Hitting the Pumper Jackpot

In early January 2025, Austin Overby, owner of CGO Grease Services in Hamptonville, North Carolina, was facing a crisis. His sole pumping truck was reaching the end of the line, and he didn’t have the money to replace it.

Two years earlier, Overby launched his business with nothing but determination, a 2004 International DT 466 he had pieced together from a chassis found in South Carolina and a tank bought at an auction in Ohio. But after two years of grinding out a living, the pumper was failing. With a DOT inspection looming in February, Overby knew the rig wouldn’t pass.

“I knew my old truck was not going to make it much longer,” Overby recalls. “It needed some rebuilding, it needed some things done. I didn’t know how or what I was going to do.”

Meanwhile, roughly 660 miles west in Searcy, Arkansas, Iron-Vac Septic Truck Sales was having its second annual truck giveaway. The prize: a 2018 International 4300, fully equipped and carrying a 2,100-gallon tank.

“The whole goal is to give back to the pumper community and to give it to someone who is deserving,” explains April Butler, quality control and compliance specialist for Iron-Vac. “We wanted someone who had a truck that was just falling apart on them, where winning our truck was going to make a difference in their life.”

Overby didn’t just enter; he poured his heart into the process. He submitted entry after entry, telling the story of why he started CGO Grease Services, which is named after Overby’s daughter Ciara Gabriella Overby.

“My intention is to run a family company and be able to provide a better current and future for my daughter,” he wrote in one of his entries. “I am trying really hard to be able to get a new pump truck to be able to continue running this business due to issues with the old truck. I pump grease traps and septic tanks.

“I’m trying to build a legacy for her,” Overby says, having previously worked for another pumping company before striking out on his own. “I want to be able to provide, not only now, but I also want to be able to provide when she is older, and that way she has a head start in life.”

His persistence paid off. He was selected as the winner. Today, with the new truck, Overby is able to service 78 grease accounts a month with time left over to expand his septic pumping and installation services — and no truck breakdowns to contend with.

For Iron-Vac, the choice was clear. “We did get quite a few submissions, but I think overall just the tenacity that we were able to see through the submissions that he sent and the story that he had, it seemed like he had just the qualities that we were looking for,” says Riley Reed, marketing manager at Iron-Vac Trucks. “It was pretty much unanimous for Austin to win.”

FIVE TAKEAWAYS on Winning in Business:

1. Persistence Pays Off

When Overby wants something, he doesn’t just ask once. He goes after it with unflagging persistence and, more importantly, politeness. So when Overby heard about the Iron-Vac truck giveaway, he committed fully. He didn’t submit one entry; he submitted roughly 60.

“When I was scrolling through my phone and kept looking at the Iron-Vac contest page, I took it as a sign that I needed to put in a submission,” he recalls. “Each time, I would just sit back and write what came to my heart.” While Iron-Vac’s Riley Reed clarified that volume of submissions doesn’t automatically equal a win, Overby’s sheer tenacity and sincerity made him impossible to ignore.

That attitude translates to business. Be persistent toward goals. Don’t accept trying something once and being OK that it didn’t work out. If it’s something truly important, stick to it and the results of a task that seems unlikely to succeed could change the course of your company.

2. Know Your “Why”

Overby’s submission stood out not because of a business case, but because of his motivation. He wasn’t just looking for free equipment; he was looking to build a prosperous future for his daughter. This emotional authenticity resonated with the judges. “His story and his reason for wanting to win the truck really struck a chord with all of us, especially our owner,” says Butler. For other operators, the lesson is clear: Whether applying for a loan, a grant or a contest, don’t be afraid to be vulnerable and share the human story behind the business. Doing so can make the difference between success and failure.

3. Act on the Signs

Overby operates on a philosophy of active faith — the belief that when an opportunity presents itself, you have to seize it immediately. He compares it to the modern parable of the drowning man who refuses help from rescue boats while waiting for God to save him — only to discover after drowning that God had sent the boats. “Every time a sign’s been put in front of me, I’ve learned to jump on it,” Overby explains. “A lot of people overlook those signs. I try to take every sign that’s being given to me.”

At the same time, he also believes in realizing when you aren’t in control. Facing a broken truck and a bleak financial future, he chose prayer in addition to action. “If you try to stay in control, it’s never going to go the way you want it to,” Overby advises. This mindset allows him to weather the inevitable storms of small business ownership without burning out.

4. Community Is Not Competition

Despite the competitive nature of the business, Austin Overby views his fellow pumpers as allies rather than enemies. “A lot of people don’t realize that we pumper people, we’re actually a community,” Overby says. “If I can’t do work, I throw it to them. If they can’t do work, they throw it to me. We try to take care of one another because at the end of the day, all we’re trying to do is just feed our family and pay the bills.”

Overby’s sense of brotherhood extends far beyond his local territory. Shortly after winning, he received a congratulatory phone call from the contest’s previous winner, Thomas Glenn Garrison — a gesture that highlights the supportive pumper community that crosses state lines. It’s a philosophy shared by Iron-Vac. “That’s how we feel as a company,” says April Butler. “We want to take care of pumpers. They’re the backbone of hardworking Americans.”

5. Put in the Sweat Equity

Although Austin Overby benefited from winning the truck, he has never taken his good fortune for granted. In fact, his company’s fundamental success is built upon his willingness to work hard to make things happen. This started with him putting together his first truck from what he could find, and then being willing to do the work — whatever it might be — to pay the bills. And on those days when the phone didn’t ring, Overby didn’t sit idle. Instead, he was out “driving around, even on days when I had nothing, introducing myself, stopping at different restaurants, handing out business cards,” Overby recalls.

This bootstrap mentality is what ultimately led to Overby managing 78 grease accounts per month. In business, there is no substitute for doing the unglamorous groundwork and making your own luck.