Buying out smaller companies has been Bill McGovern’s go-to growth method since starting his septic service business Wm. P. McGovern Inc. in 1974. One particularly key acquisition occurred in 2006; a purchase that has allowed the business to double in size the last 10 years. Aiding that growth was the addition of three Presvac Powervac 3800 wet/dry industrial loaders, two of which came as part of the purchase. McGovern bought the third unit a few years later.

“We do a lot of treatment plant cleaning, pump stations, deep wet wells and storm drain cleaning,” he says. “We’ve grown a lot in those areas. They’re pretty unique units, and there are not a lot around our service area.”

McGovern says he wasn’t actively looking at getting into that line of work prior to the 2006 acquisition. But business has been steady, though it still makes up a smaller portion of the company’s overall workload.

“It seems to be keeping us pretty busy and has increased over the years. That’s why I bought the third unit,” McGovern says. “We run one steady, one part time, and the third one is a backup. We mostly use them to handle pump stations that are deep in the ground. They can be 20 feet in the ground, so you need something like that. You can’t do it with a regular pumper truck.”

For pumpers looking at adding such work to their menu of services, McGovern has this advice: Understand the power of an industrial loader. The Presvac Powervac 3800 features a 3,250-gallon-capacity tank and a tri-lobe blower system capable of pulling 28 inches Hg.

“It’s similar to running a pumper truck, just longer distances and deeper depths,” he says. “But they’re powerful machines. You need to be specially trained to run one.”

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