Retirement? Not for This 67-Year-Old Septic Pumper!

Ken Howard always looked forward to retirement. Then in 1997, after 28 years of running a trash-hauling business in South Carolina’s Upcountry, he sold out and it was time to relax and enjoy life.
 

Ken Howard always looked forward to retirement. Then in 1997, after 28 years of running a trash-hauling business in South Carolina’s Upcountry, he sold out and it was time to relax and enjoy life.

But retirement wasn’t exactly what Howard expected.

“I got a bit bored after six months and couldn’t goof off or play that much golf,’’ Howard recalls. “I guess my daddy raised me to work. I’m definitely a workaholic.’’

So work he did. After his brief dalliance with a life of leisure, Howard turned from collecting solid waste to liquid waste, buying a small septic service business – Dr. Flush, in Greer, S.C. Opening shop with a single vacuum truck and a plan to capitalize on a growing regional economy, Howard acquired three smaller pumping businesses – now operating out of one location – and involves family members in the management of a burgeoning operation.

And a busy workload demands efficient and reliable equipment. The most recent vacuum truck, a 2014 Petebilt, was built out by Lely Manufacturing

“Doing what I did might not be for everybody,’’ Howard says today. But all’s well that … well, doesn’t end. “I’m 67 now and still going strong.’’

Read the full story.

Sponsored by Lely Manufacturing.



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