C. Martin Trucking sells business to Rumpke

MEDINA — For years, competitors would inquire to see if owner Curtis Perkins was interested in selling his business, C. Martin Trucking. Perkins, 66, has worked for C. Martin Trucking for 51 years, the last 37 as owner. His uncle started the business in 1946. "Normally, I'd say, 'Not interested,'" Perkins said Tuesday. "This time, I said I'd sit down and talk." As of Monday, Rumpke Waste Services took over the trash hauling business, located at 5604 Lafayette Road. Perkins' business hauls trash in Medina, Cuyahoga, Summit, Ashland and Wayne counties. "This has been on my mind for about a year," he said. "It was real serious the last two or three months. Timing is everything." Perkins, who has lived in Medina all of his life, said he's been told his customers will be taken care of. "The service levels should remain the same," he said. "That's what I'm told." There were 21 employees at the business. All but three have remained on the job. "I'll miss the customers," Perkins said. "Some of my customers have been with us 40 or 50 years. I'll miss the work." He said he went to bed at 6 or 7 every night, except for Mondays, when he stayed up to watch Medina City Council meetings. Even though he no longer has to get up so early, he said his body wakes him up at 2:30 a.m. every day. "We'll see how that goes," Perkins said. But Perkins is not calling it a "retirement," even though it's the word being used by friends and acquaintances. He said the passing of his son, Curtis Jr., had little to do with his decision. His son was killed in a traffic accident recently in Lafayette Township. "I'm going to change course," he said. "I've worked with my granddaughter the last four or five years. I'd really like to get in another business with her. I don't know what that is." Perkins said in the last 50 years, he's never taken a full week's vacation with his wife, Patricia. That's going to change, he said. He wants to take a trip on Route 66, from Chicago to California. He also wants to visit Cuba and "be on the street with all those old cars there." Contact reporter Bob Finnan at (330) 721-4049 or rfinnan@medina-gazette.com.