Jesse Ferguson, owner and operator of Ferguson & Sons Septic, knows the Texas Hill Country like the back of his hand. Growing up in the area gave him and his wife, Jordan, the local connections they needed to launch their business in the fall of 2020. Today, this family-owned company operates two trucks with the help of one highly trusted employee, Brandon Newman, while Jordan helps manage the office.
With a focus on consumer education, problem-solving and treating every customer like family, Ferguson & Sons Septic handles residential and commercial pumping, grease traps, lift stations, tank locating and riser installations.
Pumper caught up with Jesse Ferguson to talk about his journey from running cranes at a wastewater plant to managing his own successful septic business, and why he’s perfectly happy staying as a small mom-and-pop operation.
Pumper: How did you get your start in the septic industry?
Ferguson: When I first got my CDL, I started off as a driver running a little knuckle boom to set septic tanks. I did that for about four or five years, but what I really wanted was to be a crane operator. So, I went off and did that for roughly 12 years. I ended up circling back to the sewer treatment plant at San Antonio Water, where I ran big cranes and oversaw the whole plant. I was always intrigued by how it all works. I would see pump trucks come in there repetitively and realized it was a lucrative business.
I talked with my wife years ago about starting a pumping company because I grew up in this area and knew everybody. At the time, it was just a very expensive ticket item to get started. But years went by, I didn’t like some of the changes happening where I was working, and I knew I had to get out of there. Money was just an excuse on how to get started, so we explored our options, figured it out and made it work. We got all the LLCs established around September 2020 and started pumping that December.
Pumper: I understand you had a pretty major setback right after you launched. What happened?
Ferguson: Right out the gate, in February 2021, we had an accident on a very slick road. Another vehicle had crashed there earlier that same morning. Thank God nobody was hurt and nobody else was involved in our accident, but our truck got totaled.
This was during COVID, so there were no trucks available from here to Canada. We were on the search trying to find anything used just to jump into. It was very stressful.
Luckily, we ended up networking with John Escobar, who is now with Viking Truck Center, and he was able to get us a good replacement truck. We were back in the saddle in about a month.
Pumper: How did your customers react to the delay?
Ferguson: The customers we already had scheduled were very supportive, and luckily they weren’t in an emergency state, so they waited for us to get possession of another vehicle. When people got word of our accident, everybody came with arms wide open when we got back up and running asking, “Hey, can you come pump our septic?” They really got us back going.
We have a strong support system in our community. Since then, we’ve never looked back — just pure determination, grit and hard work got us to where we are today.
Pumper: Tell us about the name, Ferguson & Sons Septic. Are your sons involved in the business?
Ferguson: When we named the business, we had three boys. Our oldest actually graduates next week, and it’s kind of on him if he wants to come help out. We just piggybacked off “and sons.” Years later, we ended up having a little girl, but we stuck with the name.
Also, there’s a nationwide Ferguson plumbing company around our area. By implementing our name, when people search for that plumbing company or something similar, they might find us.
I’m hoping our younger guys will take over down the road and carry on with it.
Pumper: What services do you offer, and what does your fleet look like?
Ferguson: We do septic pumping, grease traps, lift stations, treatment plants and some commercial work. A lot of times, people have no idea where their septic system is. We have a camera on our locator to find it, and while we’re already there pumping, it’s a no-brainer to install risers to bring it to surface level so we never have to dig it again.
As for the fleet, I personally drive a 2011 Freightliner, and we just got a brand new 2026 Western Star (Viking Truck) for my employee, Brandon. We will be replacing the 2011 Freightliner with an 2027 Freightliner 108SD Plus with a 3,600-gallon aluminum tank, also from Viking. We are just upgrading all old equipment to a new fleet.
Pumper: The Texas Hill Country is a competitive market. What makes your company stand out?
Ferguson: Our customers are not a number. We’re locally owned, a true mom-and-pop shop, and I grew up in the area, which is a big plus. A lot of the competition is more corporate-run or much larger.
I think we stand out because I’m actually in there doing the work and getting involved. Seeing a homeowner’s face when they realize, “Oh, you’re the owner,” speaks volumes.
We also try to explain the whole process. Some people have had other companies doing it forever, but they don’t understand how the system works. We take the time to do an educational tutorial, which goes a long way when building a relationship.
Pumper: You advertise 24/7 emergency availability on your website. Does that happen often?
Ferguson: We reserve time for emergency situations so we can get homes back in working order promptly. We put it out there that we are 24/7, and we will absolutely respond, but honestly, people normally just call during business hours. There are very few times we get late-night calls.
Our hardest part with emergencies is actually the dumping because the facilities aren’t open 24/7. Our goal is always to try to keep our trucks empty so we are ready.
Pumper: What lessons have you learned in business, and where do you see the company in five years?
Ferguson: I’ve learned a lot about the business world. Every corner you turn is an obstacle, and the hardest part is how you handle it that day. You have to wake up knowing there’s probably going to be a problem, and you just have to adapt, overcome it and be positive.
As for the future, you could ask me this tomorrow, and I might say we want to grow. But today, we’re comfortable. We do okay, and I don’t want to grow too big to where you have to rely on people who can’t hold up to your standards.
My guy right now, Brandon, is incredibly reliable; I could call him on a Sunday at two in the morning. If I had more people like him, I would expand.
But I don’t want to grow too big and risk not upholding our values. We’re happy where we’re at, helping as many people as we can and doing
it properly.
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