Last winter, Clay Center resident Janelle Rieger was looking into ideas for a small business. Working as Assistant Dean in Student Support and Accountability at K-State nine months out of the year, she was looking for something to help fill summer gaps. And to keep her busy.
“I wasn’t sure what,” she said. “But I wanted to do some kind of small business.” Initially, she was researching portable dumpsters that could be rented for construction sites. While browsing an online grou,p she saw something else for sale: a package of eight green portable toilets and a vacuum tank.
“Someone had bought them, rented two and decided they didn’t want to be in this business,” she said. She mentioned it to her husband, Brian, and soon the pair were traveling to Oklahoma City to pick up her mini fleet of portable toilets.
Next, she realized there was a gap in the market, with portable toilet businesses serving the Manhattan area, but not Clay Center and nearby rural areas. “That makes it seem like I made a really educated decision when really I just found them and said, ‘Hey Brian, let’s go get these potties in Oklahoma.’”
On a bitterly cold, sub-zero day they picked up the new purchase and drove them home.
“He can haul anything, the wind was blowing and it was a pretty miserable trip but he was a real trooper and has been so supportive.”
Next, Rieger began branding the portables and working on the business end of things. With the portables being green, Rieger said she quickly came up with the idea to call them “lucky,” and liked alliteration to keep it fun. “Lucky Loo” was born, along with the tagline “Lucky you, you’re in a Lucky Loo.”
“I thought ‘That’s a fun little cute way to start,’” she said of the process. Assuming she would rent out a few “potties” over the summer.
However, Rieger soon realized that eight portables was not going to be enough. In addition, she would need a truck to haul the tank around to service the rentals.
Trying to buy a few more, Rieger said freight requires the purchase of a semi-load, which meant 22 more portable restrooms. In total, she owns 30, two of which are handicap accessible. She also has a few sinks.
Though new to the business, Rieger said she’s enjoyed the change of pace and has taken on YouTube videos, to just asking when she needs help.
“I really enjoy a nice, steep, sexy learning curve,” she said. “This has been so interesting because it’s completely different than anything I’ve known.”
As far as setting up the portables or cleaning those on contract, she said it’s pretty straightforward: she uses a truck to place the potty, which weighs about 160 pounds. Then she fills it with water from her fresh reservoir and adds sanitizer. If it’s windy or an open area, she adds more water to help weigh it down. Next, she hoses it out to make sure the portable is clean.
“I want to make sure it’s nice and fresh and spotless,” she said. Toilet paper is added, and the portable is ready for use.
“It’s really a lot simpler than most people imagine. I’ve had some friends ride along and want to see,” she said. Adding that her Dad has been a big help, even riding to help place or service rentals – a time they both enjoy.
Portables sitting for longer periods are pumped and serviced once a week. The dual tank has a vacuum hose that empties the portable into the waste side of the truck, which she dumps at the city wastewater station.
“I’ve found that, especially at contractor sites and how much the potties are used, some get more heavy use than others,” she said. “It’s nice to have brand new ones because they look and smell clean.”
Keeping the portables clean is part of the slogan of “lucky you,” she said. The other part is that the potty is present when it’s needed.
“I’m into long-distance backpacking and it’s funny how your perspective changes when you haven’t seen a toilet in days, so even if it’s dirty you’re excited like ‘Wow it’s a toilet.’ So with our slogan, either you’re lucky because it’s a nice and clean potty, or sometimes you’re just lucky you have one.”
She said that also means servicing areas that may have fewer restroom facilities than needed for a crowd.
Another bit of family fun with the business has come with the help of Riegers’ 13-year-old son, Jacob, who 3-D printed plastic name tags for each portable. The idea started with the fleet of eight, Rieger said. But once they expanded, there was enough fun with the bathroom puns that they decided to keep going. Some favorites include: Potrick Mahomes, Urine Goodhands, Potty like it’s 1999, and You Picked a Fine Time to Leave Me Loocille.
Finally, Rieger said providing portable restrooms is a way to help the community meet its basic needs without having to leave events.
“It’s helping people in the community get outside and it provides opportunities for our kids and I’m really excited about that,” she said. “We wanted to be here in Clay Center so we can be a small part of what makes our community such a great place. We can help encourage people to get out of the house and participate in things. I believe these things really do matter and they make our community an awesome place to live.”
