Many business owners talk about their employees being part of the family. But they might not go as far as Chris Lanoue, owner of ADC Septic in Blackstone, Massachusetts.

When he and his two daughters, Ava, 16, and Tess, 13, went to Aruba in 2018 for a wedding, he invited his staff to come along — at his expense. Two of his six employees took him up on it — his foreman Jeff Holbrook and Holbrook’s son Jeffrey.

“When we got off the plane, I handed them each an envelope with cash and said, ‘See you in a week,’” he says. “They explored the island while my kids and I were with the wedding party.”

Lanoue reports that Aruba — an island off the coast of Venezuela — is awesome and everyone was friendly. And, in a “small-world” moment, he ran into someone he had worked with at his former job at the Massachusetts Department of Correction.

“Aruba is like a local place for New Englanders to go,” he says. “It’s only five hours and you’re on an island that I think 92% of their weather is 85 degrees F and above every day with calm winds. And it wasn’t that expensive. We had a great time.” He says he definitely plans on returning — and would probably bring the crew.

Closer to home, Lanoue has a 2019 fifth-wheel camper situated on a lakefront, along with a boat and Jet Ski and invites the crew to enjoy it. “It’s only 20 minutes away from the shop,” he says. “The guys come up all summer long to ski and boat with us. It’s free drinks, free cookouts. We have fun. It’s not like it’s a 9-to-5 job and they go home. We’re all hanging out together all the time.”

And really close to home — Lanoue’s home and company headquarters — the team is encouraged to unwind and keep in shape in the commercial gym he has set up in the basement and the shooting range on the 6-acre property. Lanoue loves being able to do these things for his crew and everyone benefits.

“Happy employees make for a happy company,” he says.

Read more about ADC Septic in this month’s issue of Pumper magazine.