The drain cleaning industry has matured a great deal in the past couple decades. That evolution continues, and like most aspects of modern society, it’s driven by technology.

I remember when my grade school got its first computers. I don’t remember what we learned in the early days of those novel new machines. I mostly just remember classmates making banners, transferring boldly creative sayings like “Happy Birthday” from mind to monochrome monitor, to equally monochrome dots on perforated computer paper that unfolded from a box and rolled through the printer’s spool. The end product seemed like a low-tech version of the scrolling messages on bank marquees.

I wasn’t that interested at the time. My 10-year-old mind — more fixated on bikes, the Van Halen 1984 album and the fort I’d built in the swamp across the street from my house — couldn’t directly link this “computer training” to the future of, well, everything.

Just as it has with most everything else, technology has taken over this industry. Some drain cleaners still survive with not much more than a business card and a cable machine, and while that old-school simplicity holds a certain appeal, it’s certainly not the way of the future.

The TREKK Design Group, featured in this month’s issue of Cleaner, is a shining example of how technology is leading the industry forward. The Missouri-based company was formed in 2002 with a focus on primarily transportation-related projects and engineering services.

By 2005, new opportunities were emerging and the company began shifting attention to the inspection and cleaning side of the municipal wastewater market, initially with manhole inspection, smoke testing and flow monitoring.

Then Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. TREKK purchased a 2001 Vac-Con to help with the cleanup effort, and a year later added its first CCTV truck, which enabled the company to support the professional services and engineering studies it was already providing. That’s the future as far as municipal services are concerned. It’s not about being able to dig and replace a pipe when a utility needs it; it’s about being able to diagnose the problem, engineer a solution and carry out the work.

TREKK, which started small without major growth aspirations, now employs 96 people — including 32 NASSCO-trained service technicians — and has eight regional offices scattered across Missouri and nearby states. And it’s all because they took advantage of opportunities as they presented themselves. They weren’t afraid to branch out and invest in new technology that would bring even more opportunities.

I’ve certainly seen the light since I transferred those first thoughts into thousands of dots on continuous-form paper. I’m more enthusiastic about technology, and I think the words I put to paper have gained some depth as well. One thing is for sure, I wouldn’t be where I am or doing what I do if I resisted technology.

I still like to put pen to paper, but it’s pretty amazing what I can do with my MacBook and a Wi-Fi signal. I’ll always appreciate a good pen that rolls smoothly across a crisp sheet of clean paper, but I know my keyboard is more efficient. I also appreciate an old-school tradesman who grew up in the trenches and can fix anything because he’s seen everything, but technology is an important piece of the trade now. Embrace it, or your future may not be so bright.

Enjoy this month’s issue.