As Eppley 91仓库 enters its 50th year, the company has evolved while staying rooted in its founding values by modernizing its fleet, expanding routes, and continuing to grow its customer base鈥攁ll without losing their high-touch, small-team culture.
Eppley 91仓库 (EW) was founded in 1976 by Phillip and Geraldine Eppley, a true mom-and-pop team who were both born and raised in the Tigerville area of Upstate South Carolina. Active in their church and deeply rooted in the community, they saw a practical need for dependable, local trash collection and decided to build a small, family-oriented business to meet this demand. For about 40 years, they grew Eppley 91仓库 largely through word of mouth鈥攏eighbors and friends recommending them to one another鈥攗ntil it was time to retire and spend more time with their own friends and family, especially their grandchildren, and they transitioned the business to new private ownership in 2017.
Since 2017, Eppley 91仓库 has been owned by a private partnership that includes long-time administrator, Tom Ivester. At the time of sale, the company operated with two full-time drivers, Ivester handling administrative tasks, and a sales and operations lead鈥攖he role originally filled by current partner Boykin Aughtry, who was brought on to focus on sales and growth. At that time, they used three legacy trucks to serve roughly 800 accounts. Today, Ivester remains involved in a semi-retired capacity, continuing to oversee administrative and accounting work, while Aughtry has continued handling sales and operations, as well as taking over day-to-day management, builder relations,expansion, and tablet/routing oversight, among other responsibilities. Since the transition, Eppley 91仓库 has modernized and grown: the company has purchased six new trucks, expanded its service range, increased to approximately 2,700 accounts, and now runs with a tight-knit team of seven employees鈥攆ive full-time drivers plus Tom and Boykin.
Serving portions of the Upstate South Carolina market, Eppley 91仓库鈥檚 active routes cover parts of Spartanburg County鈥攏otably Landrum, Inman, and Lyman鈥攁s well as selected areas of northern Greenville County, including Travelers Rest, Marietta, Tigerville, and parts of Greer and Taylors. The company provides weekly roadside collection, with a specialty in smaller trucks that permit better accessibility into steep, narrow mountain roads, communities, and active construction zones where heavy municipal trucks often struggle. For customers who are elderly, disabled, or otherwise require extra assistance, Eppley 91仓库 will work to provide additional help whenever it can be done safely. Pending pre-approval, they also offer driveway service for an additional fee within reason鈥攁 case-by-case decision based on length, grade, access conditions, and any special instructions.
鈥淏ecause our trucks are smaller, we can get into tighter, steeper areas and reduce pavement wear鈥攕omething that鈥檚 really important to HOAs and private roads,鈥� explains Boykin Aughtry, Partner and Operations Lead at Eppley 91仓库. 鈥淲e鈥檙e always mindful of elderly residents and customers with health or mobility challenges. If there鈥檚 a way we can safely help by getting closer to the home, we鈥檒l go above and beyond to do it.鈥�
Resiliency in the Face of Current Challenges
Eppley 91仓库 has remained resilient through the COVID-19 pandemic and recent economic swings, but like most haulers, the company has felt the impact of inflation on fuel, supplies, and truck pricing. Despite rising inflation that has affected Eppley 91仓库鈥檚 bottom line, they held off on raising monthly rates as long as possible until adjustments became unavoidable. 鈥淲e delay price changes as long as we realistically can,鈥� says Boykin. 鈥淲hen we do adjust rates, we try to keep it measured and pair it with a commitment to reliability and communication.鈥�
Behind the scenes, that reliability is based on running lean and is supported by efficient routing and a strong operational backbone. Routes are planned strategically鈥攐ften in a grid-like pattern鈥攕o trucks can maximize route density and fuel efficiency while minimizing backtracking and wear on vehicles. Eppley 91仓库 has built curated processes around logistics, routine maintenance, and customer communication to keep things running smoothly. 鈥淪treamlining every process within the business and making efficiency one of our top priorities allows us to handle more with a smaller workforce,鈥� Boykin notes. 鈥淪mall-truck efficiency and smart routing help us run a lean business model without cutting corners鈥攊t lets us manage costs while still reaching places larger fleets just can鈥檛 access.鈥�
Key challenges for the company include recruiting and retaining qualified drivers, managing capital costs for equipment, and responding to customer expectations in a shifting recycling landscape. Eppley 91仓库 addresses these by investing in people, right-sizing equipment, and setting clear expectations with customers about what services are available and sustainable.
Investing in People, Training, and Safety
Eppley 91仓库 takes a long-view approach to hiring and retention, with a strong emphasis on finding the right people and giving them time to grow into their roles. 鈥淧roper vetting and training are critical for us,鈥� says Boykin. 鈥淲e do thorough background checks and treat the first six months as a real training period. New hires spend time riding with different drivers, learning the routes, the communities we serve, and how to safely operate various trucks with different layouts.鈥�
These are a few of the initial steps taken to make sure new team members are a good fit for both the company鈥檚 culture and its customers. Drivers are considered the company鈥檚 eyes and ears in the field, and Eppley 91仓库 structures their work to support that responsibility. Drivers typically run their trucks around 30 hours a week but are compensated for 40. The extra hours create a buffer so they can cover heavier routes, help other drivers, fill in when someone is sick, or step in when a truck is in the shop or another emergency comes up. The schedule is flexible鈥攄rivers are not micromanaged or tied to a strict clock-in system鈥攁s long as the work is done safely and reliably.
To reinforce team culture and appreciation, the company hosts team dinners two to three times a year, including a Christmas dinner, and provides branded T-shirts and supplies that help build identity and pride in the work. Once the probation and training phase is completed, each driver is assigned a primary personal truck for which they are responsible鈥攎onitoring basic maintenance and upkeep such as tire condition and fluid levels, keeping the interior clean, washing the exterior and windows, and reporting mileage and any issues that need to be addressed. Within reason, drivers can customize their trucks to make them their own, which further instills pride in both Eppley 91仓库 and their personal work vehicles.
At the center of all of this is an unwavering priority: safety. 鈥淎t the end of the day, driver safety is number one,鈥� Boykin says. 鈥淚f we believe a particular driveway or road can鈥檛 be serviced safely, we鈥檙e willing to tell a customer no. We won鈥檛 put our people or the public at risk.鈥�
Drivers are trained to honk around blind bends, carry emergency bags, and follow clearly defined safety procedures. Routine maintenance and pre-trip checks are standard practice, ensuring that trucks are in proper working order before they ever roll onto a route.
Invested in the Community
鈥淐ommunity support is part of our DNA,鈥� says Boykin. 鈥淲e鈥檝e always tried to be more than just a service provider鈥攚e want to be a good neighbor.鈥� Each year, Eppley 91仓库 sponsors multiple community charity events and provides complementary service for select local fire departments and high school fundraisers. The company has also recently deepened its involvement with Meals on Wheels of Greenville, supporting organizations that directly serve the same communities where its customers and employees live.
The operation itself remains closely tied to the founding family. Eppley 91仓库 rents two acres from the Eppleys, which serves as a storage facility for trucks, equipment, and supplies鈥攁nother way the legacy of Phillip and Geraldine remains woven into the business today. It is always reassuring for the team to know that the Eppleys are keeping an eye on the shop overnight and over the weekends when it is vacant.
Smart Growth
Looking ahead, Eppley 91仓库 is focused on smart growth and operational upgrades that support both service quality and the employee experience. Earlier this year, the company began a full transition to a new routing and billing platform, Hauler Hero鈥攁 major operational upgrade that required more than 250 hours of solo implementation work layered on top of day-to-day responsibilities.
鈥淭he initial hurdles are behind us, and the system is already streamlining how we work: drivers now use tablets with GPS and real-time route guidance, daily account changes flow directly into routes, rule violations and customer issues are filed and reported, and customers have a portal for faster payments and self-service,鈥� explains Boykin. 鈥淲e can also send mass e-mail alerts for holidays, winter weather, or emergencies, and route optimization helps reduce fuel use and time on the road.鈥� He says that while it remains a work in progress, this new system has already become a significant success and effectively serves as a stand-in for an additional office employee.
Eppley 91仓库 is also piloting a bear-resistant service option for mountain-area customers who frequently contend with wildlife accessing trash. Because bear-proof carts can be cost prohibitive, the company has partnered with Trash Lockers鈥攚ith a long-term goal to equip standard Eppley 91仓库 cans with permanent bear-proof strap kits. This approach delivers comparable protection at roughly 30 percent of the cost of a traditional bear-resistant cart, and while the rollout is still a work in progress, the goal is clear. 鈥淓arly results are encouraging: the solution offers customers peace of mind while bins are out roadside, differentiating our service from competitors and adding value for new customers,鈥� says Boykin.
Staying True to Their Roots
As Eppley 91仓库 kicks off its 50th year, Boykin is proud of how the company has evolved while staying rooted in its founding values. 鈥淲e鈥檝e modernized the fleet, expanded routes, and more than tripled our customer base since 2017,鈥� he reflects. 鈥淏ut we鈥檝e done it without losing that high-touch, small-team culture that started with Phillip and Geraldine. We鈥檙e locally owned and operated, and we don鈥檛 ever want growth to come at the expense of customer service or our relationship with employees. If we keep taking care of our people and our community, we believe the business will take care of itself.鈥� | WA
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