane

A hurricane pounds the southern coast of the United States; filthy, unsanitary water is everywhere. People are displaced, their homes ruined and yet they have to go on with their lives. We try to help and ease that burden. In addition to providing mobile showers, VPS can also step in with a mobile Laundromat.

 

Our Portable laundry is working in South Africa 

 A village in Africa uses wash tubs and a sporadic supply of local water to hand-wash their clothing. It’s hard work and not very clean.  A man from the village searches online for a better idea and finds VPS Enterprises’ website.

 After many emails and conversations between a South African businessman and VPS owner, Kurt VandenPlas, design ideas were drafted to build a trailer to house washers and dryers to help our friends in  a country half a world away.  

As plans evolved and were finalized, the businessman and his partner traveled from South Africa  to Northeast Wisconsin to VPS headquarters in the middle of a blustery Wisconsin winter—with all the glory of ice and snow on the ground. For two businessmen from South Africa this was quite the eye-opener. They were also amazed at the quality of custom work and immediately ordered two portable laundry units.

The units were custom built to meet the needs of another country,  including seven washers and dryers, folding tables and a 500-gallon water tank to hold water– because many communities in South Africa do not have a continuous source of water.

 Another challenge was to build the portable laundry to European electrical standards. After a quick course in learning these different standards, it was also necessary to purchase specially made washers and dryers, lights and pumps that were manufactured to European standards.  It took six weeks to build the two units. Next hurdle was to deliver the trailers. Kurt and his team towed the trailers to Baltimore where they were inspected by US Customs and then were finally loaded onto a ship to make their 2 ½ month journey to South  Africa.  The latest report from our friends in South Africa is,  “All is going well with the portable laundry.”

This is How We Do It:

Kurt builds each trailer to house washers and dryers. He starts with a trailer bed and installs washers and dryers inside with water hookups. The trailer has its own holding tank of fresh water along with a generator that heats the water.  Another holding tank collects the waste water for proper disposal later.

Kurt builds the hook-ups for the washers and dryers.

Washers and dryers are installed on one side of the trailer with folding table/work area on the other side.

Exterior view of the mobile laundry trailer