Former Andy Gump CEO Dies

Barry Gump, retired president of Santa Clarita portable restroom firm Andy Gump Inc., has passed away at the age of 74. The son of company founder Massena “Andy” Gump, Barry Gump took an active role in the family business from a young age. He helped his father build the company’s first portable restrooms in the garage of their Mission Hills home during the 1950s, and later joined full-time alongside his wife Pati. He was appointed president in 1972, a role he held until his retirement at age 70 in 2013. Barry Gump expanded his father’s business to include the provision of temporary power, fencing and mobile storage. By coordinating the work of multiple sanitation providers during the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, he also helped the company earn a reputation for service during special events. In 2012, the firm supplied portable restrooms to the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club’s centennial celebration and fundraising match, which was attended by Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge. Barry Gump moved the firm’s headquarters in 1985 to Santa Clarita, where he and his family are known for their philanthropic contributions. In addition to sponsoring the work of the Child & Family Center Foundation and the Santa Clarita Valley Youth Project, among others, Barry Gump also dressed up as Santa Claus for the annual Christmas tree lighting at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia. Barry Gump is survived by Pati, his wife of 52 years; his daughter Nancy Gump Melancon, chief executive of Andy Gump Inc.; and three grandchildren. He died at his home in Valencia on Monday, his family said.