Zella's Trash Service was established over 40 years ago by a man named Dewey Halbrook,
who named his company after his German wife, Zella, whom he adored.
The Halbrook family owned and operated the company until 1984, when my dad, Larry Phillips, with the support of his wife and my mom, Sylvia, bought it. Since Zella's brand had already been established in the community, my dad decided not to change the name, though he did institute yellow and black as our company colors.
When my dad bought the company, it only had one truck with two employees. However, since the purchase of Zella's, God has blessed it substantially. As a result, Zella's has grown to have twelve trucks and twenty employees, with my dad debuting commercial dumpster services and roll-off containers while expanding into new service areas.
I grew up around the business but officially joined the team in 2005, working part-time in the office. After graduating from Harding University in 2007, I began working full-time as the Office Manager. My husband, Justin, joined the company as a driver in 2010 after he recovered from being injured on his tour in Iraq. In 2012, my husband and I made the decision to incorporate.
Like Dewey and his family many years ago, and my dad after him, we wanted to maintain the family-owned and operated tradition. So, becoming part owners of the company, my husband and I worked alongside my dad, Larry, who still served as President of the company. I remained the Office Manager, and Justin remained the Shop Manager and a driver.
In July of 2015, while planning his retirement, my dad passed away. Although the loss saddened us, we realized the time had come for Justin and I to step up and operate the company thoroughly, continuing to maintain the high standards my dad had set before us.
In the years ahead, we plan to continue to grow our company and serve our customers with the reliable and personal service they have come to know and expect from our company.
