ADVERTORIAL
by Morinville News Staff
Business partners Lyle Quintal, his nephew Damian MacMillan, along with their staff are celebrating 20 years of business for their Sturgeon County-based waste disposal operations. The two men own Calahoo Waste Disposal and Meridian Waste Disposal, two united companies that serve Sturgeon, Parkland, Lac St. Anne and Westlock counties. The businesses offer commercial, residential, and farm/acreage waste disposal, recycling services, demolition and site cleanups, as well as yard bin rentals ranging from 2 cubic yards to 40 cubic yards.
Quintal along with his wife Tammy owned and operated the Calahoo store when he connected with the man who was providing waste disposal services for his store. Four years later, in 1996, the man took Quintal up on his offer to buy the waste disposal business. With Tammy’s full support then and over the last 20 years, Quintal has expanded the company.
“I started with one truck and 88 customers working in the area, and things progressed over the years,” Quintal recalled. “At that time, I saw an opportunity to expand business in Parkland County. I approached Damian to see if he would be interested, thus, establishing Meridian Waste Disposal.”
Quintal and MacMillan worked on their own in Sturgeon County and Parkland County for many years before the two enterprises merged in 2010. MacMillan manages Meridian Waste and Quintal continues to manage Calahoo Waste. The companies now operate seven trucks and service four counties.
The philosophy of both companies is the same, to provide top-quality customer service, reliability, and competitive pricing. “Our pricing and service speak for itself versus the multi-nationals,” Quintal said. “Frequently, customers remark on the affordability of the service. From curbside service to bins, we can tailor our services to meet customer needs as well as budget.”
Another thing that separates Calahoo and Meridian from competitors is their view on contracts. “We do not impose a contract on our customers,” Quintal explained, noting that some competitors require a three to five-year contract. “In our opinion, these contracts are not beneficial to the consumer at all. Our service and pricing speaks for itself”.
Both Quintal and MacMillan share a common philosophy when it comes to customer service. “We’re very service orientated. When a customer calls, they’re dealing with the owners. Not so the multi-nationals, where they are talking to someone in Calgary, Toronto or Houston,” Quintal explained. “When a potential customer calls, we are familiar with where they are located”.
MacMillan agrees that service is the key to their respective 20 and 15 years of success. “I think the biggest thing is honest, fair, competitive and reliable service,” MacMillan said. “Our staff have been with us for five to 10 years. That’s huge. They know the customers just as well as us. They know them by name, and customers know them. It’s not a revolving door. We don’t have 30 different people picking up.”
MacMillan went on to say their staff is so reliable that customers will sometimes call if a driver is five minutes past their usual time. It’s the reliability of service that the two business owners are most proud of.
“I’m proud to say I haven’t missed a day in 20 years,” Quintal adds. “Have we missed customers. You betcha. It happens, but our trucks have been out every day. Breakdowns. Weather. We’ve been able to make it. Sometimes it’s 10 o’clock at night”.
Both Lyle and Damian, appreciate the local support and look forward to many more years of working within the communities.
For more information on Calahoo Waste Disposal, visit www.CalahooWasteDisposal.com.
