Maynard’s Neat-N-Clean Portables is a thriving enterprise serving Milwaukee, Green Bay, Sheboygan, Oshkosh, Fond du Lac, Appleton, and greater Eastern Wisconsin. Never has there been a simpler and more fitting company slogan than theirs: “We’re everywhere you gotta go!” Greg Grotegut, County Highway Commissioner and Business Owner of Maynard’s is an extraordinarily effective leader in the region.
Grotegut manages a staff of 50 people by day and runs Maynard’s as a robust side business during his off hours, supplying events and construction projects with high-end portable restroom units. It’s certainly impressive to observe — the level of commitment, the work ethic, the organizational talent. Yet, talking with Greg recently, he’s clearly taking it all in stride, cordial, unrushed, and consummately professional. We are fortunate to have this busy government official share the story of his very successful side business in the industry:
How Does Greg Grotegut Do It All So Well?
He reflects on the progress of Maynard’s: In 2004, I started the company. Before that, I was a heavy equipment operator, mainly excavators and bulldozers. I was digging basements and was always the first one on the job site. I was aware of the need for the portable toilets. So, I did the rental toilet service by night for the first couple of years. I have always worked a full-time job besides running this business.
I’m a highway commissioner in Wisconsin. I work four 10-hour days at my full-time job. I have advanced through 16 years with our highway department. After operating heavy equipment, I became a Paving Foreman. I always treated the restroom rental business as a hobby and always enjoyed this end of it.
But, my hobby business reached a point in 2023 when I had 3 employees and 3 service trucks. I had over 200 toilet units and another 50 sinks. In 2023, I ended that larger operation. I sold two of the trucks I had at that time and all the plastics (toilets-sinks). I held the license up for about 2 years, until just a month ago for the new owner.
Now I just have one part-timer and the focus of the business for the future is concentrated on luxury restroom trailers. Commercial construction has taken off in luxury restrooms, and we still do a lot of events with trailers.
Luxury Portable Restroom Rental Units at Maynard’s
I have 3 of the luxury trailers being built right now and two more cycling to build. I currently have 2 20 ft sea containers with flushable toilets, two 4-stall, two 2-stall, and a single-stall. The 4-stalls and the 2 containers are out on long-term contracts. Those being built are already on long-term contracts too.
The 3 being built are a 4-stall and 2-stall trailers. The other thing I started doing is fresh water and waste containers, heated all winter for office trailers. That’s the third trailer being built right now. It’s a custom office trailer. Everything is flushing and climate-controlled.
Daily Operations at Maynard’s Portables
When I wake up, I look over everything. I oversee everything. When I bring a trailer back, I manage everything involved in its preparation for the next rental. I have two younger daughters who are gaining some of that work ethic, helping with washing towels, cleaning restrooms, etc.
I’ve been between Manitowoc and Sheboygan and Racine this morning. [This was by the time of our 6:30 a.m. interview with Greg for this article.] The day starts early. On Fridays, I’m usually gone before 2:00 a.m. Right now (Wednesday at 6:30 a.m.), I’ll be home in 20 minutes and have my whole day ahead.
Before I scaled back the rental operation, I was starting at 3 a.m. and going to my regular job, going home at about 4:45 and helping the guys come in from the service calls. It was a lot. One of my daughters is in sports and both are busy with their own activities, but they are still helpful. And, by getting rid of the plastics, reducing the staff, and cutting the size of the operation overall, that kept me in the industry, and I’m enjoying it more.
The majority of contacts for renting the trailers come in via email. At lunch, I answer emails and I return phone calls in the evenings. On Fridays, I do a lot of my follow-up calls. A lot of my stuff is scheduled out in advance. It’s easier to schedule farther out in the future than meet the demands for fast delivery in basic portable toilet unit rentals, which very often require next-day service. If you can’t do that, the customer quickly moves on to call the next person.
It’s so much easier than my real job. [That’s Greg joking. So, we asked what kinds of responsibilities he has as a County Highway Commissioner.] I put together the whole road plan for our county. We have about 50 employees in our department. I have a great staff there. It’s about building that team. It’s not easy.
Marketing and Branding for Maynard’s Portables
The website generates a lot of traffic. About three-quarters of my business comes from my website vs. phone. It comes through links on the site and via email prompted by it. People plan a lot of weddings and events a year out. They’re often looking on the site during weekends, searching for information, getting a professional quote, etc. Event planners are working on filling their schedules for the following year.
All the work trucks are lettered. All trucks are black and trailers are all white. I try not to letter the trailers. They go to weddings and other special events, so I try not to gaudy them up. I put a simple logo on the back and front. The trailers sell themselves. We have uniforms. They’re black shirts with logos.
Growth Plans for Maynard’s Portables, Newton, WI
My wife lets me do this expensive hobby. The overhead is crazy on what you need to operate, and it’s also challenging to figure out the trucks too. We need equipment to haul fresh water in winter. That’s one of the things we overcame, and we have been pretty successful with it. All my contracts are year-round, so we’re hauling water through all seasons. I have two trucks, and we have the ability to haul fresh heated water year-round. We do some RV tank pumping during the summer, and we do the regular holding tanks also.
I plan on growing this business as the economy grows or shrinks, and, right now, maintaining the status quo. I see this restroom rental business as my early retirement job at 55 or so. That’s my game plan. That was my plan with the portable toilet rental operation, but it grew too big too fast, so I had to make changes that fit my priorities. In 7 years, I expect to retire and make the luxury trailer rental my only job/hobby.
Advice for Industry Newcomers from Greg Grotegut, Owner, Maynard’s Neat-N-Clean Portables, Newton, WI
One of my biggest concerns about starting a new business in this industry would be about location. It’s a lot about market locations. Markets drive everything. To say it’s better next to a bigger city than not, I don’t know that. More people doing it in a bigger city drives the dollars down. So, it’s hard to say.
I personally love the place I live. It’s about 45 minutes from Green Bay and 45 minutes to Milwaukee. Either way is just about an hour and a half round-trip. And, there is Sheboygan and the smaller towns I prefer, like Appleton, Oshkosh, and we even go over to Door County (on the Door Peninsula on Lake Michigan). If you can work where you want to live, that’s ideal.
On Maynard’s Portables Leadership Model
Following the example of Greg Grotegut, new portable restroom rental service owners are well advised to first figure out what you really want from the portables rental business and decide whether a gradual transition into full-time makes more sense for you than quitting your day job and jumping in full-speed from the start. The message is to be realistic about your priorities and map out a clear long-term plan that will take you on the path of least resistance to your ultimate goal for your business, your family, and yourself.
Not everyone can manage a key County government office with a staff of 50 by day and run a profitable and growing business on the side. In fact, it may be that Greg Grotegut is the only pro in the industry who can keep his arms around all of that.
However, if you look to emulate his operations model, be able to keep your life exceptionally well organized, make difficult practical decisions on what to cut away and what to keep, embrace the hours and the work, and have the mindset to enjoy your life choice every day for the duration.
For information about Maynard’s Neat-N-Clean Portables in Newton Wisconsin, call (800) 701-4883 or (920) 726-4101, or visit Maynard’s Neat-N-Clean Portables.