Massena “Andy” Gump passed away nearly 20 years ago but his business philosophy lives on at the temporary site services company bearing his name and now run by his granddaughter. Andy Gump Inc. reached 60 years in business last year and looking to the future, Nancy Gump Melancon said the Valencia firm will continue following the tradition laid down by her grandfather and then father, Barry Gump, of never overpromising and underdelivering. “We weren’t in it for a quick buck; we were in it to do it right and that is the difference,” Melancon said. The company provides portable restrooms and temporary power and fencing for construction sites, special events and film shoots in an area extending from Ventura and Kern counties south to San Diego. Andy Gump employs 200 people and had revenue of about $23 million last year. Not bad for a company in which Gump – who got his nickname from a popular comic strip of the 1930s – built his first portable toilets in the garage of his home in Mission Hills. They weighed 800 pounds and needed 10 coats of paint to cover the plywood from which they were made. Barry Gump was still in junior high when his father started what was then called Mission Sanitation in 1956. Within a few years, the name changed to Andy Gump at the suggestion of a sign painter from Pacoima despite Massena Gump’s hesitance to have his name on the side of portable toilets. While competitors have come and gone, Andy Gump has always been around and owned by the same family for 60 years, Melancon said. “That is why our name is synonymous throughout Southern California, almost like Kleenex,” she added. “When you see a portable toilet, you say you’ll be using Andy Gump.” Barry Gump retired as chief executive five years ago, allowing Nancy to take over the company where she had been working since 1989. Her plans include just focusing on niche markets and controlled growth. “We are not a company that is aggressively buying out a bunch of other companies,” Melancon said. High-end events such as award shows, galas and private parties for entertainment figures call for high-end equipment, which is why Andy Gump has invested in 100 portable restroom trailers, some of which cost in the $70,000 range with faux marble and crystal light globes. It turns out to be great exposure for the company and the movers and shakers attending these events may call Andy Gump for a house remodel or party of their own, Melancon believes. “We are going to keep doing what we’re doing and do it well,” she said. – Mark R. Madler