Life-Changing Experience

Living in a small town like Blackstone, Mass., population 12,000, sometimes calls for wearing many hats
Life-Changing Experience

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Living in a small town like Blackstone, Mass., population 12,000, sometimes calls for wearing many hats. And Chris Lanoue can always be counted on to do just that when there’s a need. That’s led the owner of ADC Septic into unusual side occupations as a gravedigger and part-time police officer.

But his toughest assignment so far came when his wife, Laura, was diagnosed in 2010 with stage 4 colon cancer. His focus on caring for her and planning for the future for their daughters Ava, 9, and Tess, 6, led him to revise his career plans.

For the last 18 years, Lanoue has worked full time for the Massachusetts Department of Corrections, while also performing septic inspections in his own business. The health crisis prompted a decision to reverse
those activities.

“It really changed my thought process,” he says. “We talked about it, and with my girls being so young, I wanted to retire so I could be with them. That’s why we’re pushing septic so much, so I can retire from the state and have a full-time job to work around their school schedule.”

 

START IN SEPTIC 

Lanoue got started in septic by working part time for his father-in-law Butch Marchand, who had a construction/tree trimming company. When Marchand died unexpectedly in 2003 Lanoue stepped in and kept the business going. He eventually narrowed the focus to septic inspections, which he most enjoyed and seemed the most lucrative.

Lanoue’s plans now call for him to expand and become a one-stop shop for all septic work. In 2011 he obtained his installer’s license and began doing repairs and drainfield rejuvenation. Then he purchased a 1998 Ford LN9000 septic truck builder out of business with a 3,500-gallon steel tank and a Fruitland 500 pump from Fruitland Tool & Manufacturing. He also uses Septic Drainer drainfield soil restorative. He expanded his service territory and stepped up his marketing efforts. “I’m proactive. I actually get out in the neighborhoods and promote my business by handing out business cards and describing the septic systems to clients.”

And although he’s not planning to go into the portable sanitation business in a big way, he purchased five units, mostly to have on hand for backyard parties and community events. “It’s advertisement for me,” he says of his red, white and blue Glacier models from Five Peaks. He often rents them out at low cost – or even no cost as he recently did for a marathon in the town of Douglas and a Tags ’N Trout fishing tournament.

Earlier this year, Laura felt up to going with him to their first Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo International. “We had a fantastic time,” he says. “It was extremely educational. It was like having the Internet at your fingertips but you could actually touch everything and compare prices.”

He purchased a few miscellaneous tools at the event as well as a Gorlitz Sewer & Drain jetter to add to his equipment inventory, which includes a John Deere skid-steer, a General Tools & Instruments underground inspection camera with locator, and a 35N mini-excavator from IHI Compact Excavator Sales.

 

EASING OUT

Lanoue will soon qualify for retirement from the state. With the rank of sergeant and the management title of director of engineering, he oversees facilities in a medium security prison. His staff of 12 includes plumbers, electricians, HVAC technicians, carpenters and groundskeepers, as well as inmate workers. He’s proud that his septic expertise has contributed to his value there. “I can offer quite a bit of knowledge to the department based on my experience and my certifications,” he says.

 

ONE GOES, ONE STAYS 

To have more time to work on his septic business and care for his wife as she undergoes chemotherapy, Lanoue took a temporary leave of absence from his part-time job in the nearby town of Millville where he has worked since 1992 as a weekend police officer. Millville is so small that officers on duty work alone. “We did everything – investigations, traffic enforcement, responding to domestic disputes, making arrests. You never know what you’re getting into, and you’re by yourself.”

As harrowing as that could be at times, Lanoue loved the work. “When you can actually help somebody who needs help, and they look for somebody they can trust – I truly enjoy that,” he says.

Lanoue has no plans, however, to give up his other side job: grave digging, which began for him in 2010 when his mother passed away. The gravedigger at his church had resigned, and the priest, knowing Lanoue had the equipment, asked him to take over. Lanoue finds the activity strangely peaceful. “It’s almost like going to church,” he says. “With my hectic lifestyle, digging a grave makes me slow down and be thankful for the things I have. It makes you think about life and what’s important.”

 

WELL ON HIS WAY 

With his work motto of “honest and reliable,” Lanoue feels he has developed a good reputation in his community and is confident he can reach his goal of 1,400 septic customers before he retires from the state. That’s a number he believes would provide a good living for him and his family without requiring him to hire additional people. “I want to keep it on a personal level so that when I go to people’s houses, they see me, the owner, and they know that I’m taking care of their system as I would take care
of mine.”

Lanoue’s current schedule has him working at the prison until 3:30 p.m., then doing septic work Saturdays and evenings until 7 p.m., and digging graves as the need arises. But Sunday is strictly a day for family. “If I have to, I’ll fit something in, in an emergency,” he says. “But I try to spend the day at home.”

Lanoue sees the benefits self-employment will bring to his family. He operates the septic business out of his home, so he’s able to spend more time with the people he cherishes most. He also enjoys getting his girls involved and having them tag along with him from time to time.

“They go with me to collect payments, and sometimes when I do inspections. They know all about the truck and all about the business.” Together they’re taking it one day at a time, facing the challenges in front of them. “It’s just part of our daily life,” he says.  



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