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.

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.

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

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.”

The Making of a Custom Portable Shower

When a volcano erupted in Iceland in March 2010, it caused flights to be grounded for a couple of weeks in New York. Officials at JFK Airport called, “We have thousands of stranded travelers here in the airport—  we can’t fly with ash in the air. Everyone is camping out in the waiting areas and they need showers!”   We responded immediately by taking our portable shower units to New York. We were on the road in just a few hours.

Hurricane Katrina – it was one of the largest disasters of our lifetime in the US. Everything is under water, homes and businesses destroyed, including the water supply. There’s water everywhere, but none of it is safe or clean. Thousands are displaced and basic needs—like a shower – become essential. VPS responded.

That’s where Kurt VandenPlas put ingenuity and skill together to create portable shower trailers. He builds each one from scratch. The sum of the parts—creates a nice warm, mobile shower.

Kurt builds the base for the trailer that will hold the showers:

The trailer fits onto the custom built base :

This sketch shows how the showers will be built inside–unit can be custom built to hold from 8-18 shower stalls:

The stalls, shower heads and parts are assembled in the trailer.

The portable showers are clean and tidy inside.

Each trailer has its own clean water tank attached underneath the trailer and a generator that heats the water. The waste water from the showers is also contained in another tank – and will be properly disposed of when full.

The trailer is easily moved from one place to another to accommodate the needs of people. These units are sent to disaster areas, but they are also used for special events, like a big festival or a bike tour. In fact, the portability allows it to follow an event—such as a bicycling tour. As the cyclers go from one location to another, the portable units follow the tour and provide a clean refreshing,  portable shower at the end of a long, hot ride.

Here we are at a country festival.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VPS has created a Very Portable Solution to meet a need.

From a Bicycle Enthusiast

We wait all winter for the dates of our annual long-distance bike tour. How we bikers love it—hitting the open road—watching the fields pass by, anticipating a stretch of shade to cool us off—even just for a few moments as we cycle through the coolness.

 We ride with passion and sweat; we drink water all day long and sweat some more. At the end of a long day’s ride, pushing up and down hills and doing what we love, we pull into a park to camp – the sweat dried to our skin, muscles happily tired.  It’s a basic park—no extra facilities. We pitch our tents, think about dinner, but what we really want is a nice refreshing shower to get rid of the baked-on sweat and dust from the day’s ride.

And what comes tooling along our route, moving with us each day is a portable shower! Clean, wet and refreshing. Soap and water feel so good  to get the grit off; and sinks with mirrors attached to the outside of the trailer feel like an incredible luxury. VPS, Thank you for providing a refreshing shower. There’s nothing like it!  

And now, what’s for dinner?

 A Passionate Cycler