Published September 2007

Hand in Hand

By Marian Bond (page 54)

The combination use of pipe cleaning and inspection technology spells success for a new contractor in fast-growing Charlotte, N.C.

As a startup company around Charlotte, N.C., Jaamco Inc. began with a pair of closely related technologies: pipe cleaning and camera inspection.

By putting the two together on projects — and by starting with quality equipment and strong industry connections — the company quickly built itself a sound competitive position, serving new sewer construction projects and working on rehabilitation programs for municipalities.

Jaamco is family owned and operated by David and Angela Ammons and their son and daughter-in-law, Scott and Joyce Ammons. David Ammons, treasurer, says the company took delivery of its first Vac-Con combination truck and went to work the following Monday. Working out of office and yard space shared with Ammons Plumbing, owned by Scott Ammons in the Charlotte suburb of Matthews, the company jumped into the market, and from day one the business has grown.

Riding on growth

The Charlotte area offers ample growth opportunity: It is becoming the banking center of the Southeast. Opportunities in pipe service abound, both in new construction and in municipal work. “Building in our area is just exploding,” says David Ammons. “There’s a huge influx of people, kind of like Florida in the 1960s and 1970s.”

The camera and cleaning equipment work hand in hand. “If you’re going to do the sewer systems, the camera brings you business for the truck,” Ammons says. “When we drop the camera into the pipe, we can then show the customer what the problem is, and what we can do about it. It was always our plan to have the two.”

The firm started out inspecting new construction, traveling as far as Wilmington, 185 miles away. While 85 percent of the work is still in new construction, Jaamco has contracts with municipalities in the Carolinas on rehabilitation projects, cleaning and inspecting sewer lines sometimes 40 or 50 years old.

The company’s camera trailer was on order from RS Technical Services Inc. when the business began, and it was completed six weeks after startup. The trailer has a mainline camera and computer, and a mainline reel with 2,000 feet of cable. Either of two Ford F-150 pickups can tow the trailer. The company uses POSM (Pipeline Observation System Management) from RS Technical as well as software from WinCan America.

Hiring an expert

An important step in Jaamco’s growth was bringing project manager Donald McSwain onboard. He is certified to operate the WinCan America system, which is required by the City of Charlotte and by surrounding Mecklenburg County. McSwain is also certified in the NASSCO Pipeline Assessment and Certification Program (PACP) and the Manhole Assess-ment and Certification Program (MACP).

McSwain, with 28 years of experience in the area and in the industry, initially operated the camera system and now trains new operators. In considering candidates for inspection operator, McSwain looks for people who know computers, understand the camera, and understand how pipe assessment is done.

“It’s not easy to find somebody with these qualifications, unless the person has already worked in the industry,” he says. “To train someone new, it takes a good 60 to 90 days. That means somebody sitting there with the person. It takes a bit to get used to. It’s not something you can train a person for in a day or two.”

All Jaamco camera inspections are carefully indexed and indicate precisely where repairs are needed. Jaamco cleans and inspects any pipe from three to 112 inches, old or new, sewer or storm drain, residential, commercial, or industrial.

Critical combination

“Pipe is pipe, no matter where it is,” McSwain says. “There’s a lot of rehab going on in this area. It would be unnecessary if they would keep the system clean, and keep the grease out of it. These pipes need a lot of maintenance. Otherwise they just deteriorate.

“If there is a problem with root intrusion, instead of digging up the whole road and pavement, you can go through with a root cutter, with the camera watching. Once you do a thorough job of root cutting, the problem won’t be back for five years.”

Cleaning combined with inspection is critical. “Somebody calls with a sewer line backing up,” McSwain says. “From one manhole to the next, you clean it with the cleaning truck. If the pipe has a root clog, you can’t see that without the camera going through. Once we send the camera in there, it gives us complete information. We know we need to cut some roots.

“Some customers prefer just to send the truck out to save money. We try to sell them to put a little more up front. They have a clog today and don’t want to pay for the camera. A month later, it backs up again, and then they want to do the camera. They should have done it right the first time.”

In pipes with heavy flow, floating a camera works well. “It’s like sending a surfer out, only we send the camera,” McSwain says.

Growing and stretching

Ammons says the company is negotiating to add another camera system to the fleet. Moving the company forward in that way means finding good personnel. “A big challenge is finding CDL drivers,” Ammons says. “We eventually built up to the point where we had three CDL drivers on staff — five counting myself and Donald. But finding personnel is most challenging.

“One gentleman we found had a background in mechanical trucking and heavy equipment, but did not have the CDL. He did get it, and he is doing a great job. That’s Bruce Kutujian; he drives our second combination truck.” Tim Crawford drives the first Vac-Con unit.

“Our first Vac-Con had a high-dump feature on it,” Ammons says. “However, we don’t use that very often. We spec our trucks differently than the municipalities do.” The first truck is a 2001 Sterling 9500 series chassis with a C12 Caterpillar engine, a three-stage fan unit, an 80-gpm/2,000-psi jetter, and a 600-foot hose reel.

The second Vac-Con is a 2007 International 7600 series with a C13 Caterpillar engine and a Hibon Inc. blower. It has an 80-gpm/2,000-psi jetter and 800 feet of hose.

A third Vac-Con truck, identical to the second, is on order. All three trucks have 11-cubic-yard debris bodies.

“The Vac-Con units come with 20 feet of metal pipe for the vacuum,” Ammons says. “We add another 20 feet. That gives 40 feet and more capability. We spec our trucks out to be very heavy-duty with those bigger engines. Municipalities use automatic transmissions, and smaller engines.”

Working in tandem

Most jobs require the truck and the camera. If CIPP lining is required for a section of pipe, Jaamco provides the inspection information on a DVD or external hard drive to the proper authority or the lining contractor.

Even in new construction, there can be defects in pipes, such as sags, cracks or dips. Some defects are caused by heavy equipment on the site. “We do work for homeowner associations that have private water and sewer systems,” Ammons says. “One company we work for maintains a number of private water and sewer systems. Anything involved in the industry, we’re involved with.”

Ammons credits McSwain for much of the success. “Donald came with an excellent reputation, and many of our people have followed him right over to us,” he says. “We have put a lot of faith into what he has told us.”

Always looking to expand, the company is in regular contact with builders in Charlotte, in Mecklenburg County, and in surrounding counties and states. The goal is to continue growing and to keep all the equipment actively engaged as the area expands and develops. With ample growth in the area and an aggressive ownership and management team, Jaamco is well positioned for leadership in pipe cleaning and inspection.