A: Red Oak's founder, Tom Anderson, has been a general contractor in both residential and commercial for over 30 years. "I started as a carpenter and worked my way up to business owner. As a general contractor I often dealt with larger companies for waste removal and thought the process was more difficult than it needed to be. I began handling waste removal for my own projects and bought a few dump trailers. Soon, subcontractors and others began asking if I could handle cleanup for them as well. That's when I realized that a small container-dumpster company could be a viable business.

Q: Do you plan to hire any additional staff or make any significant capital investments in your company in the next year?

A: We have expanded during the past year, tripling our dump container count and adding a second truck. At the moment, my son, Jack, is the only other employee, but I'm looking to hire a driver.

Q: What will your company's main challenges be in the next year?

A: Our No. 1 challenge, as is the case for many small startup businesses, is awareness. Getting the Red Oak name out. Another challenge has been defining our service area. We originally covered just the Glen Ellyn/Lombard/Wheaton area, but now that we have more dump bins, we take calls from most of the Western and Northwestern suburbs.

Q: What's the hottest trend in your industry?

A: Residential clean outs, estate sales and house flips have been trending upward for the waste container industry. People who had never thought of dumpsters are now finding that it's a simple solution to getting rid of refuse and unwanted stuff. Decluttering relieves stress. A UCLA study in 2010 found that those who believed their homes to be cluttered had higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol. A dumpster might not change your life, but when your life changes, you may need a dumpster.

Q: What does your company do to reduce the effects of climate change?

A: Solid waste contributes directly to greenhouse gas emissions through the generation of methane from the anaerobic decay of waste in landfills, and the emission of nitrous oxide from solid waste. People often wonder where waste material ends up. Every Red Oak dumpster goes to a material recycling facility where the debris is sorted through. They pull out wood, metal and cardboard. Seventy percent gets recycled as opposed to going directly to a landfill.

This spring we recycled over 4,200 pounds of metal. With our eco-route we saved 17 trips of going one way empty (decreased our fuel usage) We also recycled 51 tons of hand sanitizer.

Q: Does your company donate time or money to any philanthropic causes? If so, what causes?

A: A passion project of my family is volunteering at the Danada Model Farm in DuPage County, where I'm the vice president of the Friends of Danada. The model farm gives tours for grade school kids, educating them on agricultural practices of the 1950s. I'm also looking for ways that Red Oak can be a fundraising tool for schools, churches and community organizations. Let us know if you have any ideas.

Q: Do you have a business mantra?

A: The Red Oak branding message is: Best Dumpsters Ever. We set that as a goal. That's how we treat our customers, the environment and the community. Every workday I try to meet the needs of my customers to the best of my ability. Life is stressful enough, renting a dumpster shouldn't be.

Q: What is one interesting fact about your company that most people may not know?

A: Our mascot is a walrus and Jim Shorts is our celebrity spokesperson.

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