Even when Deshotels, 46, makes time for fun and recreation, he still finds ways to earn a little money from it. For instance, his hobby since age 15 is wrestling and tying up wild hogs each winter, and selling them to nearby hunting preserves.

Landowners often call Deshotels to remove problem hogs that root up fields, destroy plants and eat crops. In fact, wildlife agencies nationwide are increasingly alarmed as wild hogs expand their range and population. States with feral hogs usually allow year-round hunting seasons with no bag limits in hope of controlling them.

Not everyone wants them shot, however. In some cases, Deshotels and his friends subdue hogs other groups couldn’t live-capture. Among the largest hogs they’ve caught are 400- and 500-pounders, but most run smaller. By removing ornery hogs from one property and releasing them where they’re valued for their meat and hunting opportunities, Deshotels satisfies two customers at once. Depending on the hog’s size, he earns $50 to $300 per pig when releasing them inside a preserve the same day they’re captured.

But Deshotels says this is more about sport and heritage than profit. His father learned the craft during the 1930s for food and profit, and passed the expertise onto him. Likewise, Deshotels taught those skills to his son. The tradition resembles those of families who have hunted alligators for generations.

“This is an extreme sport,” Deshotels says. “I don’t carry a gun. We look forward to finding a worthy opponent; one that makes you pay attention. Sometimes we get chased; sometimes we get beaten up. You’d be amazed how motivating a 400-pound wild hog can be. You’ll run faster and jump farther than you ever have in your life when a big one gets after you.”

DIVERSE PUMPING SERVICES

Leave it to Deshotels to embrace a hobby requiring work, willpower and an occasional butt-whoopin’. He likes challenges requiring versatility and quick thinking. Consider the diverse services he provides as owner/operator of Big Mamou Bio-Solids Inc., and Luke Deshotels Construction in Mamou, La.

For starters, Deshotels’ companies install, pump, clean and inspect septic tanks. They also sell equipment for septic tanks, and sell and repair septic-tank parts. At the same time, they build Hoot Home Sewer Treatment plants for rural residents, and clean grease traps and rent trailer homes. And if that’s not enough work, they built and operate their own wastewater treatment facility, where they process 20,000 gallons of septage, grease-trap and portable-toilet wastes daily.

No matter who calls or the nature of the job, Deshotels and his crew have the trucks, equipment and expertise to help. Their primary trucks are a 2005 Sterling LT 8500 with a 4,000-gallon Progress aluminum tank and 400-cfm Wittig pump. The rig was assembled by Tri State Tank. The truck also carries a Water Cannon jetter system. They also use a 2005 International 7600 with a 4,000-gallon steel tank and 300-cfm Wittig pump and a Harben jetter system from Presvac Systems Ltd. Their standby truck is a 1995 International 4900 with a 2,500-gallon steel tank and a 300-cfm Fruitland pump built by LMT Inc.

HUNTING HOGS

When it comes to chasing and catching wild hogs, Deshotels says it’s all about his dogs, not his trucks. Yes, pickup trucks carry him, his friends and all-terrain vehicles to the properties they hunt. Pickups also carry captured hogs to their new homes after successful chases, but none of that’s possible without trained hunting dogs.

And who trains the dogs for their demanding work? Deshotels, of course. He prefers a tracking breed called the yellow blackmouth cur. The dogs have a bit of hound bred into them to boost their endurance and determination.

“You don’t just pick up a dog off the road to hunt hogs,” he says. “You need good ancestry in your hog dogs. After you turn them loose, they stay silent while tracking. If they start barking too soon, that pig will run all the way to Texas. They don’t start baying until they get the hog to stop.”

Deshotels releases three curs to find a hog’s scent and track it to the source. Some tracking jobs are as brief as five minutes and as short as a quarter-mile. Others, however, require Deshotels’ crew to return to their trucks or hop aboard their all-terrain vehicles. In extreme cases, they’ll roam the back-roads for up to five hours and cover 15 miles before closing the deal on foot.

When hogs stop to face the tracking dogs, they pick a spot that gives them the advantage over their pursuers. By limiting the tracking job to three dogs, Deshotels ensures the dogs don’t grow overconfident. A pack of five dogs, for instance, would likely close on the hog and try to kill it, risking their own safety in the process. “You don’t want them biting the hog’s legs and body cavity,” he says. “They know to keep their distance and wait for the ‘finisher’ to show up.”

The ‘finisher’ is Deshotels’ pit bull terrier, the key to ensuring live-captures. Unlike most dogs, pit bulls bite once and don’t let go. With the hog distracted by the curs, Deshotels brings in the pit bull from downwind, ensuring the hog won’t catch their scent and flee. When they’re about 20 yards away, he releases the “finisher” and runs alongside it to the hog. As the pit bull latches onto the hog’s head, Deshotels joins the fray to secure its legs with rope. He’ll use handcuffs if the hog weighs more than 300 pounds.

“Things can get pretty wild,” Deshotels says. “If the hog wins, the hog wins. Sometimes they’re the worthier opponent. We’ll regroup and try again. We often get called in to catch hogs other guys couldn’t get. There’s an art to it; a strategy. It’s not about overpowering the hog, but it helps that I’m 6-2 and 245 pounds.”

Despite its risks and dangers, Deshotels says catch-and-release hog hunting is good for the soul. “During the most intense portions of it, you forget all about your other problems,” he says with a laugh. “That’s where we get our real reward.”

Our current regulations require soils with perc rates faster than 5 minutes per inch be “modified” through the physical process of removal and replacement with a loamy sand liner, with the final objective being that this modified liner perc between the rates of 15-20 minutes per inch. This entire process is not only very time consuming and extremely unpredictable; it may be unnecessary if the soil performance assumptions above can be supported.

ANSWER: In essence, the question is: Why are loading rates used for the design and installation of soil treatment areas different for different types of sandy soils? The articles the questioner refers to were written by Dave Gustafson and myself for Onsite Installer three years ago and a recent Answer Man article.

BIOMAT 101

Before answering the question directly, let’s briefly review what happens when septic tank effluent is introduced into soil using gravity distribution.

Effluent flows from the septic tank into the soil treatment trench through a few of the 1/2-inch holes in the distribution pipe, then through the distribution media to the soil surface. When the effluent reaches the soil, a condition called biomat is created. The biomat is formed by anaerobic bacteria in the effluent and any finely sized organic suspended solids carried over from the septic tank. The bacteria secrete a sticky substance around the outside of soil and rock particles. The biomat develops along the trench bottom and ponds the effluent in the trench. As the liquid in the trench rises, biomat develops along the sidewalls.

The main result of biomat formation is dramatic slowing of the infiltration rate of the effluent into the soil, creating unsaturated flow conditions. This is ideal for growth of aerobic bacteria and other soil organisms that help with treatment of pathogens and other contaminants. This is good news, and explains why the biomat – when properly managed – is a necessary component of soil treatment capabilities. In addition, the biomat reaches equilibrium. If effluent quality is maintained, the biomat will have the same thickness and permeability over time.

This condition is referred to as the Long Term Acceptance Rate, or LTAR. The LTAR is related to soil texture class, soil structure and consistency to predict the loading rates in soils where the biomat is fully developed. Research on these relationships has been conducted since the early 1970s and in fact, the condition was recognized as early as the 1950s.

SANDY SOILS ARE DIFFERENT

These relationships are reflected and used in almost all current state codes dictating the design and installation of onsite sewage treatment systems. Sandy soils are the one exception.

Since the sandy soils particle size is larger (0.05-2.0 mm), the size of the pores are also larger, allowing effluent to move rapidly into and through the sand, often without forming a biomat. This rapid movement does not allow time for treatment. So in the early ’70s and again as recently as 2006, column studies were conducted looking at virus removal in sands under different loading rates. These studies showed good virus removal in 2 feet of sand if the loading rate does not exceed 1.2 gallons per square foot/day. This is the loading number for sands found in most of our codes today.

In the early- to mid-1980s, we conducted research looking at the hydraulic performance of a proprietary product designed to replace rock as the distribution media in soil treatment trenches. One of the research sites was on a sandy outwash plain. Here the sandy soils consisted of greater than 50 percent fine and very fine sand particle sizes.

One unexpected result of this study showed a thin biomat formed in the soil and this biomat was very effective at reducing the flow rate into soil. Over several years of study, the biomat showed an acceptance rate of 0.6-gallons/square foot/day. This was confirmed over the next several years and the loading rate was incorporated into the Minnesota state code.

Another interesting note on how these sandy soils react to septic tank effluent: If you conduct a percolation test, the rate would be in the range of 30 seconds to 3 minutes per inch; so you would not distinguish these soils from other types of sands on the basis of percolation rates.

THE BOTTOM LINE

So what about the treatment approaches in these soils? For the coarse and medium sandy soils, the only way to ensure the loading rate doesn’t exceed 1.2-gallons/square foot/day is to spread the effluent out evenly over the entire soil treatment area. This means that a low-pressure distribution system is used. This assures adequate time for treatment to occur.

In the “old days” we said gravity trenches were suitable for fine sands if the system was divided into four equal parts and loaded sequentially to quickly form a biomat. Recently, we have moved away from this approach because the biomat hasn’t formed as rapidly or as uniformally as we thought. Minnesota now requires pressure distribution in these sands as well.

Another question that arises: Can’t we add some finer textured material (sandy loam for example) to the trench to provide treatment? While this can be successful, it is time consuming and expensive. In addition, if you have too many fines (silt and clay size particles) in the material, you run the risk of reducing the acceptance rate below 0.6-gallons/square foot/day. So the most cost-effective approaches are dividing the system into four equal parts or using pressure distribution.

Land Application Demonstrated

Michigan Septic Tank Association director Chris Sloan and family opened Sloan’s Septic Tank Service in Oakley to legislators, enabling them to view proper procedures for land application of septage.

State Rep. Ken Goike, a former MSTA director and author of a bill that would require local governments to provide receiving stations if they banned the practice, suggested the tour to satisfy his colleagues’ concerns and set the stage for action on his legislation. A bill that would grant Michigan septic haulers a weight exemption during the spring weight restrictions also will be introduced in the legislature.

Onsite System Guidelines Rewritten

Larry Stephens and Ron Lindsay of the Michigan Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association assisted the state Department of Environmental Quality in rewriting the 1994 Michigan Criteria for Subsurface Sewage Disposal, which provides guidelines for the design and approval of onsite systems above 1,000 gpd. A Yahoo discussion forum has been formed. To subscribe, email MOWRA-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

MINNESOTA

Advanced Certification Required

As of Feb. 4, Minnesota onsite professionals conducting design, inspection, and service on Type 4 or 5 systems and those with design flows greater than 2,500 gpd must have an advanced certificate. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency will enforce the requirement. The two-part Advanced Design and Inspection course from the University of Minnesota Water Resources Center provides the proper certification.

OREGON

Members’ Voices Heard

Testimony and letters from members of the Oregon Onsite Wastewater Association were instrumental in having an improved onsite code approved by the state Department of Environmental Quality. Recommendations included filing annual maintenance reports on new sand filters and pressure distribution systems, creating a time-of-sale inspection program for the state’s coastal zone, and improving the approval process for alternative treatment technologies.

An article in the association’s summer newsletter by Yamhill County regulator Kim Aldrich tells of a giant root mass found by Dennis Gibbens, owner of Price-Rite Septic Tank Service in Newberg. Responding to a service call, Gibbens excavated to find a round, vertical septic tank with a 9-inch-thick root mat in the shape of the tank.

“It looked like an alien slug,” Aldrich writes. Roots from a maple tree eight feet away had penetrated between the lid and base of the tank, then followed the piping to the drainfield. Aldrich invites other service providers with root stories to email them to aldrichk@co.yamhill.or.us.

WISCONSIN

New Association Manager

Essie Consulting Group hired Kimberly Cunningham as manager of the Wisconsin Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association.

Training & Education

Alabama

Licensing classes are the joint effort of the Alabama Onsite Wastewater Association and University of West Alabama. Courses are at UWA Livingston campus:

• March 7-9 – Advanced Installer I Class

• May 2-4 – Advanced Installer II Class

• May 23-25 – Basic Installer Class

The first day of classes is for installers and the second day is for pumpers and portable restroom operators. Call the training center at 205/652-3803 or visit http://aowatc.uwa.edu.

Connecticut

The Connecticut Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association is holding its Installer School on Jan., 12, 19 and 26 and Feb. 2, 9 and 16 with a snow date of Feb. 23. The COWRA Pumper/Cleaner School is Feb. 16 with a snow date of Feb. 23. Classes are at Wesleyan University, Middletown. Call 860/267-1057 or visit www.cowra-online.org.

Iowa

The Iowa Onsite Wastewater Association has these courses:

• March 16 – Operation and Maintenance Workshop, Coralville

• March 23-24 – CIOWTS Installation Overview and Test, Ainsworth

• April 27 – Operation and Maintenance Workshop, Emmetsburg

Contact Alice Vinsand at 515/225-1051, execdir@iowwa.com, or visit www.iowwa.com.

Minnesota

The University of Minnesota Water Resources Center has these classes:

• March 5-6 – General Continuing Education, Willmar

• March 7-9 – Advanced Design and Inspection of Onsite Systems, Part 1, St. Cloud

• March 14-16 – Maintaining Onsite Systems, Brainerd

• March 19-21 – Introduction to Onsite Systems, Farmington

• March 22-23 – Installing Onsite Systems, Farmington

• March 27-28 – Solutions for Difficult Sites, St. Cloud

• March 29-30 – Pumping/Maintainer Continuing Education, Brainerd

• April 2-4 – Introduction to Onsite Systems, Cloquet

• April 5-6 – Installing Onsite Systems, Cloquet

• April 11-13 – Basic Onsite System Designs, Brainerd

• April 18 – Design Continuing Education, Alexandria

• April 18-19 – Designer/Inspector Continuing Education Combo, Alexandria

• April 19 – Inspector Continuing Education, Alexandria

• April 24-27 – Advanced Design and Inspection of Onsite Systems, Part 2, St. Cloud

• April 30-May 2 – Maintaining Onsite Systems, Mankato

• April 30-May 4 – Maintainer/Service Provider Combo, Mankato

Call Nick Haig at 800/322-8642 (612/625-9797) or visit http://septic.umn.edu.

New England

The New England Onsite Wastewater Training Center at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston has these courses:

• April 12 – Bottomless Sand Filter Design and Installation

• April 19 – All About Series: Septic Tanks

• April 26 – Conventional Onsite Wastewater System Inspection

• April 26-27 – Conventional Onsite Wastewater System Inspection and Field Training

• May 3 – Functional Inspections

• May 10 – Innovative and Alternative Technologies

• May 17 – All About Series: Sand Media

• May 31 – Installing Advanced Onsite Treatment Systems

• May 31 – Innovative and Alternative Technology Field Training at Peckham Farm

Call 401/874-5950 or visit www.uri.edu/ce/wq. For soil courses, call Mark Stolt at 401/874-2915 or email mstolt@uri.edu.

North Carolina

North Carolina State University has the following courses:

• March 13 – Basic Troubleshooting of Onsite System Malfunctions, Mills River

• March 14 – Advanced Troubleshooting of Onsite System Malfunctions, Mills River

• March 27 – Redoximorphic Features, Soil Wetness, and Water Table Relationships, Wilmington

• March 28 – Water Movement and Treatment Through Soils, Wilmington

• April 17 – Subsurface Wastewater System Operator Training School, Raleigh

Call Joni Tanner at 919/513-1678 or visit www.soil.ncsu.edu/training.

Virginia

The Virginia Center for Onsite Wastewater Training has these classes at Pickett Park unless stated otherwise:

• March 20-21 – Wastewater Basics

• March 27-28 – Water Movement in Soils

• March 19-May 31 – Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation Test Review, Hybrid

• April 2-May 31 – Understanding the Septic Tank, Web based

Contact Lydia Shepherd at 434/292-3101 or lydia.shepherd@southside.edu or visit www.southside.edu.

Washington

The Washington On-Site Sewage Association and Washington State Department of Health in cooperation with Washington State University are offering these certification courses at the training center in Puyallup unless stated otherwise:

• March 7 – Troubleshooting and Repairs

• March 15 – Design of Subsurface Drip Systems, Bellingham

• March 28-29 – Exam Review for Designers

• April 4 – Maintenance Basics

• April 11 – Design of Subsurface Drip Systems

• April 18 – Pumper, Mt. Vernon

Call WOSSA at 253/770-6594 or visit www.wossa.org.

Wisconsin

The Department of Safety and Professional Services is offering a Plumbing and Private Onsite Wastewater Treatment System course March 6-8 at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Green Bay. Visit http://dsps.wi.gov/sb/SB-DivContinuingEducation.html.

Pumper invites your state association to post notices and news items in this column. Send contributions to editor@pumper.com.

Calendar

Jan. 30-Feb. 1

Minnesota Onsite Wastewater Association Convention and Exhibitor Showcase, Sheraton South, Bloomington. 952/345-1145; mowacarla@aol.com.

Feb. 6-9

Onsite Wastewater Professionals of Illinois Annual Conference and Trade Show, Gateway Conference Center, Collinsville. Contact Steve Johnson at jswastewatersystems@mchsi.com.

Feb. 8-9

Utah Onsite Wastewater Association Conference, Northfront Business Resource Center, Davis Applied Technology College, Kaysville. Contact Judy Sims at judith.sims@usu.edu.

Feb. 10

Saskatchewan Onsite Wastewater Management Association Conference, Radisson Hotel and Conference Centre, Saskatoon. 877/489-7471; www.sowma.ca.

Feb. 10-11

Oregon Onsite Wastewater Association Conference, Seaside Civic and Convention Center, Seaside. 541/389-6692; www.o2wa.org.

Feb. 18

Saskatchewan Onsite Wastewater Management Association Convention and Trade Show, Saskatoon. 877/489-7471; www.sowma.ca.

Feb. 21-22

Texas Onsite Wastewater Association Conference, Waco Convention Center, Waco. Call Tim Taylor at 888/398-7188; www.txowa.org.

Feb. 22-24

Kentucky Onsite Wastewater Association Conference, Hyatt Regency, Louisville. 270/314-7110; www.kentuckyonsite.org.

Feb. 27-March 1

Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo International, Indianapolis, Ind. 866/933-2653; www.pumpershow.com.

March 2-3

Onsite Wastewater Management Association of British Columbia, Coast Capri Convention Centre, Kelowna. Call Lesley Desjardins at 877/489-7471 or lesleyd@shaw.ca.

March 4-7

Pennsylvania Association of Sewage Enforcement Officers Conference and Trade Show, Holiday Inn, Grantville. 717/761-8648; www.pa-seo.org.

March 19-20

Granite State Designers and Installers Association Spring Septic System Conference & Expo, Radisson Hotel and Conference Center of New Hampshire, Manchester. 603/228-1231; www.gsdia.org.

March 29-30

Alabama Onsite Wastewater Association Trade Show, Pelham Civic Complex, Pelham. Call Dave Roll at 334/396-3434 or visit www.aowainfo.org.

Jim and his brother Mike, owners of A.J. McDonald Co. Inc., Pasadena, Md., fired on all cylinders when designing their most recent truck, a 2011 Peterbilt that celebrates the family company’s 70th anniversary. And their solid speccing paid off big, as the McDonald brothers take home the Pumper 2011 Classy Truck of the Year award.

“What an honor,’’ Jim McDonald exclaimed when told his rig was chosen as the sixth annual Classy Truck winner. “I feel like we’ve come a long way over the years and this is an acknowledgement of being out there providing quality service and having a nice truck.’’

The genesis of the winning truck came at Peterbilt of Baltimore, where the McDonalds, with the help of their recently retired father, Anthony John McDonald, chose a Pete chassis painted an unusual color for a vacuum truck. The dealership called the metallic paint “pewter,’’ but the McDonalds think the faint gold color is more accurately described as “sandstone.’’ They specced the truck with a 350-hp Cummins diesel tied to an Allison 6-speed automatic transmission. Interior conveniences from the factory include a 7-inch backup camera, power windows, locks, tilt, cruise, AC, air-ride seats and a stereo.

Then the truck was off to Lely Manufacturing Inc., where it was outfitted with a 3,000-gallon steel tank, 3- and 4-inch valves, triple rear-mounted sight glasses and top- and rear-side manways. For ample pumping power, a Wittig RFW 150 water-cooled pump was added. For durability and good looks, accents including diamond-plate hose trays, aluminum storage boxes on both sides and other chrome features were added.

BUILT FOR THE WORK

Before it hit the road in November 2010, the Pete’s blank steel canvas was prettied up by artists Chuck Gamber and Joe Westphal at Jack of Arts in Ellicott City, Md. The custom graphics company is known for extreme work truck makeovers, but Jim McDonald requested a tame, but bold look that brought attention to the company name and gave a nod to its 70th year in 2011. The result was coordinating brown accents painted and pinstriped onto the cab and tank and a gold leaf anniversary emblem on the tank.

The truck is built with its workload in mind, 80 percent grease trap and 20 percent residential septic service, most of the work done in suburban Baltimore, where heavy traffic is the norm.

“First and foremost, we wanted a big pump. We do a lot of back-flushing trying to do the job properly, and the pumps on our other trucks took a while to recover,’’ McDonald says. In the past, trucks were ordered with pumps in the 300 cfm range; this one delivers 500 cfms. “That makes a difference when you’re out trying to get the jobs done in a reasonable time.’’

The auto trans is another key to the workability of the new truck, McDonald says, explaining that the city highway traffic was a gear-jammer’s nightmare on previous trucks.

“We have to run the beltway and deal with that traffic. Sitting in stop-and-go traffic for an hour at a time, you really learn to love an automatic,’’ That, combined with the cab creature comforts make this one cushy ride compared to earlier company rigs. “It’s kind of like a Cadillac. Well, put it this way: I don’t mind driving it,’’ he says.

McDonald credits Gamber for listening to his ideas for graphics, then coming up with his own take. While Gamber is known for hand-painting full scenes on the side of a work truck, McDonald asked him to dial it down a bit. The compromise fits the more conservative marketing approach of the old-line septic company.

STARTED IN 1941

The company’s rich history began in 1941, when shipyard welder A.J. McDonald was injured and could no longer perform the work. He turned to the septic service business, then a fledgling industry, running a 1938 Ford truck with a 500-gallon wooden, tar-lined tank and a lift-and-force pump.

His second truck was another Ford, bought in 1945, when he received special government permission to purchase a vehicle despite rationing during World War II. His septic service was deemed an essential service. In the late 1940s or early 1950s, he brought vacuum into play, drawing pressure from the exhaust manifold on his truck.

The original A.J. handed the business down to A.J. Jr., the father of Jim, 40, and Mike, 37. The sons carry on the family tradition of adapting to new truck trends and technologies, and one day hope to pass the business down to their children.

The new Pete represented sort of a rite of passage for Jim and Mike McDonald. It was the first truck they really had a free reign to put together after their father retired.

“Before that, he’d humor us, and then decide the way to go. Now that he’s retired, I put my foot down and he said, ‘All right, whatever you want,’ ” Jim McDonald recalls. “It’s proven to be a pretty good truck.’’

WELCOME THE NEW ANSWER MAN

This issue marks the first for our new Septic System Answer Man columnist Jim Anderson. He follows longtime Answer Man Roger Machmeier, who wrote the column for about 20 years. Jim will provide some continuity to the column, as he and Roger were colleagues at the University of Minnesota Department of Soil, Water and Climate for many years.

Many of you are acquainted with Jim from workshops he’s conducted at the Pumper & Cleaner Expo and across the country through the National Association of Wastewater Transporters. Though he retired from the university in 2008, he continues to be active in the industry by serving as education coordinator for NAWT. He maintains the title of emeritus professor at the university and has taught wetland soils classes since retiring.

Jim has worked on onsite systems for more than 40 years and is a recipient of the industry’s Ralph Macchio Lifetime Achievement Award. It was an honor to have Roger involved with Pumper readers for so many years and we’re extremely happy to have Jim on board and available to answer your questions moving forward.

When you see Jim at the Expo this month, join me in congratulating him on his new post as the Answer Man. And whenever you have a question about a septic system, remember we’re at your service. Please send your questions for Jim to me at editor@pumper.com.

ARE YOU EXPO BOUND?

I’m looking forward to meeting as many of you as possible at the Pumper & Cleaner Expo as it moves to Indianapolis and its new digs at the Indiana Convention Center. The Expo offers a great opportunity to rekindle old business friendships and expand contacts in the pumping community. I find there’s no nicer group of small business owners anywhere. Pumpers are friendly and approachable, and shrewd businesspeople. I learn so much from the contractors who attend the Expo, and that knowledge serves to improve the content of this magazine.

So if you make it to Indy, look me up and let’s talk shop!

First impressions are critical. You have about three seconds to create a favorable first impression – whether it’s your advertising, Internet presence, in-person contact or on the telephone.

It all starts with branding: A distinctive logo that tells your story about delivering desired results, a three- to five-word slogan also reflecting value, five value propositions or benefit statements.

PROFESSIONALISM COUNTS

Does your business card look professional? A meaningful logo with contact information on high-grade card stock will suffice. Your email address should indicate your website’s domain name, not, for example, joesmith30@sprinter.com.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, clients are very accepting of a home business, if you look professional.

If you have a physical location where people visit you, cleanliness and orderliness are paramount. Smart businesspeople have clean windows, sidewalks, parking lots and workstations every day. Even if you have a home office and don’t receive visitors, cleanliness and orderliness will help keep your optimism and efficiency at a high level.

Is your telephone answered before the third ring? Do you have a person answering your telephone? You can certainly get by with an automated system and voice mail more easily if you have professional branding on and offline. But a live person works best, even if it’s just a just a virtual answering service.

Return all phone calls from clients ASAP. Never let customers or important vendors feel as though they’re hanging by a thread while waiting to hear from you. Unless I’m in a meeting, I never let the person wait more than two hours for a return call.

In the case of email, it’s best to confirm receiving the message right away, even if you don’t have an answer to a question. (Naturally, make certain your smartphone is turned off when you’re in a meeting.)

DRESS THE PART

If it’s not customary in your industry to wear a suit and tie, do what’s best for your style, and be in distinctive, good taste. Remember Socrates’ statement: “Know thyself.”

As a business-performance consultant since 1992, I’m a dark suit person with a relatively small clientele on a regular basis. I’ve had both an outside office and a home office.

I want clients to know it’s a special event for me to work with them. That’s been the company uniform for employees, too. No matter what anyone says – it’s still the professional appearance that will command respect, and separate the winners from the wannabes – especially when a lot of money exchanges hands.

Once, when a blue-collar marketing client seemed worried that I usually wore a business suit, I started to remove my coat and reassured him,

“You’ll find I know how to roll up my sleeves to get strong results.” He was immediately convinced.

If such folks still seemed uncomfortable, they’ve always chuckled when I’ve said, “By nine o’clock, I always seem to spill coffee on my tie.” They appreciated my humanness and quickly relaxed. (It’s true about the spilled coffee).

All such clients have accepted my preferred style. Moreover, they have come to expect it.

I’ll never forget when I’d been in business just a few years on a Friday afternoon at the start of a three-day holiday weekend, I was dressed casually when I dropped off a marketing document at a valued client’s office. Normally, I visited such clients two to three days per week in business attire. (This was a client who spent a hefty five figures a month with my firm.)

He seemed shocked. He took me aside and quietly asked me, “What’s wrong?”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Where’s your suit? I’ve never seen you in jeans and boots. Is everything OK?”

I laughed and said: “Everything’s fine. This is how I sometimes dress when I leave town to visit my parents in rural Oregon, but today I wanted to make sure you didn’t have to wait for this paperwork before I jump on the freeway. I’m really just a cowboy at heart.”

At that point, I learned how much he grew to value my uniform, which leads me to another point. Clients like consistency in all dealings.

HANDSHAKES & THANK YOUS

For me, that also means consistently showing gratitude and preventing buyer’s remorse.

My client-meeting agendas always start by bringing up her/his concerns. This immediately alleviates any tension the client might have. I do my best selling when the client does most of the talking. I ask a lot of pertinent questions, list the results of my work, and never end a meeting without saying “thank you” with a handshake. The attitude and gratitude goes for all memos and emails, too.

If the client doesn’t thank me, I subtly ask for strokes, too, such as: “So you like the results?” Over time, this grooms the client to show appreciation for my results. I’ve learned it’s vital to have appreciative customers.

If you don’t receive appreciation for results, you won’t be doing business with the customer for very long.

Extensively renovated starting in 1993, the building houses entertainment and events in the Fountain Square Theatre, art galleries and studios, two restaurants, seasonal rooftop dining, a cocktail bar, and duckpin bowling in either of two vintage alleys.

Duckpin bowling was born in Baltimore in 1900 and was a favorite of Babe Ruth. It uses smaller balls and pins and has different rules. The Action Duckpin Bowl has been restored with authentic 1930s vintage bowling equipment and eight lanes. A café area seats up to 120 guests, and surrounding windows give a great view of downtown.

The Atomic Bowl Duckpin, in the building’s basement, has seven lanes with authentic 1950s and 1960s bowling equipment, along with displays of mid-century bowling collectibles. A café seats up to 90 guests. Visit www.fountainsquareindy.com.

Bar and lounge

The ball & biscuit, two minutes from downtown at 331 Massachusetts Ave., is a bar and lounge set in the cultural corridor of the Mass Ave neighborhood. True to its eclectic surroundings, it has the laid-back atmosphere of a Prohibition-era speakeasy.

From the 150-year-old quarter-sawn wood floor, to the distressed leather chairs, the exposed brick walls and the tin ceiling, the place is a neighborhood bar at heart. The menu includes craft beers, boutique wines and unique cocktails that range from pre-Prohibition classics to modern concoctions. Unique bar foods are served in an atmosphere of background music conducive to good conversation. Visit www.ballandbiscuit.com.

Casual dining

Black Market is a new gastro pub at 922 Massachusetts Ave., four minutes from the Convention Center. It serves up “comfort food” with an Indiana flavor along with local beers and wines. Foods made with old-fashioned pickling and preservation methods often appear in the restaurant’s dishes. Entrees like ale steamed mussels, rainbow trout, mushroom dumplings and the Black Market burger are served in a casual atmosphere where diners in a suit or jeans are equally welcome. Entree prices range from $12 to $22. Visit www.blackmarketindy.net.

Historic site

Dominating the five-block picturesque setting of War Memorial Plaza in downtown Indianapolis, the Indiana World War Memorial sits 210 feet above street level. This mausoleum-style limestone and marble memorial honors Hoosiers killed during World Wars I and II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

The memorial, at 431 N. Meridian St., includes multiple standing figures that symbolize courage, memory, peace, victory, liberty and patriotism. The Shrine Room, with 24 stained glass windows, provides the setting for a 17- by 30-foot American flag suspended from the ceiling. A military museum in the basement follows the history of Indiana soldiers from the Battle of Tippecanoe through the most recent conflicts. Visit www.in.gov/iwm.

Shopping

Midland Arts & Antiques in downtown Indy can keep you occupied for hours with four floors full of art and antiques from more than 200 dealers from around the Midwest. Located at 907 E. Michigan St., four minutes from the Convention Center, the market has been a destination for more than 15 years. Merchandise includes decorative items, works by local artists, furniture, pottery, vintage jewelry, 1950s collectibles, china and a great deal more. Visit www.midlandathome.com.

Like it is the other 51 weeks of the year, social media is a source of news and information during the Expo. But, during Expo week when so much is happening in one place at one time, social media can be even more crucial to your business communications. While attending the Expo you can use social media both to keep track of what is happening at the show and to share information with others at the show and back home.

SOCIAL MEDIA AT THE EXPO

If you are on Twitter, search for comments about the Expo using hashtags and also use them in your own tweets so other people interested in the show can find them. The hashtag symbol (#) used before relevant keywords in a tweet categorizes the tweet to show more easily in Twitter search. Clicking on a hashtagged word

in any message shows you all other tweets in that category.

Similarly on Facebook and LinkedIn, you can announce your company’s attendance at the Expo as well as any related news and events. You’ll also want to keep an eye on Facebook to see what’s being posted at www.facebook.com/PumperMag and www.facebook.com/pumpershow, and share thoughts and impressions about the show.

COLE Publishing, which creates this magazine and organizes the Expo, will have a mobile site for attendees to use at the event. The site will feature a searchable list of exhibitors and booths, a general schedule, and a more detailed educational schedule. Check out the mobile site at http://m.pumpershow.com.

One thing you don’t want to do is waste time at the Expo, so make sure your team has Internet-ready smartphones or tablets set up with the right applications for social media use. Be sure to bring chargers to power up devices at night and have a large enough memory card if you are going to take a lot of pictures or video.

In general, using social media at a trade show is easiest on a mobile device. A laptop computer can be inconvenient and cumbersome to carry around on the floor, but handy when you want

to download photos off your phone at the end of the day.

While at the Expo, you can send out real-time updates of what’s going on all around you using Facebook or Twitter. You can also use YouTube to stream videos and Flickr to upload photos.

Another use for technology on the Expo floor could guarantee you get the “show discount” on a purchase. Suppose you see a product you like, but need authorization to buy it. Now you don’t have to wait to discuss it after you get home. Simply snap some photos and email them to the boss. If he or she doesn’t understand how the item works, make a video of the sales representative demonstrating it.

I SPY … QR CODES

While walking around the Expo, you may see QR codes on printed materials in some exhibitors’ booths. QR stands for “Quick Response” and refers to those black and white squares that are really a two-dimensional barcode readable by a variety of devices including smartphones.

The amount of information that can be contained in a QR code is about 4,300 characters. That’s enough for a business professional to include contact information and some personal background or product information, which is more than will fit on a standard business card.

Newer smartphones come with QR code readers installed. If your phone doesn’t have one installed, try Google Goggles or on an iPhone, the App Store to download a free reader.

Once you have the QR code reader installed, simply activate the application and take a quick snapshot of the data label with your camera.

If you’d like to use a QR code on your own company materials, the technology for creating them is usually free. There are also dozens of Web services that will create them for you.

There are plenty of places a QR code can be used, especially at a trade show. Try putting a code that contains all your contact information on your business card and then attach it to your show badge so people you meet can simply scan your card. If you want to be more memorable, have the QR code put on a baseball cap and ask people to scan you!

You can also put a QR code on flyers, brochures and other print collateral. That way, people have the option of scanning or taking these items with them. Those who are more technology oriented will appreciate you lightening their load. You may find after the show you’ve distributed fewer business cards, but made more contacts. And having your contact information scanned to someone’s phone makes it much less likely to get lost.

THE PARTY ISN’T OVER

When the show is over and you’re back at the office, don’t assume your Expo social media efforts are over. Follow up with the leads you generated by connecting with them on LinkedIn or sending follow-up notes via email. Upload more media and recap the event for those who couldn’t make it this year.

And then … begin planning your social media strategy for next year’s Expo. Did you observe other attendees using technology and social media applications in ways you hadn’t thought of but would like to try? Could some of the things you tried have been done more effectively or efficiently? You’ve got a year to gear up for next year’s Expo!

Atkins’ compelling American success story continues with his next musical challenge: Entertaining the throngs at the 2012 Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo International. Atkins will bring a bushel basket of heartfelt hits when he arrives on the stage on Tuesday, Feb. 28, at the grand ballroom of the JW Marriott Hotel in Indianapolis.

Atkins’ 7 p.m. performance will follow the ever-popular Industry Appreciation Party – with its festive atmosphere and 25-cent tap beers – which begins at 5 p.m. The evening of fun caps off the opening day of the Expo exhibits at the adjacent Indiana Convention Center in downtown Indy. The Industry Appreciation Party and Atkins’ live performance are included with full Expo registration.

Atkins is well-known for a string of top 10 hits that started in 2003 with “Honesty (Write Me a List)” from his first album entitled Honesty. A familiar voice on country radio for almost a decade, Atkins struck gold in 2006 and 2007, when his singles, “If You’re Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows)” and “Watching You,” hit No. 1 and were named the top country songs of the year by Billboard magazine.

Rags to riches

While country music fans can hum along with Atkins’ many hits, they might not be so familiar with his inspiring personal story.

After being born in Knoxville, Tenn., in March 1969, he was put up for adoption and was twice returned to the Holston Methodist Home for Children by prospective parents who couldn’t deal with his numerous illnesses. Though his ailments worsened, Margaret and Allan Atkins, from Cumberland Gap, Tenn., adopted the boy.

With his dedicated adoptive parents, Atkins thrived and became interested in music during high school. After school, he eventually signed a recording contract, but didn’t release his first album until Honesty. The string of hits has never stopped, with the album If You’re Going Through Hell gaining platinum status and producing additional No. 1 hits in “These Are My People” and “Cleaning This Gun (Come On In Boy).”

Atkins followed with his third album It’s America, with a single of the same title, then “15 Minutes,” and “Chasin’ Girls” heading up the charts. In 2010, Atkins hit with “Farmer’s Daughter,” and he’s currently touring with the lead-off single of his fourth album, the title cut “Take a Back Road,” which hit No. 1 just a few months ago.

While he’s built a solid career in Nashville, Atkins is proud of the family he’s built, including his wife, Tammy Jo and his son Elijah. Along the way, he’s found it important to give back to others. He is a spokesperson for the National Council for Adoption and often returns to the orphanage that helped him find a loving family. In 2011, Atkins headlined the Nashville Give Back Concert to support tornado-ravaged communities through the American Red Cross.

A helping hand

“It is important for us to give to all of those in need. As an artist, I have performed in just about every town that has been hit by the many storms and I feel that this concert is a great way to reach out and help as many people as we can,” he told the Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau, which helped promote the relief effort. “We wanted to … call people to action to continue to support the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund in any way that they can.”

While Atkins is devoted to family and causes he finds important, he hasn’t taken his foot off the accelerator, musically, either. According to his website, Atkins has sold four million singles in the past five years, and the sales have been going viral for “Take a Back Road.” He credits the easy, heartfelt lyrics and laid-back, identifiable message of the song.

“‘Farmer’s Daughter’ was one of the craziest download songs we had. It was peaking at 15,000 to 16,000 a week,” Atkins says. “And now ‘Back Road’ is knocking on 40,000 a week. That was a validation for me to follow my heart … It’s one of those songs that, the first time I heard it I thought, ‘Boy, that feels good.’ And then it’s catchy and something you want to just crank it up. But then, the more you hear it, you realize it’s not just a ditty; it’s about … getting right with your soul, coming down to earth.”

“Back Road” is about discovery … both literally – exploring the beauty found in your backyard countryside, and symbolically – the simple joys of family and life. The emotional tune and the album in general present a winning formula for the thoughtful Atkins.

“I’ve had some success with my songs, and you’ve got to sit back and ask yourself, ‘Why did these songs connect?’ With a lot of songs, the approach is about how perfect things are, or how messed up things are – It’s one or the other,” he explains. “But for me, real life is there are ups and downs, and if you can, get both sides of that in a song.”

And he’s taken a reality check when it comes to love songs, too. Atkins says he was never interested in recording conventional love songs until he found several tunes that scratch beneath the surface of complex relationships. He includes several of these on the latest album. And they’re songs hardworking family business owners who attend the Pumper & Cleaner Expo can surely relate to.

“Love is not all blue skies and no bills,” he says. “It’s gutters leaking and the cat messed in the fireplace. It’s not convenient at all, and you’ve got to make time for it – that’s the toughest part of it.”

A treat on stage

Love songs, simple slice-of-life songs, or just about anything Atkins performs, he promises an energetic live show. He likes to change up the set list night after night to keep the audience and band in tune and engaged. Expo attendees can expect an edgy and fun time with Atkins and his band.

“Sometimes you just want to cut loose and have fun, and you have to do something unexpected… You just have to kind of roll with it,” Atkins explains. “That’s how I try to be on stage, and the shows get better the more spontaneous they are, the less the band knows what’s going to happen.

“I’m low-key, but I get excited on stage. I think that if I didn’t have that outlet of playing live, I’d be frustrated a lot,” he says. “Music was definitely my savior. It’s a way of saying things that, hopefully, because it’s in the form of music, will stay around awhile.”

Infiltrator Systems Inc. agreed to acquire the assets of the septic chamber business of Advanced Drainage Systems Inc. and its subsidiaries. As part of the acquisition, ADS, based in Hilliard, Ohio, has entered into a long-term, non-exclusive distribution agreement with Infiltrator Systems and will continue to market and sell the Arc and BioDiffuser product lines.

NSF Publishes Water Reuse American Standard

NSF International published an American national standard for commercial and residential onsite water reuse treatment systems, NSF/ANSI 350. The standard establishes criteria to improve awareness and acceptance of water reuse technologies that reduce impacts on the environment, municipal water and wastewater treatment facilities and energy costs.

SSPMA Revises Certified Pump Listing

The Sump and Sewage Pump Manufacturers Association revised a listing of sump, sewage and effluent pumps that meet or exceed industry standards. Pumps bearing the SSPMA-Certified seal have been tested and rated in accordance with SSPMA industry standards. Participating companies include Champion Pump, Crane Pumps and Systems, Franklin Electric WTS, Glentronics, Liberty Pumps, Pentair Water, Wayne Water Systems and Zoeller Co. The complete listing of certified model numbers can be found at www.sspma.org.

Godwin Donates to National Coalition Against Domestic Violence

Pump manufacturer Godwin made a donation to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The organization works to eliminate domestic violence, empower battered adults and children, promotes and unifies direct service programs, alerts and educates the public and promotes partnerships.

Godwin Pumps Changes Name to Xylem Dewatering Solutions

Godwin Pumps of America Inc. changed its name to Xylem Dewatering Solutions Inc., effective Jan. 1. Godwin will remain the brand name for the company’s Dri-Prime series of pumps.

Hino, Allison Sign Multi-Year Agreement

Hino Trucks and Allison Transmission Inc. signed a multi-year agreement that will make Allison the exclusive transmission for all current and future Hino conventional trucks in the U.S.