We founded VaVia because we saw an exciting opportunity to serve an unfulfilled need in the waste disposal business. About eight years ago, Phillip and his wife, Dana, founded the premium fashion brand, Peter Nappi. While enjoying and succeeding in the business, Phillip remained connected and ultimately returned “home” to the disposal and recycling industry – an industry in which he previously spent two decades.

With his new perspective, Phillip was able to spot the need for smaller trucks and containers in the roll-off business. Contractors needed more trucks that could navigate tight spaces and containers that could address new jobsite requirements. They also desired a higher level of service – an increased value that Phillip was accustomed to delivering to them in the past. In all of this, he also saw the opportunity to use technology for a smart, easy and polished solution for small contractors and residential customers.

Around this same time, John Crawford had moved to Alabama from Florida where he and a business partner had grown a small single-state business into a national enterprise. Once arriving at his new Birmingham home, he ended up with a garage full of items to dispose of. New to the area, he didn’t know where to start. Were there any small containers available? What about a local waste or recycling facility? He ended up loading everything in his Tahoe (not the vehicle for the job!) and drove thirty minutes one way, six different times to get rid of all of his unwanted items. There had to be a better way. If there wasn’t, there should be.