What’s in a name? Plenty, in the case of Stanley Environmental Solutions Inc., a company that’s repositioned itself for growth and boosted revenue by putting a modern spin on the old adage, “Waste not, want not.”
An ecological mindset informs virtually all operations at the Stanley, N.C.-based company, which is a major regional player in grease-trap service, pumping seven million gallons a year. Formerly known as Stanley Septic Services, the company dewaters grease and septic waste, then land-applies the remaining liquid, which has proven to be an efficient and environmentally sound practice.
The company then mixes the filtered cake with food and other waste products to make 15,000 to 20,000 tons of compost annually, which it sells to farmers and landscapers under the name Earth Farms Organics. Moreover, Stanley is building a facility that will remove usable brown oil from grease-trap waste. And it’s increasingly promoting the installation of innovative, more eco-friendly pretreatment units in septic systems, says Jim Lanier, president and majority partner.
SAY WHAT YOU DO
“About two years ago, we changed the name of the company because it not only sounded more professional, but it reflected our broader range of services,” Lanier says. “The name creates a totally different perception than Stanley Septic Services.
“These days, everyone wants to know where waste is going,” he adds. “We’ve seen a groundswell of interest in the environment from both commercial and residential customers. People are definitely more environmentally aware … we feel it’s very important that we replenish the Earth we’re blessed with, and put back what we take from it.”
The scope of Stanley’s business is a far cry from the company founded in 1971 by Lanier’s father, William, who started out with a diaphragm pump and a homemade tank mounted on a 1956 Ford truck. Today, the company’s geographic range includes both North and South Carolina. Grease trap pumping generates about 40 percent of the company’s business volume, while septic tank pumping and septic system installations each chip in roughly another 30 percent.
The company’s fleet of equipment has grown dramatically. It now includes a 1993 International with a 2,500-gallon steel tank; a 1997 Ford with a 3,500-gallon steel tank; and several trucks — Peterbilt, Freightliner, Kenworth rigs — with aluminum tanks from Progress Tank and built out by Advance Pump & Equipment Inc. The company also has a 6,000-gallon tanker trailer, also built by Advance Pump & Equipment.
