At the 2009 Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo International, we asked readers what impact Pumper has had on the growth and development of their liquid waste businesses. They said the magazine offered a helping hand from business startup and continues to inform them about exciting new technologies in the industry. Here’s what a few subscribers had to say about Pumper on the eve of this 30th anniversary issue:
Andy O’Brien - Grand Bend Sanitation
When Andy O’Brien saw a copy of Pumper at a supply house in 1989, he knew he’d found a trusted business partner, and subscribed right away.
“I build a fair bit of my own equipment, and I gained a lot of knowledge from reading different articles over the years,” says O’Brien, the owner of Grand Bend Sanitation in Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada, a septic pumping and repair company.
“It always provides information about a lot of little things, like the way someone does something, and we follow it and make our business better.”
O’Brien recalls how he particularly benefited from an article written by plumbing-industry guru Frank Blau about determining the costs of doing business and how to adequately mark up materials and services. After reading the article, O’Brien attended a Blau seminar at a Pumper and Cleaner Environmental Expo International.
“If there’s one thing that really improved our business, it was that article and that seminar,” O’Brien says. “It made our business much more profitable. In 20 years, we went from one vac truck, 40 portable toilets and one pickup service truck to a fleet of 13 vehicles. We’ve built a fairly decent business on some principles I learned from Pumper 20 years ago.”
Phil Mathewson - Mathewson Companies Inc.
To gain an edge over competitors, Phil Mathewson relies on Pumper magazine.
“About eight years ago, I saw an ad for video inspection systems for smaller septic and sewer lines,” says Mathewson, president of Mathewson Companies Inc. in Hancock, N.H., a company that inspects and cleans sewer and septic lines, installs septic systems and does excavating and paving. “At the time, that kind of product was unheard of around here. I knew there were cameras made for larger sewer lines, but not for smaller lines at a reasonable price.”
Mathewson bought the camera, and it has provided a competitive advantage ever since.
“Before, repairing a (septic) line often times meant digging up a yard until we found the problem, which could cost $3,000 to $5,000,” he says. “Now we charge $300 for a camera inspection, then can usually do the repair for under $1,000. So the camera has really brought down the cost on the other end. Overall, it allows us to do more jobs per year, and do them much more efficiently. Pumper helps make us a smarter and stronger company.”
Robert Burns - B&B Drain Tech
Robert Burns started reading Pumper about 12 years ago, after he established B & B Drain Tech, a septic, sewer and drain services outfit in Milan, Ill. Since then, Pumper has consistently helped Burns boost his knowledge about the industry.
“It’s a good magazine,” he says. “I use it for my guys to study up. We read a lot of the articles about how other companies do things and how they save money, as well as good advertisements about new products. Then we come to the (Expo) to see how the stuff works. It’s really helpful to my business.”
Pumper provides Burns with new insights about running his business more efficiently.
“The biggest value is reading articles about the different ways people run their companies,” he notes. “For example, you might read about a better way to collect payments. Some of the ideas we read about we implement, and some we modify to fit our company and go from there. We use little pieces from here and little pieces from there. It’s made us a better company by far.”
Burns also uses Pumper to stay abreast of new technology.
“It’s very important to stay on top of everything, especially new technology,” he says. “If a new product comes out and if you don’t have it, by the time you find out about it, it may be too late — all your competitors have it, and you’ve lost out. Pumper helps us learn about new products that keep us competitive.”
Neil Bateson - Bateson Enterprises Inc.
“I’ve been reading Pumper for 15 or 20 years,” says Neil Bateson, the owner of Bateson Enterprises Inc., a septic services provider in Andover, Mass. “It’s a good magazine — very informative. It provides a lot of information about new products. The (buyer’s guide) is especially useful. I learn about everything from pumps to alarms to new kinds of filters.
“Without the magazine, I’d be scrambling all the time,” he continues. “It saves me from a lot of running around. The more information you have, the more efficiently you can run your business.”
Bateson credits Pumper with greatly improving his company’s productivity over the years. That’s because he saw an advertisement in the magazine for a pipe inspection camera.
“In Massachusetts, we have a law that requires a septic system inspection every time a house is sold,” Bateson says. “We have to dig up the cover and make sure the tank isn’t leaking … then find the D-box and snake it out and make sure it’s not corroded or deteriorating.
“Without any measurements, this can be a real bear. But the inspection camera, combined with a locater, saves me at least a couple hours on every job. The camera cost me about $4,000 15 years ago, and that was money well spent.”
Dominic Palazzolo - Illini Septic Service
For about 10 years, Dominic Palazzolo has relied on Pumper to help him make sound, cost-effective purchases of new equipment.
“I enjoy reading articles about the different pumpers out there and what they do, and all the different equipment they use,” says the co-owner of Illini Septic Service in Springfield, Ill. “But I really like how the magazine shows the different prices for pump trucks, so I can gauge the average prices that trucks are bringing on the market. It gives me an idea of what our equipment is worth.”
Palazzolo recently put that information to good use while he was considering the purchase of two new trucks for his business, which focuses on cleaning and installing septic tanks and pumping grease traps, as well as opening clogged sewer and drain lines.
“Basically, we kept seeing two different companies advertising their new trucks in the magazine, which gave us a good idea of what they were worth,” Palazzolo says. “When we came to the Pumper & Cleaner Expo, we bought two new pump trucks, based on what we learned from the magazine.”
