vacuum trucks, street sweepers, garbage trucks, and other supporting products for municipalities and contractors,” explains Christopher Haase, CEO and coowner of EPG. The company’s equipment forms the backbone of critical infrastructure maintenance, with applications ranging from routine street cleaning to post-disaster recovery operations. What distinguishes EPG in the market is its balanced customer approach.“It’s about a 50-50 split between private contractors and municipalities,” notes Chris Vanderhof, President and co-owner. “Our business initially focused on municipalities because they were the primary buyers of our specialized equipment. But contractor growth has steadily increased over the past six to eight years.”This diversification has proven strategic, particularly as private sector demand for infrastructure maintenance continues to rise. The company’s equipment played a crucial role during recent Florida hurricane recovery efforts. Haase recounts how EPG deployed specialized vehicles during the aftermath: “When Fort Myers and Sanibel were devastated by hurricanes, we sent street sweepers and sewer cleaners by barge to reinstate their storm and sewer systems. The sand from storm surges had completely filled the pipes, and residents needed basic sanitary conditions restored.” Such emergency response capabilities highlight the essential nature of EPG’s equipment portfolio in maintaining and restoring critical infrastructure systems across the region. BUILDING A “HERO” CULTURE IN WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT Founded in 2001 as a family enterprise, EPG has maintained its familial ethos even as it has expanded. The company’s workforce philosophy centers on creating an environment where employees feel valued and respected, a crucial approach during an era of widespread labor shortages across skilled trades. “We started EPG as a family-based business. My father established the company, making me a second-generation owner. My brother-in-law works with us, as does Chris’s son as a part-time employee,” explains Haase. “When you consider that we spend more time with our work family than our personal families throughout the week, creating a supportive network becomes essential.” The company’s innovative “Hero Program” directly addresses the skilled trades gap that has widened since the 1970s, when vocational career paths began losing cultural prestige.“Our operational staff, parts team, mechanics, service writers, shop foremen, and 85 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 12, ISSUE 06 ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCTS GROUP
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