In 1961, in Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, John Kelly founded Sanivac with a simple, yet ambitious idea : to offer reliable and accessible sanitary services to his community. At that time, the company began modestly. Operations were simple, resources were limited, but the determination was immense. Like many Quebec family businesses of the time, everything relied on hard work, resourcefulness and a close relationship with customers.
Day after day, contract after contract, the company gradually grows. Sanivac’s reputation is built in the field, thanks to the quality of the service offered and the trust of clients who, over time, often become loyal partners. No one could have imagined then that a small local company would become, more than six decades later, one of the major players in sanitary and environmental services in Quebec and Ontario.
And yet, 65 years later, Sanivac continues to grow. Today, the company has more than 550 employees, an impressive fleet of more than 365 specialized vehicles and trucks, many of which are designed and modified in-house, thousands of sanitary units in service and a strategic presence in several regions. But beyond its growth, its equipment and its infrastructure, Sanivac remains above all a human story. A family story.
A story of transmission between generations. A story of entrepreneurial boldness, innovation and constant evolution. For more than six decades, the company has moved forward with the same determination : to continue building, to reinvent itself and to look toward the future.
The beginnings : entrepreneurship in the field
The first years of Sanivac are marked by a reality well known to entrepreneurs : every contract counts. In the 60s and 70s, the company gradually grows, service after service, client after client. At a time when technological tools are limited, a company’s reputation relies mostly on word of mouth. Trust is built on the quality of the work and the consistency of the service. It is in the field that Sanivac forges its identity. Every service becomes an opportunity to demonstrate the seriousness and the expertise of the company. Every job site contributes to building its reputation. Quickly, the company stands out for its professionalism, its reliability and its ability to meet the needs of its clients efficiently.
Values that remain deeply rooted in Sanivac’s DNA even today.
A family business that spans generations
Over the decades, Sanivac has evolved with its time. Like any family business that spans generations, it has had to adapt to new economic realities, the transformations of its industry and the natural growth of its operations. Each period has brought its share of challenges, opportunities and important decisions that have helped shape the company as we know it today.
The second generation continues the development of the organization by further structuring operations and continuing the company’s expansion. The teams grow, the infrastructure improves and the services diversify to meet increasingly varied needs. Little by little, Sanivac moves from a primarily local company to an organization capable of serving several regions and supporting larger-scale projects. With this growth also come new ways of working, new equipment and an increasingly structured organization. Despite these changes, one thing remains constant : the family spirit that has characterized the company since its beginnings. Human relationships occupy a central place in Sanivac’s culture. The closeness with employees, the trust between teams and the pride in a job well done continue to guide the organization’s decisions and actions. This human dimension is one of the reasons why many employees build their careers within the company for many years.
In 2017, the third generation, Vincent, Carole-Ann and David Kelly, officially takes over the family business.
This moment marks a new chapter in Sanivac’s history. The new generation brings a renewed entrepreneurial vision, focused on innovation, growth and the long-term development of the organization. With ambition and determination, it continues the expansion of the company while respecting the solid foundations built by the previous generations.
The objective remains the same for Vincent, Carole-Ann and David Kelly : to take the Quebec family business to another level while preserving the values that have allowed its success. Three generations have succeeded one another since 1961.
But only one philosophy remains : to build a strong, sustainable and human company.
From specialized services to a complete solutions provider
For a long time, Sanivac’s image was strongly associated with its iconic blue portable toilets. Present on job sites, at festivals and events throughout Quebec, they became a recognized symbol of the company. But over the years, Sanivac has significantly expanded its range of services. The company has gradually developed expertise in several areas related to sanitary, environmental and construction services, in order to meet the growing needs of municipalities, construction sites, businesses, contractors and institutions.
This diversification is based on a clear philosophy : to offer clients a complete service and simplify the management of their operations. Rather than multiplying suppliers, they can rely on a partner capable of offering several services under one roof.
Today, Sanivac offers a wide range of specialized services, including :
- septic tank pumping
- l’entretien de trappes à graisse
- sewer and urban infrastructure cleaning
- hydro-excavation
- steam thawing for winter job sites
- specialized industrial pumping
- tanker transport
- the rental of portable toilets, sanitary blocks and restroom trailers
- the rental of sealed tanks
- container rental
- and several other pumping and cleaning solutions adapted to field needs.
Ingenuity as a driver of innovation
One of the elements that distinguishes Sanivac in its industry is its ability to innovate directly from the realities of the field. Since its beginnings, the company has always favored a pragmatic approach : observing the real needs of operations, understanding the challenges faced by the teams and finding concrete solutions to improve work efficiency.
Over the years, this approach has led to the development of a particular expertise in the design, adaptation and improvement of its specialized trucks. Rather than limiting itself to standardized equipment, several vehicle components are designed, modified or optimized in-house in order to respond precisely to the needs of the different services offered.
This capacity for adaptation allows the company to constantly optimize its operations, whether to improve the efficiency of services, accelerate services in the field or strengthen the safety of teams. It also helps provide increased precision in specialized work, such as hydro-excavation, and to maintain high equipment performance, even in demanding climatic conditions.
Avec les années, cette culture d’ingéniosité est devenue une véritable signature de l’entreprise. L’innovation ne se limite pas uniquement aux équipements : elle se retrouve aussi dans la façon d’organiser les opérations, de développer de nouveaux services et de répondre aux défis quotidiens rencontrés sur le terrain. At Sanivac, innovation is therefore above all a matter of experience, collaboration and the willingness to continuously improve the ways of doing things. It is this ability to learn from the field and to transform challenges into concrete solutions that allows the company to continue evolving, 65 years after its founding.
Structured and ambitious growth
The past few years have marked a period of significant growth for the company. Sanivac has opened new branches across the province, expanded its territory and integrated different regional companies in order to strengthen its expertise and its presence in the market. Sanivac now has 10 service locations : Notre-Dame-de-l’Île-Perrot, Les Cèdres, Valleyfield, Saint-Jérôme, Laval, La Conception, Gatineau, Sherbrooke, Cowansville and Quebec City. Each stage of growth has been planned with rigor.
The objective has never simply been to become bigger, but rather to become stronger. By developing its infrastructure, investing in its teams and consolidating its expertise, Sanivac has built an organization capable of responding to increasingly complex projects. Today, the company serves several strategic regions of Quebec and Ontario and continues to expand its network. This expansion reflects a long-term vision : to build a sustainable company, capable of evolving with the needs of clients and the realities of the market.
Behind every service : a team
If Sanivac has experienced such growth over the past 65 years, it is above all thanks to the people who make up the company. Behind every truck on the road, every job site and every successful service, there is a complete team.
Operators and drivers who work in the field in all conditions. Mechanics who maintain and build the equipment. Dispatchers who coordinate operations with precision. Administrative teams who support the entire organization. Managers who support the teams and plan growth. Despite the company’s expansion, the organizational culture has remained faithful to its roots. Collaboration, solidarity between teams and pride in a job well done are an integral part of the work environment. Sanivac has become a large company, but it retains the spirit of a family business.
A mission that spans decades
Since its founding in 1961, Sanivac’s mission has been based on three fundamental pillars : Inventory – Service – Quality
- Inventory : Because availability makes all the difference. With a large fleet of specialized trucks and a vast inventory of sanitary units and equipment, our teams are ready to respond quickly, no matter the situation. This capacity allows us to respond efficiently to requests and to support our clients when needs arise.
- Service : Because behind every service, there are people. Our team stands out for its professionalism, its competence and its human approach. We believe that quality service depends as much on expertise as on attitude and respect toward each client.
- Quality : Because excellence is not negotiable. High-performance equipment, reliable products and well-trained teams allow us to deliver a consistent level of quality, in line with Sanivac standards. Every service is carried out with rigor and a commitment to a job well done, in order to ensure safe, efficient and sustainable operations.
These principles have spanned generations and continue to guide each of the company’s decisions.
65 years… and the future ahead of us
Celebrating 65 years of history is taking a moment to measure the path traveled. It is remembering the beginnings, the challenges overcome, the defining decisions and all the steps that have allowed the company to evolve over the decades. It is also an opportunity to pay tribute to those who have helped build Sanivac, year after year, through their work, their commitment and their trust.
This anniversary is above all a moment of recognition. Recognition toward the employees who bring the company to life every day, toward the clients who have trusted us for sometimes several generations and toward the partners who contribute to our growth. But for Sanivac, 65 years of history do not represent a finish line.
It is rather a step in a journey that continues. The company continues to invest in its infrastructure, in its equipment and in the development of its teams. It also continues its efforts to improve its services, innovate in its working methods and respond to the needs of a sector in constant evolution. The projects are numerous, the ambitions are very present and the determination to continue progressing remains at the heart of the company’s vision. Strengthened by its experience, its teams and its values, Sanivac now looks toward the future with confidence and determination. The coming years promise to be rich in projects, opportunities and new stages of development for the organization. Thank you to those who are part of the story.
An anniversary like this is above all an opportunity to recognize the people who have helped build the company over the years.
Thank you to the employees, past and present, who have helped write each chapter of this story. From the first employees who supported the company’s beginnings to the new generations who now continue its development, each has contributed to shaping Sanivac as it is today. Through their commitment, their expertise and their pride in a job well done, they have allowed the company to grow and evolve year after year.
Thank you also to the clients who have trusted us for decades. Some have been with us for many years, sometimes even for several generations. Their loyalty and their trust have played an essential role in the company’s growth and continue to inspire our commitment to offer a service that meets their expectations.
Thank you also to our partners, suppliers and collaborators who work alongside us. Their collaboration and their trust contribute every day to strengthening the foundations of our organization and to supporting our development.
And of course, thank you to the Kelly family, who have carried this entrepreneurial vision for now three generations. Since the founding of the company in 1961, the family has passed on the values that still define Sanivac’s identity today : respect for work, commitment to quality and the constant willingness to go further.
Sanivac is :
- 65 years of commitment
- 65 years of innovation
- 65 years of teamwork
- 65 years of responsible growth
But above all, it is 65 years of a collective story built by people who believed in the project, who devoted their energy to it and who continue, even today, to move the company forward.
And this beautiful story is only just beginning. 🚀💪
