When Jon and Gale Houseknecht established Sunset Septic & Excavating Inc. back in 1995 after buying a long-dormant septic-pumping business, they found themselves the owners of four trucks that came with the deal: an old vacuum truck, a step van, a dump truck and a flatbed truck. That proved to be three vehicles too many.

“Between fuel, maintenance and insurance costs, it was just too expensive to run so many trucks,” Gale says.

A former parts salesman for a truck dealership, Jon came up with a novel, cost-effective solution: Buy a Kenworth semi-tractor and use different trailers – including a large vacuum tanker trailer – to perform the company’s various services rather than maintain several trucks.

“Jon used to work for Kenworth, so he thought a semi-tractor would be the way to go,” Gale says. “This way, we keep one truck working well and use the trailers for versatility. Sometimes it scares people when they see a tractor truck pull in. But we won’t drive on their lawn. Overall, everything works out better for us this way.”

This common-sense, think-outside-the-box approach explains how the former farming couple has built a thriving business virtually from scratch. Their business philosophy centers on educating customers, pushing professionalism, shrewd marketing and branding tactics and cutting expenses through savvy use of equipment and land-application of septage.

 

GET OUT THE WORD

The couple took an innovative approach to marketing their new business, which was for sale after the original owner died in 1993. Effective marketing was a must because efforts to run the business after the owner died had failed, so its customers went elsewhere, leaving a business in name only.

“I was very nervous about buying the business, while Jon was more optimistic,” Gale recalls. “We didn’t do any marketing analysis. We knew there were three other major septic haulers in our area … and just took a chance.”

The acquisition did not include the name of the former company, so Jon came up with Sunset because yellow is Gale’s favorite color, and it was short, catchy and easy to remember. It also paved the way for an effective branding effort that includes bright-yellow T-shirt uniforms and a tanker trailer that’s painted a blinding yellow.

“It’s like a school bus,” Gale says. “We get great feedback from customers, who say they see it all the time, and that it reminds them they need to get their tank cleaned. We painted it ourselves – it’s very visible.

“The yellow shirts brand our business, too,” she adds. “We also wear name badges. I want us to look professional. I feel that it makes you look like you know what you’re doing – that we’re not some fly-by-night operator. We wear them everywhere, even when I go grocery shopping, to increase our visibility.”

The couple supplemented traditional phone book and newspaper ads by manning booths for several years at a local home and garden show and at the local La Porte County Fair. They gave away Sunset Septic pens, balloons and business cards and generated leads by holding drawings to give away free tank pumpings and loads of landscaping or driveway stone.

“That let people know what we were about … how diverse we were,” Gale says. “The county fair booth was very effective. A lot of people come to the fair and people are always looking for freebies. We did that for our first five years in business because it was so effective. Our kids showed livestock at the fair, so we were there anyway. That was probably our best marketing tool.

“Now we have several thousand accounts,” she adds, noting the company’s business volume breaks down to about 60 percent septic pumping and 40 percent excavating.

 

PERSONAL TOUCH

Another facet of the company’s common-sense approach involves customer education and personal attention. For starters, someone always answers the phone. “If people have waste coming up in their bathroom, they don’t want to leave a message on an answering machine,” she says. If she’s out on a call or quoting a job, Gale forwards the office phone to her mobile phone.

Gale says she almost always goes out with Jon to give new customers a quote and, while doing so, takes time to explain things thoroughly. The couple also recommends ways a homeowner can forestall an expensive system replacement.

“For new customers, I introduce myself and hand out a business card,” she says. “I always wear a yellow dress shirt. I also hand out a flyer that explains how a septic system works. If they’re having issues, I tell them to try this and try that and maybe you don’t have to replace the system.”

For example, she asks if customers’ children take long showers, or if there are any leaking faucets or toilets. Or she checks to see if the system includes diverter valves, often found on older systems, that Jon can use to switch to a different drainfield.

“People lose them or bust off the caps, so they usually don’t switch every other year from one area to another like they’re supposed to,” Gale notes. “But Jon is good at finding them. We troubleshoot the whole house and the whole system to try and save them a buck. And in today’s economy, our customers really appreciate that, and the fact that we spend time going out to give quotes.

“They like it that we explain things to them and educate them – and without looking at our watches every five minutes. Knowledge is power. If you educate people, they love it. To them, it shows we care about their problem, instead of just coming in and pumping and then asking them to write us a check.”

 

EXTEND COURTESY

The Houseknechts follow other courtesy protocols, too. For example, they always ask for permission to back onto a homeowner’s property. If the homeowner says no, they pump from the road. They stress safety, always checking for the presence of children or pets, and generally do everything they can to accommodate customers.

“When we take out the hoses, we rinse them off to make sure they’re clean,” she explains. “Then we cap off the ends of the hoses so they don’t drain and mess up a yard while we drag them back to the truck. And before we leave, we give them a yellow, truck-shaped refrigerator magnet that includes our phone number. On the magnet, we use a permanent marker to write down the date we pumped, so they remember when the tank was last pumped.”

The personal approach reaps dividends in the form of repeat business and referrals.

“That’s why we get so many referrals,” Gale says. “Jon always asks customers where they heard about us, and I’d say eight times out of ten, it’s from customers’ neighbors or friends.”

 

DO IT ALL

From the start, the Houseknechts employed a multi-pronged approach to septic services, performing pumping, excavating, installations and repairs. Not only does it provide more revenue streams, it also allows them to provide better customer service. Moreover, it helps persuade customers to use them because it’s easier to deal with one business that can supply all the services, as opposed to hiring different contractors for each, Gale points out.

“We felt it was important to provide all the services, just to follow through,” she says. “If we pump out a tank and find the system has failed, we want to be sure the customer gets a new system installed properly.”

Providing a variety of services requires a range of vehicles and equipment. Sunset’s inventory includes: a 1993 Kenworth T600 semi-tractor; a semi-trailer with a 3,500-gallon steel vacuum tank, made by Du-Mar Welding and equipped with a pump made by Moro USA Inc.; a 25-foot lowboy flatbed trailer made by Talbert Manufacturing Inc.; a custom-made “half-moon” demolition trailer; a Crust Busters tank agitator; three drain-cleaning machines made by Spartan Tool LLC; a John Deere 410G backhoe; a John Deere 450H bulldozer; a Hitachi EX120 excavator; a Prototek Corp. flushable sonde transmitter/locater; and a pipeline inspection camera made by Forbest Products Co.

The couple also recommends that customers use bacterial-additive products made by Lenzyme Inc. and relies on plastic leach field drainage chambers manufactured by Infiltrator Systems Inc.

 

TEAMWORK PAYS

Gale says running a family-owned business is rewarding. Their 23-year-old son, Cody, is a full-time employee; daughters Jonale, 25, and Aarie, 24, help out during summer breaks from college; and the couple’s youngest son, Colt, 13, also helps out during summers.

Gale feels fortunate that her and Jon’s skills mesh so neatly.

“Between the two of us, we can do just about anything,” she says. “Jon can fix or engineer just about anything. We don’t hire out for much of anything. What he can’t fix, I can, and what I can’t fix, he can.”

In the long run, the couple hopes their sons will eventually take over the business. She says Cody is already an excellent operator – a perfectionist, just like his father, who can carry on the family’s formula for success.

“We pay attention to details, we take time with customers, we care and we’re honest,” Gale emphasizes. “It’s that simple.”