Florida Pumper Demonstrates the Power of Team-Building and Education

Tallahassee's Brian Miller is always pumped up to attend the WWETT Show with his employees

Florida Pumper Demonstrates the Power of Team-Building and Education

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As the owner of Brian’s Septic Service in Tallahassee, Florida — a company that’s grown considerably since it was established in 2005 — Brian Miller knows full well the value of keeping up with the latest and greatest in productivity- and profitability-enhancing equipment.

That’s why he routinely attends the annual Water & Wastewater Equipment, Treatment & Transport (WWETT) Show.

“I go every year and take about three of our guys along,” Miller says. “Two guys have come every year for the last 10 years and we rotate other guys in and out for that third spot.”

Why does Miller do that? For starters, it’s a great morale booster when employees get to take a break from running routes. Hanging out and going out to eat allows him to get to know employees better, he says.

“Plus they get to see new products and learn more about the industry,” Miller says. “Almost every year there are new products that we haven’t seen before.”

Sometimes those new products end up being game-changers for the company. A good case in point is the ProVac portable grease trap pumping unit from Conde (a brand owned by Westmoor Ltd.) that the company bought more than a decade ago. The wheeled unit features a 50-gallon debris tank and a 35 cfm Conde pump that can pull 120 gpm.

The unit is designed for access in tight spaces. It weighs 250 pounds and measures 24 inches wide (small enough to fit through doorways), 50 inches long and 45 inches tall.

The company used to pump out tanks only if they were located outside, because most restaurant managers don’t want the hassle of hoses running through their kitchen and/or dining areas. But technicians can easily wheel the Conde unit into restaurants and navigate close quarters, Miller says.

“Until we went to the show that year, we had no idea there was something like that,” he says. ”We picked up a whole new client base that we couldn’t access before. That machine has paid for itself quite a few times over the years.”

Miller says seeing equipment in person and talking to manufacturer’s representatives is invaluable when making big investments in tools and trucks. 

“At the show, you can get your hands on equipment and machines and kick the tires,” Miller says. “Plus you can talk to a sales rep and get an understanding of they work.” Brian’s Septic Service is featured in the March issue of Pumper.



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