The Scion Group Saves Hundreds of Maintenance Hours Each Month Through Valet Trash Partnership

What Was Happening

The Scion Group is the nation’s leading owner and operator of off-campus student housing: 141 communities in 35 states, each housing from 100 to more than 1,800 residents. Student housing is hard to keep tidy, and before Ally Waste, Scion’s valet trash providers weren’t making it easier.

“Our biggest problem was missed pickups, and sometimes incomplete service [and] poor communication from previous companies we had worked with,” said Margaret Hanson, Director of Contracts and Compliance for The Scion Group.

Valets didn’t always arrive on schedule, and they didn’t consistently complete reports or communicate with onsite staff. “It was hard for us to actually track what they were doing because they weren’t reporting that to us,” said Hanson. When a job was left incomplete, Scion’s maintenance teams picked up the slack.

What Ally Waste Changed

Scion considered six valet trash companies. It chose Ally Waste for its responsiveness, its reputation, and its willingness to fit the service to each community rather than treat the portfolio as one account.

“One of the main reasons we chose Ally Waste was their willingness to work with us to ensure that, even under one master agreement, they treated each community based on its unique needs,” said Hanson.

Ally Waste now provides valet trash for many of Scion’s communities nationwide, with:

• Valets who arrive on schedule and complete the service.
• A nightly report for Scion’s stakeholders, with before-and-after photos and notes on anything that needs attention.
• A district manager as the single point of contact for each community.

“I was looking for a team that not only responded quickly but also felt like a true partner,” said Hanson. “I spoke with executives at [other] competitors, and while they were friendly, they didn’t show the same level of investment or compassion for what they do and for improving both sides of the relationship. The Ally Waste team really stands out in that regard.”

What Happened

“We’ve seen a huge increase in improved service reliability,” said Hanson. Ally’s district managers “respond quickly and jump on issues right away, which has made life easier for our office staff and residents,” Hanson added.

Scion’s maintenance teams are saving at least 3 to 4 hours a day that used to go to trash, which adds up to hundreds of hours a month across Scion’s communities.

“It really has cut down on our maintenance team having to spend part of their day to deal with the trash,” said Hanson. “[The maintenance staff] are not having to come in and clear the trash off of the porches or remove the overflow left behind from previous companies.”

“It’s allowed our team to focus on other tasks and not have to put their time into the effort of keeping the property clean,” said Hanson.

“The takeaway is that it’s been a pleasure to working with the [Ally Waste] team. Everyone we have interacted with, from the valets on up to the CEO, have been great in caring about our company, taking an interest in Scion, and seeing how they can help make us better and serve our residents in the best way possible. That means a lot to us.”

Ally Waste employs more than 900 W-2 employees nationwide. See how valet trash works, or get a quote for your community.