Pierson Comfort Group, LLC • Toll Free: 1.800.461.0032 • 888.277.4414 28298 Bridgeville Road • Federalsburg, Maryland 21632 Federalsburg business responds to inaugural need By CHRIS KNAUSS Staff Writer Published: Friday, January 23, 2009 10:09 AM CST FEDERALSBURG One local business is already receiving a boost to its bottom line thanks to the pending Obama presidency. Pierson's Comfort Group of Federalsburg is sending 687 comfort stations, aka Porta-Pottys, to Washington, D.C., to accommodate the large crowd expecting to witness President- elect Barack Obama's inauguration on Tuesday, Jan. 20. Pierson's, whose slogan is "We're #1 in the #2 business!", is subcontracting its services to United Site Services of Maryland and Don's Johns, two large sanitation service companies in the D.C. area. Pierson's general manager Kathy Kornrumpf said more than 4,000 portable toilets were expected to be placed throughout the inauguration site. The business comes at a welcome time of year for Pierson's. "This time of year things are much slower than usual," said Kornrumpf. "All of our contracts have just kind of come to a halt with all the parks and municipalities. Generally, we pick up again in the spring. And with the construction trade down as it is right now, it's been a little bit slower than usual. So this has definitely been helpful." Pierson's serves customers in Maryland, Delaware and Virginia, offering basic construction project units to high-end executive restroom trailers for special events. Their comfort units include "The Presidential," "The Executive," "The Elite," "The Comfort Coach," and "The Signature." The Presidential unit consists of one stall, one urinal, and one sink on the men's side with two stalls and one sink on the ladies side. The inside offers hardwood-like floors and marble-like walls, flushing porcelain toilets, marble vanities, skylights, A/C & heat, wide steps, handrails and an awning. Pierson's is sending basic comfort station units to the inauguration. Additional business for Pierson's came from ABC news which has rented a restroom trailer for placement at 7th and Madison streets. "The time that it takes for all these units to get ready to go is absolutely unbelievable," said Kornrumpf. "Our men have been working diligently and in extreme weather conditions to make this happen." The first load of portable units for the inauguration went out early Sunday morning, Jan. 11. Placement of the 307 units was completed on Tuesday afternoon. There is a sea of Pierson's units (seafoam green in color) all along the National Mall that were pictured in a CBS News Early Show segment on Wednesday. Pierson's expected delivery of its second batch of units, 380, to be finished by Saturday evening. Pickups will begin the day after the inauguration and must be completed by Sunday Jan. 25. Pierson's is the main contractor at Dover Down's two NASCAR events each year, sending approximately 400 units to each race. The business also rents various other trailers, said Kornrumpf, and does pumpouts for all the campers. The business was founded by Tom and Lorraine Pierson in their backyard as a plumbing company in 1951. Their son, Doug, joined the company in 1967 and started the septic cleaning and portable toilet rental divisions of the company. In 1981, Doug was made president and he immediately began to expand the company with nine acquisitions in three states. "It's been pretty overwhelming actually to move that much stuff in a couple days, with security and things of that nature." said Doug. "I've served on the national board of the Portable Toilet Association a couple times and that's how I made the contacts with these people. That's how they knew about us stuck over on the little Eastern Shore." Pierson said that at the last inauguration, President Bush's second term, only 600 units were needed and one company handled all the business. Index Contact Us! Portable Restrooms Company History Outdoor Events & Festivals Wesite design by Marketing House Design Click here to see our online savings specials!