Building a Family Business in Missouri Septic Services

Name and title or job description: Dustin Shipman, owner

Business: Sunshine Septic, Ozark, Missouri

Services we offer: Septic pumping and septic system installation

Age: 44

Years in the industry: I have 20 years of experience in excavation and septic system installation through my previous company, DRD Contracting. In January 2025, I had the opportunity to acquire Sunshine Pumping when the previous owner decided to retire.

The previous owner had actually been referring customers to me for years. Whenever he came across a failing septic system, he would give the customer my number. I was always grateful for those referrals, and when he was ready to retire, I offered to buy the business.

It has worked out well for both of us. More importantly, it has given me the opportunity to build something that my family can be a part of.

Association involvement: Missouri Smallflows Association

Benefits of belonging to the association: Being a member gives me an opportunity to stay up to date with state regulations and earn the credits I need as a septic installer in Missouri. I also enjoy learning from other installers and hearing what they are seeing in the field.

The septic industry is always changing, and I believe you never stop learning. Being involved with the association helps me continue improving my skills and, ultimately, provide better service to our customers.

Biggest issue facing the association: One of the biggest challenges I see is that many of the experienced “old-timers” are retiring while not enough newcomers are entering the industry.

That concerns me because this is a trade where experience matters. We need more young people willing to learn the business, get their hands dirty and take pride in doing the job right.

For me, that is especially important because I have my own sons working alongside me. I want them to see that there is a future in this industry and that a skilled trade can provide a good living while allowing you to build something of your own.

Our crew includes: We are a small family-owned and family-operated company. Our four-person crew includes my sons, Ryder and Reed Shipman, and our employee, Alex Wilson.

Ryder works alongside me on septic installations while Alex and Reed handle our septic pumping operations.

Having my sons work with me is one thing I enjoy most about the business. There’s definitely days when working with family can be challenging, but there is also something special about building a business together and teaching your kids a trade that you have spent years learning yourself.

I hope that what we are building today can give them opportunities in the future, whether they choose to stay in the septic industry or take what they learn here into something else.

A typical day on the job: I usually start the day by getting Alex set up for his pumping jobs before heading out into the field myself. I spend a lot of time visiting properties, gathering information for septic installation quotes and completing installations.

Two or three nights a week, I’m usually in the office working on quotes, billing, estimates and bidding jobs.

Running a small family business means there really isn’t a separation between work and home. Sometimes business conversations happen at the dinner table, and sometimes family conversations happen while we’re working. It’s just part of our life.

The job I’ll never forget: Every septic job is unique in its own way, but one recent installation really stands out.

I was replacing a septic system for a house that was built in the early 1900s. The existing system was undersized and beginning to fail, so it needed to be replaced.

As I excavated the failing system, I dug a little farther and discovered another septic system underneath it.

We were actually installing the third septic system for that house. We’ve been installing Infiltrator Advanced Enviro-Septic systems because they have worked very well for our customers and provide a cost-effective solution for many of the sites we encounter.

My favorite piece of equipment: I’m a big tool person. If we need a tool that can make our job easier or more efficient, I’ll usually find a way to buy it.

One of my favorites is the Crust Buster. It has cut our pumping time significantly because we don’t have to pump and backflush repeatedly.

Another favorite is our 2002 Cat 306 excavator. That machine is a huge part of our business, and we couldn’t operate the company without it. The GPS has been especially helpful and allows us to work more efficiently without having to get out of the machine as often.

I’ve spent a lot of years around equipment, and I enjoy being able to teach my sons what I’ve learned. Hopefully, someday they’ll know their way around a machine as well as I do — or maybe even better.

Most challenging site I’ve worked on: Branson, Missouri, is south of us and is very hilly country. Some of the septic sites there can be challenging because of the steep terrain and tight spaces.

You have to be able to position the truck and equipment correctly just to get the job done. Usually, if we put our heads together, we can come up with a solution, even on the most challenging job sites.

That’s one of the things I enjoy about working with my family and crew. Everyone brings something different to the table, and we figure it out together.

The craziest question or most insightful comment from a customer: I can’t think of a particularly crazy question, but one thing I see often is that people simply don’t know what they have going on underground.

Septic systems are out of sight and out of mind. Most homeowners don’t think much about their septic system until something goes wrong and they have to call someone.

Whenever I have the opportunity, I try to educate customers about their septic system and help them understand what they have, how it works and what they can do to keep it working properly.

If I could change one industry regulation, it would be: I do business in one of the two counties in Missouri that is regulated at both the state and county level. The additional county inspections can put installers under a lot of scrutiny.

That being said, I understand why the regulations are there. They are intended to make sure installers are doing the job correctly and that septic systems are being installed properly. Ultimately, I’m OK with that.

The best small-business advice I’ve heard or come up with: Don’t stress about everything as a business owner. At the end of the day, most things are going to work out.

I also believe it’s important to enjoy what you do. If you don’t enjoy your work, you’re not going to want to show up every day and do your best.

For me, enjoying the business also means being able to do it with my family. I get to spend my days working alongside my sons, and that’s something I don’t take for granted.

If I wasn’t working in the wastewater industry, I would like to: I’d probably spend more time hunting elk, mule deer and whitetail. But more than anything, I enjoy spending time with my sons and my wife, Dana. I couldn’t run this business without my wife. She’s a great listener, my biggest cheerleader and a huge part of our success. She’s supported me through the long days, the late nights and all the ups and downs that come with owning a small business.

This really is a family business. It’s not just something I go to work at every day. It’s something we’re building together.

Crystal ball time - my outlook for the wastewater industry: I believe the wastewater industry needs more people who are willing to enter the septic business, learn the trade and take pride in doing the job correctly.

At the same time, we need to do a better job of educating homeowners. Most people don’t think about their septic system until there is a problem, and many don’t really understand what is happening underground or how their system is supposed to operate.

The more we educate customers about their septic systems, the better chance we have of preventing problems, reducing improperly maintained systems and helping those systems last longer.

I would like to see the industry become more proactive about education, not only training the next generation of septic professionals, but also helping homeowners understand the systems they depend on every day.

I also hope we can encourage more families and young people to consider the septic industry as a career. There is a lot of opportunity here for someone willing to work hard, learn the trade and do things the right way.

For me, the future of the industry is personal. I’m not just thinking about who will be doing this work 10 or 20 years from now. I’m thinking about my own sons and what opportunities this industry might give them.

I’d like to leave them something they can be proud of, a business built on hard work, treating people right and doing the job correctly.

That’s why I hope Sunshine Septic can continue to be a family business that takes care of its customers, takes pride in its work and gives the next generation an opportunity to build something of their own.