Looking to expand their business into the Niles area, Elkhart-based Borden WasteAway Service purchased Best Way Niles waste service Feb. 1.

“The distance for Best Way was a little too far from their core market, while at the same time we have had a presence in Niles for several years, but to a much smaller extent,” said Ken Himes, Borden Vice President. “We needed to grow and they needed to downsize.”

Borden has locations in Elkhart, Indiana, and Three Oaks, Michigan. It serves northern Indiana and southern Michigan.

“We are fairly prominent in southern Michigan,” Himes said.

Himes is a third-generation owner whose grandpa started the company.

“We aren’t a big national public traded company. We are local, family ran and raised.”

What does the acquisition mean for Best Way Niles’ former customers?

Not much, according to Himes.

“It is our intention to be as least disruptive as possible,” he said, adding that they would maintain the pricing, the service schedules and services levels for Best Way’s customers. “It really should be seamless.”

Himes said there have been some questions raised about the company’s service agreement.

Borden sent a mailer to customers explaining the acquisition and asking them to sign a three-year service agreement with the company.

Himes said they did that for two reasons: to validate information and acknowledge they have a customer.

Himes said if a former Best Way Niles customer is uncomfortable with signing the agreement, they will still provide them service.

“If it is a contentious issue then we will operate without it to prove that we are a good company and our service is good and that we are a good value,” Himes said.

The three-year service agreement came with a one-year price lock, leaving some who received the agreement wondering what would happen in years two and three.

Himes said historically Borden’s pricing cycles are usually every two to three years, meaning prices are not likely to change every year. However, he said it is possible that rates could go up around 2.5 percent based on a variety of factors, including the price of fuel.

“The pricing is very stable and I don’t have a plan to increase in year two or year three,” he said. “If there were to be one it would be minimal — less than 3 percent.”

Also, Himes said Borden would be willing to offer service agreements that are less than three years.

As for the company’s contributions to the community, Himes said Borden has been a big supporter of the Goshen Center for Cancer Care.