Jonas Kreitzer named Business Man of the Year by Schuylkill Chamber

Schuylkill County, PA “Schuylkill News” – July 2009     Live life with a purpose. That’s ths philosophy of Jonas Kretizer, the General Manager of Kreitzer Sanitation, who was recently named “Business Man of the Year” by the Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce.  

According to a statement in the June 2009 issue of the Chamber’s Communication publication as to why Jonas was selected for this title, “Jonas has taken an existing family business and grown it ten-fold.”

The Chamber actually has a whole list of criteria that it uses as a guide to make the selection, says Executive Director Robert Carl, Jr., It is a very involved selection committee process, he adds.

Jonas says he is humbled by the recognition and he attributes his success to a supportive wife and family and a strong faith in God.

“The parable of the talents (in the Book of Matthew Chapter 25) is a rallying cry for us,” says Kreitzer, with regard to the way he conducts his business. “I believe that each day we’re entrusted with the time and resources and we need to make the most of those opportunities.”

Jonas’ father, Richard B. Kreitzer, actually started the company in 1972 in the Kreitzer hometown of Frackville. It  ran as a 1-2 truck operation for 34 years, says Jonas. But in 2006, Jonas decided to cash in his 401K and leave the safety and security of a corporate job at Nestle in Allentown, in order to grow the existing business.

“Everyone thought I was nuts at the time,” recalls Jonas, adding that he saw “a real potential to grow the family business” and his faith is what ultimately guided him to take the risk, he says.

And now,  just three years later, the customer base of Kreitzer Sanitation has grown substantially, as it now takes twelve trucks (and counting) to operate its waste removal and recycling service, with  revenue of ten times what it used to be. Jonas also has three brothers, Rich, Josh and Jesse, who also work in various capacities within the company. His father, Richard, is now semi-retired, but also helps out when needed.

“Our success has been a team effort involving our route manager, Mike McDonald, and all of our employees,” says Jonas. “We have also have Donna Marceau of Strategic Design Associates managing our web and marketing programs.”

Kreitzer Sanitation currently has contracts with thirteen municipalities, including Schuylkill Haven, Cressona, Frackville, Minersville, and Orwigsburg. They also serve over 22,000 individual homes throughout the countries of Schuylkill, Carbon and Berks.

“We’re hoping to press on and continue to grow in this market as we provide quality service to our customers and a responsible approach to waste removal, ” says Jonas Kreitzer, who looks forward to serving businesses, municipalities and families alike, for many years to come.

Posted: Wednesday, July 1st, 2009 @ 12:00 am
Categories: Kreitzer Sanitation News.
Subscribe to the comments feed if you like. Both comments and pings are currently closed.