Noble Carl

President

Gainsborough Waste

President of Gainsborough Waste since 1994.
Started roll-off dumpster service for Houston area construction businesses.
Developed new service options to address growing needs of customers.
Began his professional career in construction and homebuilding.

Noble Carl, President of Gainsborough Waste, does not just have an eye for details, but a mind for them as well. While others are satisfied with big-picture information, Noble wants to know the mechanics and processes behind every situation, down to every “how” and “why. This way, he can figure out a better way to handle every situation. The drive to “know” ultimately led him to create Gainsborough Waste, though entering the waste business was not exactly on his radar when he graduated from Texas A&M in 1987 with a degree in Construction Science.

After graduating from college, Noble moved to the Virginia area to work in commercial construction before joining his father to run Carl Construction back in Houston. The process to remove construction debris from his high-end residential job sites was unreliable and inefficient at best, so Noble came up with a better way to get the job done. And the Gainsborough Waste concept was born. He started off servicing his own job sites with a converted old Montalbano Lumber truck and 15 containers, and was able to quickly grow the business to other contractors through word-of-mouth.

Today, Gainsborough Waste is one of the largest privately-owned waste removal companies in Houston, and Noble has learned a lot in the 22 years his company has been in business. He has worked every single role in the company at some point along the way, from driver to dispatcher to mechanic, and he is passionate about running a company that is both clean and safe.

“One of my pet peeves is, when we are rolling down the road, I want us to look good. I want everyone in a uniform and I do not want us looking like a bunch of ragamuffins. It is an image that we are projecting.”

As a business owner, Noble describes himself as an excellent decision maker and prefers to operate with a “rule by reason, not by fear” mindset of reason versus fear or emotion. He goes the extra mile to make sure his customers are taken care of, no matter what.

“If we mess something up, we are going to fix it. If there is one thing that I want our customers to know, it is that we care, we want to do a good job for you for a fair price. We do not want to be the cheapest solution out there, but we do want people to know we are willing to go the extra step to take care of you.”

What did you want to be when you were a kid?

“Probably a rancher. That is why I can speak Spanish pretty well. So, when you have a choice to make in sixth grade, I knew at an early age that Spanish was going to be important, whether for lawn maintenance, construction, or ranching. There are not a whole lot of Frenchmen out there filling those positions!”

Before owning your business, what was the most unusual or interesting job you’ve had?

“The best job I had was ranch work. I worked for the V8 Ranch, which is in Hungerford, Texas. Sloan Williams got into a business partnership over a telephone call, and they bought 7,000 head of commercial cattle in one summer, and we worked all those cows. It was an awesome experience. I guess I worked for him for four different summers. We did a lot of driving because he had lease land all over the place. It was great.”

Paul R. Carl

President

Texas Outhouse

President of Texas Outhouse since 1999.
Started portable toilet service company to complement Gainsborough Waste.
Developed new service options for specialty and high-end events.
Began his professional career in construction and homebuilding.

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Paul Carl, President of Texas Outhouse, grew up in a family where owning a business was the family business. As a child, Paul’s father owned and operated a bank, and Paul had the unique opportunity to learn about many different types of businesses from his dad. Intrigued by this, Paul started his own construction business, PGC Builders, after graduating from Texas A&M in 1993 with a degree in Construction Science. PGC Builders specialized in homebuilding, then Paul eventually merged the company with his father’s construction company, Carl Construction.

Texas Outhouse was created when a need for port-a-can services arose after Paul’s brother, Noble, started the roll-off container business, Gainsborough Waste, in 1994. The two rented port-a-cans as an additional service to any roll-off container rental, and the business quickly took off.

“It was then that I decided that there was an opportunity to stop building houses and really focus on Texas Outhouse. I put all my energy into Texas Outhouse, and fortunately it began and continued to grow. We continued to make a lot of decisions, some good, some bad, but in the end more good than bad, because it continued to grow and continues to grow today.”

Paul credits his past experience in construction as a step toward helping him get to where he is today. He is passionate about being part of a solution to people’s problems, and wants his customers to know just how sincere the service is at Texas Outhouse.

“I want them to know that once they call us, and we have committed to providing service, we stand behind it. And that we are not perfect, but we will make it right. If someone is not happy with our service, I am the first to say we have got to make this right. I want them to know that our determination to meet and succeed their expectations is sincere. And know that they can call me anytime. We truly are all about providing an outstanding experience.”

One of Paul’s favorite parts about owning Texas Outhouse is providing service to special events. He loves being behind the scenes and making the difference in a great, memorable event experience. Though Texas Outhouse is a provider for many of the Greater Houston area’s most well-known special events, Paul’s favorites are Wings Over Houston and the Lone Star Rally. Through his disaster relief work at Texas Outhouse, Paul has also had the chance to assist with several major natural disasters across the country and loves the challenge of helping people in very difficult situations.

“You have no idea how bad our services are needed when there is no plumbing. To be a part of that relief effort is exciting, and it is moving fast and it is so satisfying to be part of a very much needed solution.”

Before owning your business, what was the most unusual or interesting job you’ve had?

“I had odd jobs. My jobs growing up were maintaining dad’s businesses. He had lots of rental properties, commercial and residential. I installed sprinkler systems at office buildings, at his bank, at rental property houses. It was always easy for me to have a job because there was always lots of stuff to be done growing up with my dad. And in college when I needed money, I would just throw my name in the hat at a staffing company and they would send me different things to do.”

What are you most passionate about professionally?

“I like having a business where people like to work. That means a lot to me. Many of our employees are very happy that they have landed here. I have heard a lot of them say that they wish they would have found us sooner. I like providing a place for people to work where they choose to stay and can support their families.

“I am also very passionate about being the company that people call when they have a problem. Even though it may not be exactly what we do, we accept the challenge and take pride in solving the issue for them.”

What do you like to do on your days off?

“On weekends, I love doing different outdoor things with my family, whether it is going out to our country home, or the bay or the beach. We are fortunate enough to have a variety of different places to go.”

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