Leszlie and Simon were at the pub, talking about their lives and how maybe it was time to try something new. They were sick of business suits, meetings and declining business; they wanted something recession-proof, a business which filled a need and wouldn’t be replaced by technology.
The future, they decided, was garbage.
“Everybody’s got junk,” said Leszlie Boutell, “but nobody wants to deal with it.”
The couple did some research and found a niche for a local, responsive hauling company specializing in small loads. “Two days later, we bought a truck,” said Simon Purshouse, and Good Riddance Hauling was in business.
“We put on our jeans and got to work,” Boutell said. “Everybody likes the hauling guy.”
Even – or especially – when the expected “guy” is an attractive woman. Boutell says she is often asked by her clients where the workman is. “Me. I’m the help,” she tells them. “Once I put the gloves on, I’m transformed. Don’t try to help, just relax.”
In September the company began a circuit of neighborhood runs, Oakmont and Sonoma among them, to maximize efficiency and keep rates low. Simple pick-ups, for instance, start at $35 – not much more than the fee at the dump.
“We go out for the small loads, even one or two things,” Boutell said. “Who else are they going to get to do that?”
Some people open the garage and see a bunch of junk. Boutell sees “endless possibilities. We’ve begun to tap the market for the small stuff. Even people with trucks don’t want to mess with it.”
Prospects are rosy, though not necessarily always fragrant. “There will always be garbage,” Purshouse said.
Right now, the bad economy, with people downsizing and closing or moving storage facilities, might be helping business. When things improve, they’ll want to move things somewhere else and make room for something new. “Bothering with this stuff, it’s something people don’t want to do.”
The company strives to be as environmentally conscious as possible, dumping about 40 percent of what they pick up The rest is recycled, or donated for reuse. “When we get to the dump, the work really begins,” Boutell explained, as the load of the truck – about four to five jobs’ worth – is separated into the various categories.
So far, jobs have ranged from straight trash to yard waste, clearing construction sites and winery debris, even moving furniture and taking away a like-new boat motor a woman just wanted to get rid of. “It’s everything from A-to-Z,” Boutell said.
“S” might be for snakes – the ones that came flying out when the two were pitchforking a load of yard debris. That was not one of the occupational hazards Boutell encountered being a realtor, where paper cuts might have been a bigger concern. Still, she welcomes the change. “We’re helping people out, and having fun.”
As for personal items, sometimes it’s a big pile of stuff, others just a little one, but all come with a common refrain, “I don’t know why I kept that for so long.” The professional just nods and throws it in the truck. “It’s a lot easier when it’s not your stuff,” Purshouse allowed.
Because Good Riddance picks up small loads, it’s price-effective for people to get rid of a few items without committing to a major project. “People feel they don’t have to clean everything out of the garage,” Purshouse said. “They can remove a few things, and make room for the car.”
Boutell and Purshouse look forward to supporting local nonprofits, such as hauling the goods for a crab feed, a fundraiser for the high school booster club, in February.
Meanwhile, the holidays – how about a gift certificate? The person on your list who has everything might just need to get rid of some of it.
