Different Sizes of Success

The drain cleaning industry presents opportunities for anyone who does good work and treats people fairly.

Interested in Business?

Get Business articles, news and videos right in your inbox! Sign up now.

Business + Get Alerts

Some people dream of building a big company and dominating their industry. Others simply want to be in business for themselves, doing the work the way they want it done with no one looking over their shoulder. One of the great things about this industry is there’s plenty of room for both to be successful.

The two feature profiles in this month’s issue of Cleaner are a testament to that. North American Pipeline Services is a great example of a company with a wealth of resources branching out to gain greater market share. Owner Tom Mullen had been in the excavation and pipe installation business for many years before purchasing the company. After the acquisition, one of his first initiatives was going after larger municipal jobs. North American had taken on very little of this type of work under the previous owner, but Mullen saw it as a huge opportunity for growth. The effects of Superstorm Sandy in their local area of New Jersey made municipal work an even greater opportunity.  

So, nearly from scratch, Mullen began building capacity to take on those projects through training, networking and marketing.

Instead of waiting for existing customers to call, they’re trying to grow relationships with a bigger, broader customer base. Mullen is making plans to expand into pipeline rehabilitation using slip lining and other forms of trenchless pipe repair. The company has several CUES cameras and support vans, and is also looking at other upgrades. Three jet-vac combination trucks along with air-testing gear, mandrels and vacuum-testing equipment add to the resources available.

It’s all part of Mullen’s long-term vision: to combine North American Pipeline with his excavation business and create a full-service underground utility contractor that can compete directly with larger firms in New Jersey and adjacent areas of New York and Pennsylvania.

Tight Seal Plumbing in Chattanooga, Tenn., takes the same approach to doing quality work, but it’s a small company and owner Daniel Baker only has one full-time employee. He may add to the staff in the future, but right now he’s building the company name and customer base so he has a solid footing for whatever the future brings.

Baker prefers to be out on every job himself, and he’s seen the value in focusing his business on drain cleaning. By carefully acquiring the right equipment, he’s been able to expand his capabilities and carve out a profitable niche.

He was able to learn from other experienced inspection technicians before he purchased his own equipment, and he spent a lot of time learning the full extent of the equipment’s capabilities once he purchased his own.

Baker also pays close attention to detail and has been able to build his business through referrals from satisfied customers. “I’m going to give the best I possibly can,” he says. “The customer has entrusted me to do that. We need to strive in the industry for that excellence.”

Both of these entrepreneurs are successful by their own standards, even though they occupy very different places in their markets. They are on different tracks, but both are meeting the needs of their customers and doing well enough to meet the needs of their families. That’s a success by anyone’s standards and a great example of why this industry is great: If you do good work and treat people fairly, you’ll find success.

Enjoy this month’s issue.



Discussion

Comments on this site are submitted by users and are not endorsed by nor do they reflect the views or opinions of COLE Publishing, Inc. Comments are moderated before being posted.