Frank King admits that he was “as green as they come’’ when he started a pumping business in Lowell, Mass., in the 1960s. He didn’t know much about efficient pumping, and knew even less about the equipment necessary to do the job right.

When he needed a new pump for his first truck, he said a local contractor took advantage of his ignorance. “I paid $8,500 to have it installed. The guy ripped me off, big time.’’

Then the new Midwest Pumper paper arrived on his doorstep, helping answer some of his troublesome service issues and showing King that there were companies across the United States that specialized in serving his industry with trucks, repair parts and accessories. The information tables were turned. King felt enlightened.

“The first time I got the Pumper, it opened a whole new world to me. That magazine, point blank, became a bible for me on how to run my business,’’ recalls King, who still owns and operates Action King Services. “Once I got onto it, (the magazine) put me so far ahead of the other people. It lifted me up.’’

MAKING CONNECTIONS

Before the first Pumper was distributed in June 1979, contractors like King were left on their own to find and adapt to new technology. At the same time, manufacturers of products related to the liquid waste industry had no effective way to reach their market of hardworking service providers.

The unassuming — some might say rudimentary – Pumper newspaper brought the industry together as a cohesive unit. It shared timesaving technologies and products with contractors who toiled in towns large and small across America. It gave pumpers a forum to discuss better maintenance techniques, standards of professionalism and — perhaps most importantly — ways to better serve customers and the environment.

It’s undeniable that the paper, which evolved into the glossy magazine it is today, helped many manufacturers and suppliers grow their businesses by focusing on an unserved niche market of equipment buyers, according to Hank Vanderveen, a longtime salesman in the industry. But Vanderveen, currently with Amthor International, says Pumper has an important legacy in raising standards of professionalism in the industry, from the tech on the truck on up through the ranks.

Vanderveen recalls a day when pumpers didn’t follow health and safety standards, when seeing a clean, uniformed technician was a rarity, when trucks were often dirty and riddled with rust. After many years of Pumper featuring contractors who follow best business and environmental practices, however, examples of poor service providers are increasingly hard to find, Vanderveen says.

“Pumper has really educated the industry and improved the industry so much,’’ he says. “It has educated so many people about how to properly care for a septic tank, the groundwater and everything else.’’

In the early days, Vanderveen reflects, there was little concern over health issues, for example, with few contractors even wearing gloves while on the jobsite. It’s different today, and he gives some of the credit to Pumper profiles that showed companies doing things the right way.

“You see some very good operators out there that really run an excellent business. They’re very well-organized; they educate their employees and their customers and are doing a good job,’’ he says. “It’s with the education process that Pumper made a lot of difference.’’

PUMPERS RESPONDED

Rick Howe of Cape Cod Biochemical Co. recalls being skeptical about the potential for a trade publication for the pumping industry when he placed an ad for his products in issue No. 1. He didn’t know if the industry was ready to support the paper, and he frankly didn’t think much of the quality of the first eight-page issue. He’s happy 30 years later to admit he was wrong.

“The pumpers were really hungry for something like this. You could quickly see them solidifying around the paper,’’ says Howe, who has advertised in every issue of Pumper. He’s also been a part of every tradeshow sponsored by COLE Publishing, first called the International Liquid Waste Haulers Equipment & Trade Show, and now the Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo International.

“Pumper really set the standard as the industry grew, and started to see some of the problems that existed in the industry,’’ Howe says. He mentions the active role the industry took in forming groups like the National Association of Wastewater Transporters Inc., and advocating for smart environmental regulations through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“We speak with one voice and it’s a pretty big voice,’’ Howe says. “NAWT and COLE spent a tremendous amount of time with the EPA to formulate regulations everybody could live with.’’

According to Howe, Cape Cod Biochemical’s growth mirrored that of COLE Publishing, which started with Pumper, but now includes seven trade magazines and the Expo. Through the years, the magazine has played a key role in linking his business to customers, he says.

FAIR AND HONEST

Andy Gump Inc. had already built a reputation in the industry by the time Pumper launched, but Barry Gump, son of founder M.Z. “Andy’’ Gump, still found the magazine a revelation for its wide array of product advertisers. Gump recalls that it was in the 1980s when the publication started catching his eye.

“All of the sudden we realized there was a source of information that could be valuable to us. It’s a vast industry, and the Pumper has been a great resource, representing a lot of the companies manufacturing equipment important to our needs,’’ he says. “As (the magazine) expanded with features and articles, it was always enlightening and helped us with our decisions on how we could be better.’’

Gump has been proud to see his family company featured in Pumper several times over the years. Andy Gump was honored as an industry pioneer when the magazine celebrated its 25th anniversary. The younger Gump says the stories featuring his family are framed and on display at the company’s Santa Clarita, Calif., headquarters.

“If you’re fair and honest and do a good job, you’re like cream and you’ll rise to the top and people are going to like and respect you,’’ Gump recalls of advice frequently given to him by his father. “The Pumper has been like that for the whole industry.’