Startup’s success rooted in product-handling techniques

When Mark and Denise Houghtaling first looked at the 400,000 cu. yd. of green waste piled up on a lot in Fort Myers, Fla., they saw something others did not.

Instead of a massive liability, the couple saw huge potential for a business venture.

“To us, it was valuable because of all the material that could be turned into compost, mulch and other products,” Denise says. “It was a giant mess, but at the same time, it was something we believed could become a successful business.”

Today, that one-time “mess” in Fort Myers is thriving. The Houghtalings are now selling premium compost and other products to a variety of customers, including some of the major players in the green industry.

The combination of science and a streamlined manufacturing process, along with productive equipment and supplier support, has helped make MW Horticulture Recycling a prosperous enterprise.

Well-received business

In 2013, another company operated the 11.5-acre site in Fort Myers as a mulch facility. When the Houghtalings first looked at the property, the green waste that had been collected was not being processed.

With no equipment on site, raw material kept accumulating, creating an eyesore. The waste violated every ordinance imaginable, Denise says, and occasionally it caught on fire.

“The county, the city and the neighbors were very happy when we took over the property,” she says. “We had a plan to turn a bad situation into a positive one. After a tremendous amount of work and investment, I know we are on the right track.”

Because the company processes 100 percent of the material it takes in and turns it into a useful, high-quality product, there is little doubt the business is focused on producing compost.

“When we took over the facility, much of the waste material had been here for some time and was already starting to break down,” Mark says. “As a result, we were able to start making good compost within about 60 days.

“During our first year, our composting efforts were based on trial and error to get the science right,” he adds. “We talked with a lot of people in the business at the University of Florida Extension Soil Testing Laboratory and attended classes. Initially, we were not sure how good our product was. After the University of Florida called it ‘outstanding,’ we knew we were onto something. Others had the same reaction.”

The company was accepted into the U.S. Composting Council’s Seal of Testing Assurance (STA) program. The certification places MW Horticulture Recycling in the elite class of commercial compost producers who invest the time and resources to develop and test a safe, beneficial product.

“We take great pride in the compost we manufacture and sell,” Denise says. “Ours is one of the few true composting facilities in southwest Florida.”

Drop-off sites

Several hundred regular customers – landscapers, tree firms, lawn services, and site work and land-clearing companies – regularly bring their green material to MW Horticulture Recycling. All customers are private companies. No waste is accepted from the city collection.

One benefit of working with the Houghtalings is their two locations – one in North Fort Myers, Fla., and a second in the south part of Lee County. Sources are charged a tipping fee calculated by cubic yards rather than by ton. Free topsoil is also awarded depending on the amount of material brought in.

MW Horticulture Recycling has 12 employees in all. Lee Trevino manages the company’s southern location, while Mark’s sister, Theresa Houghtaling, manages the northern location. Denise says Trevino and Theresa have been with the company since the beginning and are an integral part of the company’s accomplishments.

In addition, Mark and Denise’s daughter Arlette Bransfield has been with the company since its inception.

According to the Houghtalings, all materials are dumped into a single location and quickly sorted by either a wheel loader or crawler excavator. Dirt, grass and sod go into one pile; hardwood such as pine and oak go into another; palm tree logs go into another pile; and palm tree trimmings and brush go into a main pile.

All foreign objects are removed. The Houghtalings say all the material the company accepts is recycled, keeping it out of sanitary landfills and converting it into a usable commodity.

Dirt, grass and sod are fed into a trommel screen and converted into fill dirt or topsoil. Hardwood is ground into three varieties of mulch. Palm trees are handled separately because they have a tendency to clog the company’s horizontal grinder. Then, palm tree grindings are sent through the grinder again, along with the green waste. That starts the composting process.

And that’s when Mark takes over, managing the 300,000 to 400,000 cu. yd. of material available at any one time between the two locations in Lee County. It takes Mark six to eight months to make a premium compost, he says. This is longer than some composters.

Mark follows strict guidelines to check piles, turning, watering, getting air to them, heating, cooling and combining old and new material. His goal is to maintain a temperature between 110 and 165 degrees during the manufacturing process. Maps and daily logs help Mark keep a close watch on the compost.

“Mark has the science of producing premium compost down,” Denise says. “We go through the process the right way, taking the time to ensure quality. That’s why our nutrient values are off the charts.”

Dependable equipment

While the Houghtalings say they have developed a successful formula for producing compost, they know they need productive equipment to be successful. Products from two firms – Doosan and Vermeer – match the company’s needs, they say.

“Both companies understand that we are like a manufacturing plant – if one piece of the puzzle goes down everything stops,” Denise says. “The reliability of their equipment is outstanding, and the support we receive from our dealers is invaluable. When we find a dealer and manufacturer we like, we stick with them. Both Doosan and Vermeer products are doing an excellent job for us.”

One Doosan DX300LC-5 and three Doosan DX225LC-3 crawler excavators – purchased from Synergy Equipment – work more than nine hours a day, five days a week and six hours on Saturdays. The fast, agile machines spend most of the time loading the grinding and screening equipment with a bucket-and-clamp combination. The excavators also fill trucks hauling material out.

On occasion, the excavators separate material as it is dropped off, using the bucket and clamp to selectively pick and place items into piles.

“The Doosan excavators are very solid, strong, dependable machines,” Denise says. “They fit our budget perfectly, especially with all they can do.”

The company also has Vermeer wood-waste processing and recycling equipment, including an HG6000TX horizontal grinder and two trommel screens – TR521 and TR620 models.

“With the large-capacity grinder, we can process about 180 cu. yd. per hour,” Denise says. “The dependable, efficient grinder moves on tracks between the various piles of material, which is important because of our limited space in the yard.”

Like the horizontal grinder, the trommel screens have the remote control feature.

“They are very efficient machines, easy to feed,” Denise says.

The Houghtalings expect the Doosan excavators and Vermeer processing equipment to continue to play an important role as their company grows. They see plenty of opportunity in southwest Florida to build on their success, especially as the economy continues to improve.

Paul Posel is a staff writer with Two Rivers Marketing, Des Moines, Iowa.