OurLocalBusiness - P & J Disposal - 03/28/05
By Robert Clack
On September 1, 1996 P & J Disposal began serving the Creswell community and has become a major part ever since. The original franchise was held by Richardson Sanitation, but due to default on a loan agreement Mark & Annie Johnson purchased the rights to the franchise from Gloria Miller, Mark’s mother. P & J was then placed on probation for three months to allow the city time to evaluate their commitment to service and reliability. This resulted in a strong passing grade and P & J has been the exclusive hauler ever since.
P & J currently employs six people who include Mark & Annie, a mother-in-law (Joan) and three others. You will also find the Johnson children helping out during holidays and vacations. Currently the service area extends five miles and additional services have been added as the business has grown.
Mark & Annie are originally from New York where Mark worked as Asst. Manager at Pizza Hut and Annie at a bank. Reminiscing about how the business got started, Mark states “We got a call from my Mom asking if we would like to buy a garbage business. At the time we were going through a lot of stress and finally the decision was to go and quit stressing here in New York.” After arriving here, getting approval from the City Council to run the business, borrowing 35K, they had no customer list to run the business. City Hall provided a water bill list which helped but Mark says, “We just ran around town looking for people with their garbage out, and kept records from there.”
This family owned business which is now a fixture in Creswell allows Mark to joke around saying, “I’ve got the trashiest wife in town,” referring to the fact that she is in the garbage business with him. He goes on further saying, “When people ask me what I do, I tell them I am a garbage man, I am proud of it.” It is this demeanor that has helped the business succeed with the original equipment purchased when they bought the business.
Mark would like to see improvements in the climate for his business saying, “access to grants and funding that would help me acquire newer and better equipment. Also having some type of grant research and submission source, either private or public, would improve the way I can service the community.”
He tempers this dissatisfaction with, “the best part of doing business in Creswell is the small town atmosphere and the many friendships we have made with our customers and vendors. Many of our customers have become close friends and we fell right at home here."
On improving Creswell Mark says, “The first thing that needs to be done is to secure some type of industry for our community. We do not want to become a bedroom community for Eugene, having people going north to work & shop, and then returning here to sleep. Our community and our leaders need to find businesses that want to relocate to our area, and provide them with incentives and reasons as to why Creswell would be the best place for their business. The second thing is to secure adequate funding for our schools and to help the schools offer classes that will prepare our children for the real world.”
“My spare time is spent coaching girl’s fast pitch softball, where currently I am the Junior Varsity coach at the high school, and I also coach a summer team of fourteen & under girls. I spend a lot of time studying books and tapes about different drills and techniques then passing the knowledge on to my team. I also enjoy reading, movies, and being in the community. I volunteer at most school sporting events to help out, and I enjoy spending time with my family”, Mark says.
Mark goes on to say, “The most important accomplishment in my life is that my wife Annie & I have raised two wonderful children, Ashley and Caitlin who are learning what a work ethic is while not being afraid to go after their dreams. My daughters are a continuing legacy that I can always look to for inspiration and hope.
OurCreswell appreciates the love and participation the Johnson family have provided the Creswell community. Thank You. You may contact them at 541-895-5130.
OurLocalBusiness is a weekly Feature of OurCreswell, if you know of a business you would like to see featured please contact Robert@OurCreswell.com.
By Robert Clack
On September 1, 1996 P & J Disposal began serving the Creswell community and has become a major part ever since. The original franchise was held by Richardson Sanitation, but due to default on a loan agreement Mark & Annie Johnson purchased the rights to the franchise from Gloria Miller, Mark’s mother. P & J was then placed on probation for three months to allow the city time to evaluate their commitment to service and reliability. This resulted in a strong passing grade and P & J has been the exclusive hauler ever since.
P & J currently employs six people who include Mark & Annie, a mother-in-law (Joan) and three others. You will also find the Johnson children helping out during holidays and vacations. Currently the service area extends five miles and additional services have been added as the business has grown.
Mark & Annie are originally from New York where Mark worked as Asst. Manager at Pizza Hut and Annie at a bank. Reminiscing about how the business got started, Mark states “We got a call from my Mom asking if we would like to buy a garbage business. At the time we were going through a lot of stress and finally the decision was to go and quit stressing here in New York.” After arriving here, getting approval from the City Council to run the business, borrowing 35K, they had no customer list to run the business. City Hall provided a water bill list which helped but Mark says, “We just ran around town looking for people with their garbage out, and kept records from there.”
This family owned business which is now a fixture in Creswell allows Mark to joke around saying, “I’ve got the trashiest wife in town,” referring to the fact that she is in the garbage business with him. He goes on further saying, “When people ask me what I do, I tell them I am a garbage man, I am proud of it.” It is this demeanor that has helped the business succeed with the original equipment purchased when they bought the business.
Mark would like to see improvements in the climate for his business saying, “access to grants and funding that would help me acquire newer and better equipment. Also having some type of grant research and submission source, either private or public, would improve the way I can service the community.”
He tempers this dissatisfaction with, “the best part of doing business in Creswell is the small town atmosphere and the many friendships we have made with our customers and vendors. Many of our customers have become close friends and we fell right at home here."
On improving Creswell Mark says, “The first thing that needs to be done is to secure some type of industry for our community. We do not want to become a bedroom community for Eugene, having people going north to work & shop, and then returning here to sleep. Our community and our leaders need to find businesses that want to relocate to our area, and provide them with incentives and reasons as to why Creswell would be the best place for their business. The second thing is to secure adequate funding for our schools and to help the schools offer classes that will prepare our children for the real world.”
“My spare time is spent coaching girl’s fast pitch softball, where currently I am the Junior Varsity coach at the high school, and I also coach a summer team of fourteen & under girls. I spend a lot of time studying books and tapes about different drills and techniques then passing the knowledge on to my team. I also enjoy reading, movies, and being in the community. I volunteer at most school sporting events to help out, and I enjoy spending time with my family”, Mark says.
Mark goes on to say, “The most important accomplishment in my life is that my wife Annie & I have raised two wonderful children, Ashley and Caitlin who are learning what a work ethic is while not being afraid to go after their dreams. My daughters are a continuing legacy that I can always look to for inspiration and hope.
OurCreswell appreciates the love and participation the Johnson family have provided the Creswell community. Thank You. You may contact them at 541-895-5130.
OurLocalBusiness is a weekly Feature of OurCreswell, if you know of a business you would like to see featured please contact Robert@OurCreswell.com.