Running Hot and Cold

Pumpers have a lot in common, no matter if they're a small mom-and-pop operation covering a 10-mile radius around their small hometown or a corporation with 50 employees and trucks spread across a large region

Pumpers have a lot in common, no matter if they're a small mom-and-pop operation covering a 10-mile radius around their small hometown or a corporation with 50 employees and trucks spread across a large region.

You all run into your share of septic tanks that haven't been pumped in a decade or more, treatment plants that throw up new roadblocks to dumping services, and the challenges of keeping up with new technology, everything from Facebook to GPS systems.

But geographically speaking, it's hard to imagine two pumpers farther apart than our featured contractors this month. Shamrock Septic Service and Casa Grande Pumping Service are separated by 3,714 miles. If Shamrock owner Pat Murray wanted to drop by and visit Casa Grande owner Rick Hall, he'd be behind the wheel for 63 hours and 10 minutes, according to road trip mapping service Mapquest. Although both pumpers live and work in America, Casa Grande workers could drive to Mexico for a lunch break, while Murray's crew can famously almost see Russia from their home base.

It's just a coincidence, but it's interesting that we'd pair pumpers in Wasilla, Alaska, and Casa Grande, Ariz., in the same issue of Pumper. It's fascinating to imagine how the priorities of these two pumping veterans differ depending on their vastly opposite climate and landscape. One is in the heart of the desert Southwest, while the other is a short drive from some of the worst winter weather served up anywhere. The contrast in working conditions show just how diverse the American landscape can be.

That these two companies use ingenuity to serve their customers effectively in such starkly different situations is something to celebrate. As these contractor profiles show, Shamrock and Casa Grande face many different challenges, but end up providing the same quality of service for their customers. No matter where you live, you've probably imagined how pumpers in either of these extreme climates get the job done. Now you can find out.

NORTH TO ALASKA

Murray tells writer Dee Goerge ("Green & Growing") that when he starting traveling to the Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo International in 1989, he was considered a novelty, and many curious pumpers would ask him about working way up north. He had to explain the special considerations caused by hard frosts and long hours working in the land of the midnight sun.

"Being light at night can work you to death. You don't realize it's late," he says. Murray notices it particularly when the emergency calls pile up and he's responding to one house after another. In winter, when the days are short, a cold snap or early spring thaw can wreak havoc with drainfields and equipment. It all keeps Pat and his wife, Charlotte, plenty busy.

"This is not a job; it's a lifestyle," Pat relates. "It's typical to work 18 hours a day. If Charlotte and I get in only 10 hours, we figure we should be
doing something."

The couple seeks a break in the work during holiday seasons, when Shamrock puts on special light shows. Decorations started with a massive Christmas display, but now cover several holidays throughout the year.

TUMBLEWEED CONNECTION

At Casa Grande, Hall takes pride in the wrench turning he and his crew do to keep an older fleet of vacuum trucks in tip-top shape. The dry, warm desert climate retards wear and tear on trucks, and while many contractors across the U.S. see corrosion and replace trucks every few years, Casa Grande drivers aren't afraid to jump in a 30-year-old tractor and head down the road.

As he tells writer Doug Day ("Forging Ahead"), the business has had its ups and downs over the years. The economic downturn tamped down a hot housing market and took away much of the portable sanitation construction work. But the fact that southern Arizona is one of the fruit baskets of the U.S. has meant a strong market for trailer-mounted restrooms used by
migrant workers.

All in all, Hall remains excited about the future of pumping.

"We're doing OK; we're blessed,'' he says. "We've always had plenty to do. There's always something to do in this business and you can create all kinds of different things if you want to work.''



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