It’s been 30 years of bringing the liquid waste industry together to build a proud profession with high standards and leadership in environmental ethics and practices; not a bad track record for the Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo International. We talked with some of you about why you keep coming back, and you told us there are many reasons:
“I think I started coming to the show in 1984-85,” remembers Don Couper. His company specializes in wastewater hauling, mobile dewatering and landfill services in metro Houston. He was mainly interested in keeping up with new equipment and technology. “I try to go at least every other year to see what’s new on the market. It gives me a lot of ideas.”
He’s not only looking at the new “toys” available and how much they cost, but also seeking options for new revenue streams he might be able to generate while taking care of his main business lines. He’s always looking for ways to develop his own economies of scale by leveraging existing equipment and personnel with new products.
“I think a lot of competitors are coming to the show,” he says, based on having seen colleagues from his own market at the Expo year after year. But for those who don’t show up, Couper thinks there’s a real danger of being left behind. Right now, he’s keenly interested in keeping up with new developments in the dewatering process.
For instance, at one show Couper picked up information on a biosolids management process he uses to turn treated waste into a pH-boosting soil supplement. End result: He makes money on the processing and the end product is an environmentally friendly, useful agriculture additive.
Operations Manager Lori Rennie has attended five or six Expos as a fact-finding mission for her company, which provides septic pumping and portable restrooms. She says, “The best part about it is that you get to see everything in one place: lots of different products and vendors, and being able to talk to other people in the industry who aren’t your competitors.”
She starts her Expo week by attending Wednesday Education Day, before exhibits open on the show floor, to learn what to expect from new services the company may be considering, and to seek other “research and development” knowledge. It’s part of an ongoing effort for Shingle Street Septic to diversify into related areas.
Anton El Hage has been coming to the Expo since its very first show, which has kept him in the know when diversifying his company. And diverse it is, offering installation, inspection, repair and pumping of septic systems, as well as sewer and drain cleaning, jetting, dye-testing and video location.
“It’s a very valuable show, not just for the new products and services, but also for the education. That’s very important,” he says. “Professional pumpers want to be more in tune with what their field is doing. They want to be more knowledgeable about good business, and this is the place to learn it.”
El Hage says he believes most Expo attendees are smaller, “mom and pop” operators, and that they can benefit from the large gathering of pumpers like themselves and larger operators who have already been through some of the growing pains they may be experiencing.
“It really gives them the opportunity to network with other companies to assess problems they may run into and learn from others how to correct the problem. It helps to find you’re not the only one running up against something.”
He says this kind of networking helps decrease feelings of isolation not just from other peers but also from friends and vendors. “It’s a real boost for the rest of the year to be able to see people you’ve talked to face-to-face.”
He finds Education Day sessions valuable not just for himself, but also for his employees. He’s looking forward to sending employees to next month’s show in Louisville, particularly to some of the business and financial classes, hoping to develop their skills and value to the company.
He finds the investment of time, energy and money also pays off in the long run. “You get a lot of new technology ideas that you may not implement this year, but that will help you make good decisions down the road.”
El Hage also feels his many years of attendance have helped him develop a solid strategy to maximize his time on the show floor. He always spends three days at the show. The first is basically a thorough walk-through of the entire floor, assessing what looks new, interesting and innovative and what applies to his business. The second day, he begins planning who he needs to talk to and the products he’s most interested in. Day three is deal-making day if he’s narrowed his interests down to a certain piece of equipment or new technology.
Throughout Expo week, El Hage keeps on the lookout for new business acquaintances. He’ll chat up other contractors, considering them as potential referral colleagues for out-of-state work or related services he doesn’t offer, or for vendors. “You want to size them up, because you want to feel good about who you’re making referrals to.”
