Dick’s Sanitation Service, Inc.

50 Years in the Making

It all started in 1966. After working for my father’s sanitation company – Chet’s Sanitation – for 6 years, I decided to start my own business. With some help from my father, I bought a route and one truck from Chet’s Sanitation. With this, Dick’s Sanitation was born.

My wife Mary Ann and I began the business with an office in our home in Lakeville. We were looking for a way to support the family – not necessarily become a large sanitation company. Dick’s Sanitation was servicing commercial customers in the St Louis Park, Minneapolis and Bloomington areas. In the late 60’s, the Lakeville City dump was closed and I saw a new opportunity. I wanted to provide service to the businesses in my Lakeville neighborhood. Airlake Industrial Park was just opening around this time and provided me the opportunity to do this.

In 1968, I realized it was time to purchase a second truck. I hired my younger brother to assist part time after school to handle the new Lakeville area route that I was doing in the evenings. In 1969, I bought my first new truck to replace one of my older trucks. The business continued to grow and in 1970, I purchased my 3rd truck to run it part time and as a backup for the other 2 trucks. Through the early and mid 70’s these 3 trucks were enough to provide quality service to Dick’s Sanitation customers while also allowing for new growth. Dick’s Sanitation kept on hustling up business until we added the 4 and 5th trucks in the late 70’s.

The next big event for Dick’s Sanitation happened in 1985. Dick’s Sanitation purchased Lakeville Sanitary and this proved to be a very important acquisition. The Lakeville Sanitary acquisition not only put Dick’s Sanitation into the residential market but it brought in 2nd generation family as we hired our oldest daughter Debbie to manage the Lakeville Sanitary billing, customer service, and dispatching duties. Our three other children, Tim, Sheri and Diane all followed their older sister into the family business. In fact, all four of our children are assisting us in making Dick’s Sanitation/Lakeville Sanitary the premier family-owned hauling company in Minnesota.

Today we currently employ over 125 employees and operate 90 trucks. Our company offers a wide variety of services, including: residential, multi-family, commercial, compactor, and roll-off services. Our strength of success comes from our good prompt service, clean safe equipment, and our overall good value for the services Dick’s Sanitation offers. As our industry changes through technological advances, stringent government regulations, and fierce competition, Dick’s Sanitation, Inc. will only become stronger and more proactive to our customers’ service needs.

Thank you for your ongoing loyalty. I encourage that if you have any questions or comments-please call us or even email us from our webpage. My family, along with my team of devoted drivers and staff are committed to making your service experience nothing but the best.

Serving you better,
Dick and MaryAnn Clemmer