Name and title or job description: Brian Koski, owner, chief executive officer
Business name and location: Septic Check, Milaca, Minnesota
Services we offer: We design, inspect, install, pump and repair septic systems. We do line-cleaning. We are also service providers for advanced pretreatment systems.
Age: 40
Years in the industry: 21. When I was 19, I became the first employee for the company. I became an owner a few years later, then sole owner about 12 years ago. The founders were friends of the family. I got an internship with them while I was in college. I went to school for water and wastewater quality and got my wastewater operator license.
Association involvement: I’ve been a member of the Minnesota Onsite Wastewater Association since I got started. I was on the board for years and president twice. In 2024 I was nominated for the National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association board and was voted in last fall.
Benefits of belonging to NOWRA: I’m still wrapping my head around what NOWRA is working on, but I went to their conference in 2024. I noticed that our state organization attracts the best of the best, and NOWRA seems to do the same thing at the national level. It’s really nice to have the level of knowledge and expertise. The classes and topics are exciting to me, just being different from what I’m used to at the MOWA level. The quality is really good. I’ve always enjoyed the networking side of associations, being able to talk to people, gain knowledge, build relationships, learn and get advice. That’s always been beneficial to me. And just keeping a pulse on the industry is helpful, seeing where things are going regulation-wise, new ways of doing things, new technology.
Biggest issue facing NOWRA right now: NOWRA went through a strategic planning process in 2024. I wasn’t involved in that, but I’m seeing what they created and I know everybody on the board who went through that process said it was really helpful to distill down what they want to focus on over the next two or three years. A big part of NOWRA has been a focus on online learning. That continues to be the case and there will be more time and investment put into that. On the regulation side of things, $50 million a year has been appropriated to our industry at the federal level so they’re working on getting that distributed out to the state level so it can actually be used. And they continue to build the membership and create value for the members.
Our crew includes: We have 25 people on our team. I’m a firm believer that our people are our most important asset, and our team is awesome. I worked really hard at building that team. We work in various areas of the septic industry and have managers for each department. We have created a really strong leadership team, which has been instrumental in our growth and ability to serve our customers. I couldn’t do it without any of them.
Typical day on the job: I’m involved in decision-making, financial oversight and project management of the larger complex installation projects. I help solve problems, run meetings, do big picture planning. All our marketing is done internally so I help facilitate that, coming up with ideas and so on.
The job I'll never forget: Early in my career when I was in my early 20s, we had some staffing changes and I had to take over leading our installation crew. We had been awarded our biggest job to that point for a resort and golf course — a 48,000 gpd system with gravel filters and pretreatment. The customer was adamant that we could only build it in the winter so we wouldn’t wreck the golf course. We worked in December and January in the snow and below-freezing temperatures. I had to figure out a way to build structures to heat areas to keep them from freezing. We had to build a couple of big gravel filters with rubber liners in them. My uncle owned a concrete business and taught me how to build shelter-in areas. We covered the whole gravel filter and heated it so we could work on it without damaging anything. Looking back, it was one of the best experiences from a learning perspective, but I would never do it again.
My favorite piece of equipment: We always invest heavily in good quality equipment. I don’t like downtime, so I want to make sure our guys have the tools they need and can rely on. We use Milwaukee tools that are awesome, and Crust Busters tank agitators. Sometimes it’s the little tools that make a hard job easier. It keeps morale up when you have something you can just grab and know it’s going to work.
Most challenging site I’ve worked on: We’ve done several island projects in the winter where we had to drive over the ice to get there. And we did a project last year at a mobile home park that had sandy, gravelly soil, a very small site. We set seven large tanks with a crane which lifted the tanks off a semitruck and went over mobile homes and trees to get them into the right spots. We did all this while keeping the existing system active. The edges of our excavation site were mobile homes. There was a lot of dirt to remove with very little access.
Oops, this didn’t work out as planned: A restaurant owner needed some work done. We didn’t feel good about him right off the bat, but we did it anyway. It ended up he only paid us half so we lost quite a bit of money on it. So that was a lesson that we should have listened to our gut. Another thing is, I sometimes get distracted by side projects that aren’t really in line with our company goals. And, thirdly, we’ve spent tons of money on advertising over the years that didn’t really amount to anything.
The craziest question or most insightful comment from a customer: I read our reviews and pay attention to what customers say, good or bad, just to learn. It’s insightful. But we get the crazy questions, too — “I heard throwing a dead chicken in my tank is good to get the bacteria going,” or people who brag about never pumping their tank, or somebody told them they didn’t have to do anything to maintain their system, or, “Why can’t I just pump this out on the ground?”
If I could change one industry regulation, it would be: I’d like to see more consistent application of existing regulations between the different counties and jurisdictions. They all do things a little differently which is challenging and frustrating.
Best piece of small business advice I’ve heard or came up with: You, as the leader or owner of a company, are the roadblock — meaning your team or company will only grow to the extent you do. So you have to have some awareness and be open to change, work on yourself, set your ego aside a little bit. You have to be honest and willing to consider that you’re the problem, not other people.
If I wasn’t working in the wastewater industry, I would like to: If I could do anything, I’d be spending time outdoors in the woods. I’m an avid bow hunter and love being in the woods.
Crystal ball time – This is my outlook for the wastewater industry: I’m positive about it and continue to be excited about the future. There is a lot of opportunity if you look for it. When I started, everybody was over twice my age. Many have retired or soon will. So I’ve noticed more of the next generation coming up and taking over. The mindset shifts with that — a willingness to embrace new technology and adopt new ways of doing things. It has always been challenging finding the right people to hire, and that doesn’t seem to be going away. It’s a challenge but maybe an opportunity as well. And I think it would be good to see a continuation of promoting professionalism in our industry and treating it as a trade instead of the black sheep of trades so that it’s a career people can be attracted to.
