OUR HISTORY

S & J Sanitation is owned by Julie Smith Bechtel and her son Nate Bechtel. They purchased the business on November 1, 2021. S & J is a regional solid waste and recycling company based out of Marengo, Iowa.

The business was started by Julie’s father Jerry Smith in 1967. Initially, Jerry had a business partner, Glen “Skip” Vanderpool. “Skip and Jerry Sanitation” was a mouthful, so they opted for shorter version and named their company S & J Sanitation. Skip and Jerry worked the day shift at Amana Refrigeration and did the garbage route in the evenings. They served 25 customers with a 1952 Ford pick-up truck that was gifted to Jerry by his father-in-law, Frank Lester. Within a year, Jerry bought Skip out for an unknown amount of money (or beer).

Jerry and his wife, Joann, grew the business while both working full time and raising five children. Joann drove kids around town to collect for the business in the evenings. Their home phone was also the business phone. We have the same phone number today.

After Joann passed away in 1973, Julie – at age 11 – did the bookkeeping, payroll and quarterly tax reports for S & J. She held this duty until her aunt and uncle joined the company a few years later. Eventually, Jerry remarried and had a new wife and business partner. Jerry and Madeline ran the company together for decades until they both passed away in 2019.

After a long career in the newspaper industry, Julie has her old job back as chief bookkeeper for S & J. Nate manages operations and works alongside their loyal team of drivers and helpers. Julie’s sister, Chrissy, manages customer service.