‘Crapper Dan’ says potty humor good for business
His name is Dan Griffith, but he prefers to be called "Crapper Dan."
To help win contracts for his firm, A Company Portable Restrooms, which is providing 900 porta-potties for fans during this week’s NASCAR activities at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, he endears himself to executives with humor: "We provide some of the most sought after seats in the house," he says.
Someday, he says, he will use a line from the first act of Shakespeare’s "Hamlet" — "For this relief much thanks" — to lock up a sale.
"You’ve got to keep coming up with new stuff," said the salesman-trainer for the Las Vegas office of the Idaho-based company. "Humor loosens people up and they all remember me."
On Monday, Crapper Dan and his crew were on the raceway’s infield dropping off hundreds of high-tech portable restrooms, which are 10 inches wider and eight inches deeper than most models.
"In these big ones, you no longer have the urinal almost in your face when you sit down," said the 52-year-old, who started off at A Company seven years ago servicing porta-potties. "This marks the debut of the larger porta-potty where you can loosen up and do your thing without your knees pushing into the door."
Each one is also equipped with a mirror, hand sanitizer and a wafer that gives off vanilla, cinnamon, evergreen or cedar fragrances.
Nobody is happier that the raceway is receiving bigger and better portable facilities than Jeff Motley, senior director of public relations at the speedway.
"They are absolutely very important," said Motley, who pointed out that the raceway has 2,500 permanent toilet fixtures for fans in the stands. "There are areas such as the parking and camping areas, the hospitality tents, where we don’t have permanent restrooms. It could be more than inconvenient without them."
It wouldn’t be a pretty picture for any race fan with an oversaturated bladder, Crapper Dan agrees. What is a pretty picture, he says, are the new portable restrooms for women.
"They’re pretty in pink," he said.
Tried out at Las Vegas construction sites where many laborers are now women, the pink loos have fast become what women want in a porta-potty, he said.
"They like the fact that there is no urinal in them. It makes them feel special."
The former studio cameraman at KVBC, Channel 3, says the news business doesn’t pay anywhere near that of supervising the cleaning of toilets. He said that in addition to servicing the portable restrooms, his crew will also have 18 trucks on hand to service about 4,000 recreational vehicles parked at the speedway.
Each time an RV’s commode is sucked clean with special, hose-equipped trucks at the speedway, A Company picks up another $40. He said the family-owned business is a multimillion dollar endeavor, one that provided 2,600 porta-potties for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
"It’s nice to work for a company where you say, ‘We suck,’ and it’s a positive," he said.
Often, according to 35-year-old Rick Clay, who services the porta-potties, his hose sucks out more than waste.
"A lot of people lose wallets, IDs, watches, keys and money," he said.
Crapper Dan said that very few people try to reach their valuables themselves. "They’ll call us and ask us to tear up their driver’s license or credit cards," he said. "They’d rather get new stuff."
Often, he said, they don’t even want their money back.
"We explain they can launder money legally," he said.
He said his job practically assures a good marriage.
"My wife keeps her nose out of my business," he said.
Clay, who’s only been in the business a few months, said it isn’t for everyone.
"When you open the door to do your work, you have to realize that what you’re smelling is the smell of money," he said.
Contact reporter Paul Harasim at pharasim@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2908.
