Darrell Young never got over the excitement of riding in Grandpa Charlie's big truck as he serviced septic tanks. Darrell was only 5, but he dreamed of the day he could drive the truck and work in his grandfather's business. Unfortunately, Charles Young sold the business before Darrell was old enough to drive.

But the seed to run a business was planted. It was nurtured by Darrell's willingness to work a variety of jobs to gain skills necessary to start Oceanside Septic Services Inc. in 2000 when he was 35.

His dream job also happens to be in a dream location with an ocean view. Darrell and his wife, Cheri, live in Brewster, Mass., on the lower end of Cape Cod, which requires crossing a bridge from the mainland. Though they work across the bridge occasionally, most customers are within a 60-mile radius, with a population that includes year-round residents who like small village life, and wealthy senior citizens who head south for the winter.

BUSINESS LESSONS

Darrell was born in Cape Cod, but moved and started working heavy construction as a teenager with his father in Florida on racetracks and golf courses. He liked driving big equipment, and when those jobs slowed down, he took whatever work he needed to make a living — cutting trees, seal coating driveways and snow plowing when he moved back to Massachusetts.

Then, 17 years ago, he bought a home in Brewster and and drove a different type of big truck — picking up trash for a large disposal company. After five years, he started his own trash collecting service. "In 1996, I started with one little truck," Darrell says. "I ended up with six trucks."

In 2000, he had the opportunity to buy a once-thriving septic service company. Since it had always been his dream, Darrell didn't hesitate to buy the business, even though he had no training. He became the owner of a Ford LN8000 truck with a 2,500-gallon tank and a customer list handwritten in three notebooks.

Darrell continued his rubbish business, sent out letters to customers on the list and businesses in the phone book, and had fliers made for his new business. And he told his trash customers about the new venture.

The first septic job was an emergency call from a condo complex that needed a tank pumped before a new leach field could be installed. Darrell operated his vacuum truck for the first time, guided by his experience with a variety of equipment and old-fashioned common sense.

It didn't take long for him to need a second truck, a 1994 Peterbilt with a 3,600-gallon tank to help meet the needs of commercial customers. His oldest son, Jeremy, started working for him.

Meanwhile, Darrell wasn't happy about how his trash collecting business was going. He relied on workers who didn't maintain the same personal touch he had. The septic business was growing, and he and Cheri knew they couldn't handle both businesses. In 2001, they sold the rubbish business to focus on septic service.

FAMILY AFFAIR

The trash collection service proved to be a good training ground. The Youngs learned how to run a business, and many customers followed them into their new enterprise.

"Customer relations are important to us," Darrell says. "I'm a firm believer in doing a professional job. We lay sod on a tarp and put everything back like the way it was. We are locally owned and family operated." That appeals to Cape Cod customers, Cheri adds.

"We haven't advertised in the phone book the past four or five years. Word-of-mouth goes everywhere," she says. Referrals and a business website provide all the advertisement they need.

Having everything in the family ensures quality service. The couple, three sons and a daughter make up the payroll. Daughter, Tiana, 19, helps in the office and runs errands. Jeremy, 30, has a CDL and pumps tanks and does regular service work. Derrick, 27, works part time along with his other work in landscaping and house painting. At 20, Dalton seems to have inherited his father's passion for the business. His specialty is troubleshooting, repairs and emergency calls. He and Darrell are certified for confined space work and take on trickier repairs.

In Massachusetts, home sellers are required to have a Title 5 inspection, so the Youngs get a lot of calls in the spring. Every component — tank, distribution box and leaching pit — must be dug up enough to expose the lids and undergo a thorough inspection. The Youngs go through the home to fill out a checklist that includes things such as the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, etc. No garbage disposals are allowed.

Darrell rarely installs systems, but he contracts with other companies for the work and has a mini excavator to dig up lines and do basic earth work.

Oceanside has a blend of residential and commercial customers. In a region where many residents are older and go south in the winter, they also deal with many condo and apartment rental companies to provide 24-hour service.

"Our motive is we're not leaving until you flush," Darrell says. "I'm very stubborn about that, even if it means digging in the middle of the night." His service truck is prepared for that with a generator and lights.

As a bonus, Cheri offers cleanup services to vacuum, mop and wipe down the area with a sanitizer, greatly appreciated by rental property owners who don't have to find someone else to do the job.

TLC CUSTOMER SERVICE

Early in the business, Cheri accompanied Darrell on runs, and she assists on emergency calls, so she understands the business. Like Darrell, she believes in explaining the process to customers so they understand how septic systems work. When new customers call to check out prices she educates them that the price she gives is all inclusive and to ask other companies if there are additional hose, fuel surcharges and digging fees in their quotes.

"I try to make it a conversation," she explains. "I ask their name, so I can refer to my notes later if they call back."

Darrell or his sons take time to talk to homeowners, and people recognize the company owner wherever he goes. Darrell often can't remember their names, but he knows exactly where their septic tanks are located and issues they have had in the past.

As passionate as he is about knowing the customers' systems, Darrell is just as passionate about the equipment he uses to get the job done efficiently.

"I like tools," Darrell admits. "When I started the septic business I wanted everything. I want to be equipped, ready to do anything." He buys different models to find ones that do the best job, and has four cameras and 15 drain machines, for example.

The Youngs recently rented property with a large heated shop to house most of their equipment. "The shop has been a blessing," Cheri says. Besides protecting their investment in equipment and keeping it well organized, less dirt gets tracked into her home.

In the new shop are two vacuum trucks that replaced their first two rigs: a 2003 Freightliner FL70 with a 2,700-gallon steel tank and a Masport pump (builder out of business); and a 2003 Peterbilt 379 triaxle with a 4,500-gallon steel tank and a 360 NVE Challenger pump, built by Quality Tank Trucks & Equipment. Both vehicles are equipped with Electric Eel video inspection cameras.

A Crust Buster tank agitator and Schonstedt Instrument Co. locator also are available for regular service calls. A 2003 3500 Series diesel service van is equipped with a Gorlitz kitchen sink drain machine, Spartan 300 drain machine for septic lines, MyTana M30 waterjetter for septic lines, and a Honda 2000 mini generator.

The Youngs also have a Ford F-150 utility truck to haul extra parts, such as risers, distribution boxes, lids and fittings as well as a snake and basic tools. Darrell recently purchased a 2011 John Deere 17D mini excavator.

PASSING IT ON

Running the business is challenging and requires great investments of time and money, but the Youngs wouldn't have it any other way.

"We've had many good offers to sell to big companies and turned them down," Darrell says. He has no interest in growing beyond what his family can handle and hopes that one or two of the children will take over the business. Already, he appreciates the benefits of having them involved.

"I never took a vacation until two years ago," says Darrell, 47. He and Cheri slip away for three or four days at a time a couple of times a year. Though Cheri answers the emergency calls and dispatches them back, and Darrell is available for advice, they like having workers they can count on.

With two trucks and a list of 5,000 customers, the Youngs don't aggressively seek new markets because they don't want to get so much work that they are forced to trade quality for quantity. Despite long hours with emergency calls, Darrell has no regrets.

"I love it. I couldn't picture doing anything else," he says. "I like dealing with the public, being my own boss and making people happy."

He thinks Grandpa Charlie would be pleased.