Sept. 6, 2023

This paid piece is sponsored by Novak Sanitary Service.

Think of nearly every major event in Sioux Falls, and chances are they have one major service in common.

The recent Sioux Falls Airshow.

The upcoming Sanford International.

Every First Friday concert in downtown Sioux Falls.

Downtown Riverfest.

The St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

They all are serviced by Novak Sanitary, where team members put in long hours and deliver a service essential to a successful event.

“It’s one of those pieces you just naturally expect will be at a big event or festival, but it’s one that important for organizers to address,” said Pat Draisey, Sioux Falls district manager.

“You have so many concessions and vendors, and the trash and recycling has to go somewhere. So we like to help out where we can.”

Novak works with organizers on the logistics of trash collection at an event.

For instance, “if you guess you need 10 containers, you probably need 20,” Draisey said.

“Sometimes, there are other logistical challenges. At the air base, our team needed special security clearance to service the event. Sometimes in parks, there are enough bins for normal visitors, but when you add thousands more, you need to prepare for that.”

Novak starts the year with a calendar of annual events and begins working with organizers months in advance, while adding new events throughout the year. There’s no limit on what size event can be serviced.

“We provide all the equipment for them, and then they need a plan to empty them throughout the day,” said Rob Buxton, who works in contractor sales for Novak. “At the air show, for instance, they had 130 garbage carts and 130 recycling carts and were emptying them throughout the day. There are roll-off or front-load containers we bring for dumping, and then we schedule to empty them.”

Weekend events typically have trash carts delivered on Friday and removal on Monday.

Behind the scenes, “it’s a huge coordinated effort, especially with large events,” operations specialist Rhonda Martinez said.

“There’s a lot that happens before and after an event, washing containers and making sure everything is turned around to make it all happen. It’s a total team effort.”

And it makes a difference.

Jared Indahl, event manager for Downtown Sioux Falls Inc., worked with Novak for three block parties at the 8th & Railroad Center this summer as well as Riverfest.

“Working with Rob and having Novak involved in our summer events puts us in the position to host these events annually and allows us to have the post-event conversations to make next year’s event experience better,” he said.

“Nobody wants to go to an event where there’s littering or overflowing trash due to lack of bins. DTSF certainly does not want to host events where that’s an issue. We take pride in our downtown landscape and keep it a beautiful place to live, work and have fun. Novak plays an integral role in that goal with our events.”

It’s a point of pride for Novak, too, its leaders said.

“Being involved in the community is huge for us; that’s something Bob Novak was committed to from the beginning, so it’s been that way for well over 30 years,” Buxton said. “We see this as a way to help support the community and be a good citizen.”

While event support is small in the big scope of service Novak offers, “it’s really a good opportunity to give back,” Draisey agreed. “We’re able to do our part to make these cool events happen for the whole community.”

To learn more about how Novak can support your next event, call 605-338-7126.