BOSTON — The Fourth of July holiday is typically the busiest time for the M.A. Frazier Disposal Company in Wellfleet, which supplies port-a-pottys up and down the Cape.
But not this year.
“Pre-COVID, I would say we would have hundreds of portable toilets going out this weekend to fireworks displays and Fourth of July parades and other celebrations and backyard parties and barbecues. That business just doesn’t exist this year,” said Matt Frazier, owner of M.A. Frazier Disposal Company.
When COVID-19 hit back in March, Frazier said he sold out of his entire inventory of handwash stations in just two days. He called manufacturers, but was told nothing was available until possibly July.
“We knew that just wasn’t going to work. We knew we needed to adapt and react to the situation, so I went to the drafting table and I designed our own version of a handwashing station,” he said.
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Frazier and his staff converted portable restrooms into desperately needed self-contained handwash stations, which are critical in the fight against COVID-19. So far, they have built 300 handwash stations.
“Something like this happens, this is unprecedented. We really felt as if we needed to adjust and adapt and if we weren’t going to do it, frankly another competitor would do it,” Frazier said.
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Weddings are huge part of Frazier’s business. They even have a fleet of elegant restrooms with air conditioning, marble counters and hardwood flooring. But that business dried up this summer. Instead, business is booming for handwash stations.
“We’ve had several annual corporate events that rent these restroom trailers. They’ve all cancelled their events this year, so it’s definitely keeping our entire staff, the shop and all of our service technicians out in field keeping everyone busy”
Frazier said his company has not had any layoffs or furloughs. They’ve even hired three employees in the past two weeks thanks in part to the portable handwash stations.
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