Jay Faubel started AAA Quality Services, Inc. in 1958 as a side project while working for a grocery company. In 1970, he quit his grocery company job to run the business full time.

AAA Quality Services, Inc. supplied port-a-potties for the Two Cities Marathon in 2016, one of many special events for which the company provides services.

This year, AAA Quality Services, Inc. is proudly celebrating over six decades in business. The company that started as a side business for husband and wife Jay and Viola Faubel has now grown into an expansive family-owned enterprise, offering a variety of services in five counties in California.

From 1958 to 2020

Jay and Viola started AAA in 1958, just a year after the two were married. Jay was also working for a grocery company at the time, and started AAA as a side project. Initially, the company focused on alarm and lighting services, and in 1966 Jay got his electrical contractor license. By 1970, he was able to quit his job at the grocery company to run his business full time. At that point, the company had grown to include five employees.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Jay expanded AAA’s capabilities by buying several other companies and merging their services into his company’s portfolio of offerings. He purchased a fire equipment company in Bakersfield, California,, expanding the alarm and fire equipment business into Kern County. Next, he bought a guard and patrol company, then a port-a-potty and septic business.

In 2007, AAA relocated its main headquarters from Visalia to Farmersville, California. Today, AAA operates out of five offices in four different cities. The company that started with just five employees now employs approximately 200, operates around 80 vehicles and contributes several million dollars to the communities in which it serves.

AAA’s offerings are diverse and also very compatible with the needs of the construction industry. The company provides everything from alarm systems, to fire suppression systems and related equipment, to electrical services, to portable restrooms, to a security guard and patrol program.

A Faubel Family Affair

The company started by newlyweds back in 1958 has now grown to include the couple’s two sons, Terry Faubel who is the port-a-potty department manager and Rex Faubel who works in maintenance and IT; two daughters, Sandra Theis who does payroll and Terry Thompson who does safety and training; and three grandchildren, AJ and William Theis, who both work in the port-a-potty department and Erica Lowry who is a payroll assistant.

As Jay puts it, “I’ve had the business as long as I’ve had the kids.”

The Faubel children and grandchildren are certainly dedicated to the business they all grew up in. Jay proudly describes how his grandsons show up wherever and whenever they’re needed—whether it’s installing fencing around a fire emergency at 8 p.m. at night or coming in at 5 a.m. to work on equipment. “They’re ready to go wherever they’re needed,” says Jay. “The family is the first to be called.” Sadly, Viola passed away in 2016, but the family remains firmly committed to the legacy of the business she and Jay built together. Jay says the loss of Viola was a blow to everyone, but “the business will continue on. The family will keep everything going.”

The Secret to Longevity

Jay credits the longevity of AAA to the loyalty of both the employees and the customers.

“We have quite a number of customers and employees that have been with us for over 20 years—they’ve done a lot to help keep us in business. We’re very proud of the fact we have longevity with both employees and customers,” he says.

As with any company that’s been in business as long as AAA, those who have stuck around have seen a great deal of growth and change. As an example of this, Jay points to one of his most tenured employees who recently retired after 38 years with the company.

“He was in charge of the repairs of all the trucks and cars,” says Jay. “He was the only employee I had doing that when he came to work for us. Now I have seven in that department, maintaining our vehicles.”

The company’s success is also owed both to its wide range of service and wide area of territory. “We give customers a full line,” says Jay. “The big thing for us is that we do so many things that the customer has a need for, and they can see that we have other things they can use as well. We have many customers that use two or more of our services.”

For instance, Jay explains, construction companies commonly find benefit in using both the port-a-potty services and guard service while sites are under construction. In addition, AAA Quality Services also offers temporary fencing, temporary power and storage containers, which fulfill common needs of their customers in the construction industry.

AAA Quality Services has also provided gate guard services for the Kaweah Delta Medical Center in Tulare County—both for its parking lot, as well as additional outside security for areas under construction at the hospital.

The Next 60 Years…

So what does Jay foresee for the company in the next 60 years? Definitely an ongoing need for all of AAA’s services.

“Our future lies in the fact that we have the kind of services people are going to need from now on. They have been necessary services from the time we started, and it’s ongoing,” Jay says, pointing out that there has never been a time when people haven’t been in need of security guards, for instance, and that everyone should have a fire extinguisher in their home or business.

“Our services never get outdated. Nothing we do goes out of style or out of date,” he adds.

In keeping up with the times, the services have been continuously upgraded. For example, when Jay first got into the port-a-potty business in 1990, the toilets were the bare basics. Today, AAA also offers modernized restroom trailers, complete with air conditioning and lighting. These trailers have their own water supply lines and operate on solar power so they don’t have to be plugged in—they’re ideal for special events, particularly those in more out-of-the-way locations, or even in emergency situations.

In the construction industry, in particular, portable restrooms are necessary assets that allow workers to remain on site, increasing productivity.

“There’s an ongoing future for the business,” Jay says. And in planning for the future, he is continuing to keep his eye out for new businesses to acquire and bring into the AAA Quality Services family.

If anything, the business the Faubels have built over the last 60 plus years will continue to remain steadfast in meeting the diverse needs of its customers. “We’ve been very successful,” says Jay, “and I’m proud of it.”