My career with Curbie Sanitation has taught me that the most valuable thing you can build isn’t a customer base — it’s a community.
I started Curbie Sanitation for the same reason most people do—to make a living. You’ve got bills to pay. But somewhere along the way, that stopped being the part that mattered most.
What sticks with me now are the people.
I think about the boys I hired straight out of high school—some even before that. They showed up a little unsure, still figuring out who they were and what they wanted. I watched them learn the routes, get comfortable with the crew, and grow into themselves. It’s never easy to lose a good employee, but there’s pride in seeing them move on to something bigger. I just hope they took a few life lessons with them.
Then there’s my neighborhood, Montgomery, where everybody seems to know everybody. I’ll run into someone at the store who’s known my family forever. Or at the Savannah Scottish Games, where my whole family goes every year. We’re there for the bagpipes, the food, the dancing—all of it. And without fail, someone will stop me and say, “Hey, I use Curbie!” We end up talking like old friends. They thank us for the service, tell me how much they appreciate their garbage man. That kind of thing sticks with you.
It happens again at the Isle of Hope Art and Music Festival, usually while my wife’s pulling me from booth to booth. People recognize us, ask how things are going, even want to know the name of the new guy on the truck. It’s not business talk. It’s neighbor talk.
Some of my favorite connections come from the events we support. We’ve handled waste services for the Caretta Research Project fundraiser for years now, and I’ve loved getting to know that team. Hearing about their nights on Wassaw Island, watching sea turtles come ashore to lay their eggs, are so fascinating. I hope to join them one day.
We also sponsor a local off-road biking group, SEGA-SORBA. They build and maintain trails through the Chatham woods so families can ride safely. I ride with them sometimes to see firsthand the difference we’ve made.
When I look at it all—the employees who became like family, the customers who became friends, the events that turned into traditions—I realize that’s what’s kept me here all these years. The paycheck matters, sure. But it’s the connections that make it meaningful, and that’s something I’m grateful for every single day.
