Customer education begins in the homeowners’ back yard, asserts Jay Stone of Stone Excavating in Plymouth, Ind. And that special concern for keeping customers in-the-know about how their onsite systems work builds a reputation of integrity for this small, family-owned company.
In 2006, a desire to install onsite systems that lasted the lifetime of the components motivated Stone, 58, to learn about advanced treatment technologies. He became a pacesetter in Marshall County at a time when pump and haul and using less water were the only solutions to system failures.
In response to customers requesting pump-outs and system maintenance, son James, 31, developed the company’s pumping division. Today, he hauls 500,000 gallons of septage per year and, along with his father, conducts onsite inspections for real estate transfers. Son Joe, 26, heads up drain cleaning, while brother Josh, 21, helps evenings and weekends. Jay’s wife, Charlotte, helps in the office. The only non-family employee, Lee Ulmer, handles the portable restroom service.
To increase efficiency and meet residential pumping demand, the company ordered a 2010 International with 3,600-gallon stainless steel tank (200 gallons fresh) and a 400-cfm Masport pump from Best Enterprises Inc. The graphic-wrapped vehicle, on display at this year’s Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo International, drew accolades from attendees. The flashy vehicle now attracts potential customers wherever it goes.
GETTING STARTED
Growing up in his father’s excavating business was all the help Jay Stone needed to start his own company in 1977. “Dad had stopped installing onsite systems, but customers still asked him to do it,” Stone says. “I saw an opportunity to fill the void and opened J & J Excavating when I was 25.”
Stone bought a skid-steer with backhoe and specialized in onsite installations, repairs, and small site work jobs. When his father passed away in 1988, the family changed the company name to Stone Excavating in Harold’s memory.
Most installations in the 1980s and 1990s were conventional gravity flow systems. When they failed, Stone could do little to help his customers. “Dad built part of the company’s reputation on his ability to find answers when no one else could,” Stone says. “I was determined to continue that tradition.”
In 2006, Stone visited AK Industries Inc. in Plymouth. The company, which manufactures plastic septic tanks, had just purchased Hydro-Action Industries aerobic treatment systems with aeration and clarification compartments. Stone also visited Aero-Tech, another Plymouth-based company manufacturing aerobic treatment units (ATUs) that use the extended aeration-activated sludge process. He became certified to install both products.
Today, repairs of failed systems are so numerous that the state Department of Health has told county health departments to use their best judgment. “The local regulators are well informed and interested in new technologies because of our lakes,” Stone says. “Home sites are at a premium, but all lots have limited space. If contractors can install working systems, it’s a real plus. Regulators recognize that.”
Stone has always included the Department of Health in solving installation issues. He challenges officials to come up with ideas before presenting his. If they disagree with his solutions, he asks for theirs. “When they find themselves at a loss, they become more receptive to our suggestions,” he says.
Stone Excavating installs about 30 onsite systems per year, but most are repairs. “They often fail because contractors use installations as learning experiences,” Stone says. “They don’t compact the soil sufficiently, causing laterals to settle and thin-walled pipes to crack. We prevent that by backfilling with No. 8 stone. We also install effluent filters, although the code doesn’t require them.”
WE CAN DO THIS
System repairs included pumping tanks to evaluate their condition. “Whenever we hired a pumper, we ended up helping him do the work,” James Stone says. “I felt silly having other people pump and do maintenance when we knew how. Furthermore, our customers were asking for those services. I urged Dad to get into these fields, and he put the responsibility on my shoulders.”
In 2003, the family bought a 1997 International with 2,600-gallon tank, Masport pump, and jetter from Quality Tank Trucks and Equipment. “Marshall County has 47,000 people, many with onsite systems, but the population is sparse enough that it doesn’t overwhelm us,” Stone says. “Plymouth is in the middle of the county, which is almost square, so our 20-mile service radius takes us to the farthest corners in about 20 minutes.” Residential and commercial customers, mostly restaurants, are split 70/30.
Like his father and grandfather before him, James Stone spends as much time as possible educating homeowners during pump-outs. “We’re seeing a lot of people moving from town to little subdivisions,” he says. “They’ve never owned an onsite system and are curious. Educating them that ignoring maintenance causes future larger-dollar problems is good for my business and for my competitors.”
Inspecting baffles, homogenizing solids and checking the entire system is why the company charges more than the competition for pump-outs. Since most are done through the riser, Stone uses a cheap underwater, battery-operated fish-finder camera with monitor to inspect the baffles and structural integrity of the tank. “Dad bought it on eBay because our MyTana drain-cleaning camera is too bulky to haul around on the truck,” Stone says.
With no regulations requiring routine tank pumping, the company includes maintenance sheets with the dos and don’ts of septic systems in invoices and receipts. Most customers, on the computer’s running calendar, receive one-, two- and three-year pumping reminders. “We call first to verify that they still want us to service the tank,” Stone says. “Often, we find new owners in the home and they have no record of when the tank was pumped last.”
The company does little marketing. “If you take care of people and do a good job, they will use your services,” Stone says. “Our strongest advertisement is happy customers telling friends about us over clam dip and chips.”
NO STONE UNTURNED
Stone often noticed that the first professional on the homeowner’s property wound up doing the repairs. “You can’t troubleshoot problems without pumping the tank,” he says. “The pump truck enabled us to compete. Even finding minor problems during a routine pump-out is an advantage for customers.”
Before Stone even realized the business was out there, people began requesting real estate transfer inspections. “Getting our foot in the door wasn’t hard once we had the truck and I became certified,” he says. Stone averaged 20 inspections per year until the real estate bubble burst. To gain back and expand that business, he joined the North Central Indiana Association of Realtors. “Being associates, brokers are more apt to call us,” he says. James became a certified inspector in March.
Another business opportunity resulted when the company had requests for portable restrooms at jobsites. “We bought 10 PJN3 units from PolyJohn Enterprises Corp. and it snowballed from there,” Stone says. This led to the purchase of a 300-gallon skid-mounted vacuum unit from Best Enterprises Inc. carried on a 1999 Mitsubishi cab-forward truck.
Then homeowners began asking for units at weekend events. Stone bought 20 PolyJohn Fleet models with hand sanitizers. He also won the contract to provide portable sanitation for the Plymouth Latino and Yellow River Festivals.
To improve efficiency, the family built a 3,000-square-foot pole barn with three truck bays and an office in 2008. The shop made it easier to maintain the vehicles, and moving the office out of the home helped separate Stone’s personal and work life. Then another boost in efficiency appeared on the horizon.
By 2009, James Stone was pumping 500,000 gallons of septage per year and running the wheels off his truck. It was time to upsize. The family ordered the 2010 International from Best Enterprises, and Stone worked with Josh Wakeland of IE Signs and Graphics in Plymouth to design the vehicle wrap.
“We wanted a unique design that caught people’s attention,” Stone says. “We also wanted our name in the same font that was on the first truck, and to color match the lettering with the blue on the new truck.” Wakeland followed the company’s red, white and blue or silver color scheme by modifying an American flag for the background, then overlaid the letters. The wrap was printed on clear self-adhesive vinyl 16 feet long by 6 feet high.
HONOR BOUND
“The truck enables me to make multiple stops before dumping,” Stone says. “I can pump seven tanks, eat lunch, and return to the shop by 2:30 p.m. That would have taken all day with the old truck, but now I could even pump another two or three tanks before coming in.”
The third generation of Stone Excavating is steeped in its foundation of integrity and good service. “My father did an excellent job teaching us that your word is your bond,” Stone says. “Even if you have to take a loss on something, it’s better than tarnishing your honor. That philosophy has been very important to the success of our business and will remain so.”
