Industrial Customers: Can They Help You Clean Up in a Tough Economy?

A year ago, in the September issue of Pumper, I suggested adding industrial vacuum loading services for contractors whose traditional residential work was slowing along with the economy.

A year ago, in the September issue of Pumper, I suggested adding industrial vacuum loading services for contractors whose traditional residential work was slowing along with the economy.

The economic news isn’t brighter this year. Construction remains down in some parts of the country, while the entire U.S. economy has suffered through continuing bad news from financial institutions and the relentless march upward of fuel prices.

As of this writing, diesel fuel is approaching $5 per gallon and economists are throwing around a term you might recall from the 1970s: stagflation. The “stag’’ is an abbreviation for stagnation in growth, while the “flation’’ refers to the rising cost of basic things Americans need, including food, fuel and healthcare, among others.

On a positive note, many homeowners can’t put off pumping their septic tank, and most commercial businesses — like restaurants and car washes, for instance — need to keep their pits and traps clean to keep their doors open. While pumpers are not immune to the effects of an economic slump, it’s helpful to remember that the services they provide are often considered essential and not to be put off for too long.

The same holds true for industrial customers, who have no choice but to contract for required maintenance of power plants, etc. Seeking out the vacuum-loading customers is still a potential hedge against losses caused by a slowing in homebuilding or homeowners who will put off cleaning and maintenance work as long as possible.

This month we feature two companies that have expanded their industrial vacuum loading and commercial client accounts at a time when other parts of the industry have lagged.

Environmental Management Services Inc. of Davenport, Iowa, our cover story this month (“Bring on the Big Jobs,’’ by Scottie Dayton) is an excellent example of a young company that’s invested in equipment, training and loyal employees to succeed in any economy.

Owner Kelly Conger credits the company’s growth to never being afraid of a new challenge, identifying the right technologies to handle the work and an atmosphere of teamwork to get the job done. The company started decommissioning gasoline and paint storage tanks, then added planned outages at mines and power plants, non-hazardous industrial waste transportation and many other services.

Good workers, however, are a bottomline need, Conger says.

“My theory is to surround myself with good people,” he says. “Once I have them, they are my most important commodity because they make my company a success.”

Tony Papania took a completely different route to starting Rosey’s Tank Cleaning and Pipe Services Group, Blackwood, N.J. Papania was a car wash owner who couldn’t find anyone to clean out his pits. Rather than keep looking, he decided to get into commercial waste hauling himself. In a contractor profile on Rosey’s this month (“Up to the Task,’’ by Ken Wysocky), Papania explains how a few car wash pits expanded into a wide range of jobs, including cleaning tanks at municipal sewer plants, lift stations, catch basins, and, ultimately, federal Superfund toxic waste cleanup work.

“Instead of putting all our eggs in one basket, I figured we’d do a lot of different things,” Papania says of constant diversification that’s been the hallmark of his business. “That way, if something bad happens to one business sector, we won’t get hurt as much.”

Do you have the market for industrial vacuum loading and the wherewithal to purchase new equipment to perform these heavy-duty tasks? If so, maybe the time is right to diversify.



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