Hardworking Couple's Pumping Business Booms Through Recession

Richard and Lynn Gillespie have been busy the past 10 years. Since the last time Pumper magazine spoke to them, they’ve added trucks, employees and municipal work to Alpena Septic Service, based out of Spruce, Michigan.The Gillespies saw significant growth in a decade, showcasing the pumping trade’s resiliency to economic recession and the rewards business owners can see in return for good old-fashioned hard work. But not everything changed.Richard says they’re still fighting as members of the Michigan Septic Tank Association to have a voice in septage regulations, and they’re still working on getting Michigan to establish a standardized septic code in