Pequot Lakes Sanitation began in 1982 when Ideal Corners resident, Dick Wilske, bought a truck and a small one day route from an area friend. Dick continued to run the growing business by himself until the area’s growing population made it seem like the right time to sell the majority of the route, (all but the Crosslake end) to son Robbie in 1995. Robbie continued to run the route solo with one truck until 2002 at which time he hired his first employee, Tim. Soon afterwards, while repairing a switch on the truck, a freak accident occurred resulting in the loss of Robbie’s foot and leg below the knee. An active firefighter with 25+ years of service to that date, Robbie handled the situation well, both at the scene and in the months to follow. Within two months he was fitted with a prosthetic, back in the truck and back to full time duties. The accident created a void in the office so Robbie’s wife, Taren, made the decision to sell her interest in a Landscaping/Garden Center business and join forces with her husband to operate the Sanitation business full time. Together they continued to grow the business, adding more employees both in the office and in the trucks. In 2006, they purchased Gull Lake Sanitation from long time friends Mike and Karen Bolz. Today they operate from a home based office, employ six people and operate five trucks.