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What is the worst part of attending an outdoor event for any woman? According to Chris Christian of PortaJane Inc., it's the "60 seconds they have to hold their breath to use a portapotty." So when he and his friend John Oyler decided to change the world for the better, this was the problem they decided to tackle first. Thus was born PortaJane.

"The vision was to find a portable restroom that women would actually use instead of avoid," Christian said. "And that's what we've done." The idea was conceived by Christian at the 2005 Blues & Brews Festival in Telluride, Colo., and he has been working on it off and on ever since. Every time he considered putting the project on the back burner, Christian said, women he knew would remind him how much they hated using unisex portable restrooms at outdoor events, spurring him to take another step in the process of starting a business.

The for-women-only portable potty he created has a unique, bright pink exterior with a roomy, curved design and contains a self-flushing toilet, mounted mirror, coat and handbag hangers so nothing has to sit on the floor, "manicure-friendly" door handles designed to save nails, vanity shelves and optional hygienic, hands-free sink faucets. It also has an installed hover bar for those trying to avoid toilet seat contact.

Any other portable toilet design for women lacking such a complete package of amenities, says Christian, would be just a pink box.

Christian decided to name his product PortaJane and gave the company a catchy slogan: "Because John can't aim." PortaJane units stand nearly 8 feet tall and measure at the base 47 inches by 43.5 inches. They are manufactured for Christian's company by Allied Plastics in Twin Lakes, Wis. The first units were manufactured in July 2009.

The company also rents out unisex portable toilets that are dark blue on the outside and contain the same automatic features on the inside as PortaJane potties.

PortaJane made its debut in the VIP section of the 2009 summer Jazz Festival in Telluride, Colo., Christian's residence at the time. It was, he recalls, the talk of the festival.

From there, Christian decided to move to Las Vegas, a city that hosts many large-scale events, and make PortaJane his new career. He established company headquarters at 9050 W. Warm Springs Road in the southwestern valley, obtaining a Nevada business license in April of this year.

"I was a real estate agent. Now, I'm a portable restroom operator," he said with a laugh.

Joking aside, Christian said he's very proud of his product, noting that it's as green as it is pink.

"We are a green product," Christian said. "They're made out of a milk carton material. PortaJanes can be recycled. We put earth-friendly solution in the units. We don't use chemicals in them. Every time we rent a PortaJane, the renter can choose to give $20 from every unit used to a charity of their choice." To date, donations have been earmarked for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, German Shepherd Rescue, The Children's Hospital of Atlanta and others.

Even the arduous process of obtaining a patent for his creation (PortaJane holds a patent on an early model and currently has a patent pending for its second design) has not deterred Christian.

Despite the newness of the company, PortaJane is already supplying equipment for events all over Las Vegas. Judy Molnar, vice president of Iron Girl triathlons, raved about the PortaJane units she rented for a race at Lake Las Vegas in May.

"It was great to partner with them because it is such an amazing product for women," Molnar said. "We got such good feedback from the participants. My biggest hope is that (PortaJane) continues to grow because we want to use them at all of our Iron Girl events as they get bigger." The Ronald McDonald house in Las Vegas also used them at its Runnin' for the House 5K walk and 1-mile fundraising run last month. Participants entered the pink-and-white PortaJane units intrigued and came out expressing approval.

"I like that you actually have to flush it, so when you lift up the lid it's clean," said Tina Gehrig, a local woman at the Ronald McDonald event.

Christian says he believes positive word-of-mouth buzz generated at events using PortaJane facilities will keep his company growing.

"(Portable toilets) have been nasty and gross for a long time, and we're trying to change that," Christian said. "You can get a construction portapotty, or you can upgrade your event, make your patrons happy and get a quality product." So far, PortaJane units have been rented for government functions, local races and even small house parties. Christian hopes someday to franchise the business across the country, providing PortaJanes for major events such as the Kentucky Derby.

For more information about PortaJane products or to rent one for your next event, visit www.portajane.com or call (888) 810-5535.

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