For nearly a decade, Dustin Benzer believed he'd retire from Exxon. After starting at Trade Construction right out of high school, he worked his way through the ranks at a handful of other industrial plants and eventually landed at Exxon, one of the most stable and sought-after employers in the region. He completed a four-year apprenticeship, earned regular raises, and after five years on shift work, moved inside as an Operations Controller. With union raises, a pension, and healthcare coverage, he had what many consider the dream setup.

“The best part of Exxon was the camaraderie, hands down,” Benzer recalls. “But I never knew when I’d be off. I couldn’t take my kids to school, coach their teams, or go on family vacations without stressing about blackout dates,” the father of five says.

That tug toward family life—and the flexibility to actually enjoy it—got him thinking about making a switch.

While helping his wife Lizzie, longtime Realtor and owner of the Red Door Group, flip houses, Benzer grew frustrated with the lack of reliable dumpster services. “We couldn’t get them when we needed them,” he says. That’s when the lightbulb went off–Benzer decided it was time to throw it all away. 

He launched Parish Dumpsters while still working at Exxon, juggling both for a year and a half. He started with just three dumpsters, reinvesting profits into the business to build up his inventory. Today, he’s got a fleet of 70, and they’re all rented out.

Balancing business ownership with family life hasn’t always been neat, but it’s been deeply rewarding. “After our fifth baby was born, I’d take her on the early morning shift. I’d feed her a bottle at 5 a.m., she’d fall back asleep in her carseat, and we’d head to the landfill,” he says. “The big kids love it—they want me to bring a dumpster home every day just so they can go dumpster diving.” When he reached the point of running dumpsters from 5 a.m. until 6 p.m., he knew it was time to hire someone. 

Parish Dumpsters now serves Greater Baton Rouge and Southwest Mississippi, with regular routes to places like Hammond. Benzer has one full-time employee and two part-timers, plus a fleet of two roll-off trucks and a company truck—CDL required. He’s learned the ropes of logistics, time management, and customer service the hard way, including the occasional dumpster dropped at the wrong house or a close call involving property damage.

But his business is thriving thanks to a straightforward, no-nonsense approach. Customers can rent online and keep dumpsters as long as needed. “We have a quick turnaround, great service, and no middleman. When you call, you’re talking to the guy who’s bringing the dumpster.”

Benzer officially left Exxon in 2022. While the transition to self-employment has come with new challenges, he says it’s worth it. “People get scared of not having a weekly paycheck, or having to figure out insurance. But the insurance isn’t that much more expensive. It’s the insecurity that holds people back.” 

If there’s a moral to the story, it’s this: don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. It might just lead to the clean break you’ve been hoping for.