Only One Way

Parsley Septic Tanks prides itself on always installing the right system for the site. In fact, “doing it right” have been the company watchwords for years.

Parsley Septic Tanks installs the right system for every site’s unique conditions and has been doing so for two generations. The watchwords of “doing it right” began with Jimmie Parsley, the founder, and remain the hallmark today.

Owners and brothers Mike and Everett Parsley learned the importance of “doing it right” as young men working with and for their dad. As their knowledge grew and the regulations changed, so has their understanding of what a “right system” looks like. They have found success by following change and always doing things the one way their father taught them. A key driver of the business is tightening regulation related to efforts to protect the Chesapeake Bay. Many of the Parsleys’ systems include advanced treatment units — the company holds certifications from four manufacturers.

The business also benefits from mandatory pumpouts of septic tanks and from regulations that require owners of advanced treatment systems to secure maintenance contracts with licensed service providers.

Rural location

“We will always have a strong, focused position in the onsite installation business,” Mike Parsley says. Growing up in the business, in Lanexa, in southeast Virginia, the brothers learned the importance of staying focused. “Originally, dad did plumbing and heating work and installed septic systems, but it wasn’t long before septic system work took over,” Mike says.

Lanexa is not in the wilderness, but it is somewhat isolated, and that made it a challenge to get septic tanks when needed. There were tank quality issues, too. To change that situation, Jimmie Parsley made his own forms and started casting tanks. Since the mid-1970s, the firm has used commercial molds, and the brothers continue to manufacture tanks. “This is fill-in work that usually gets done when conditions are too wet to work in the soil,” says Mike.

Tank manufacturing brought competitive advantages. “We always have the right tank on hand, and there is never an enormously expensive unsold inventory in the yard,” Mike says. Making tanks helps save hauling costs, too. Each year the company makes about 100 tanks — enough for its own needs and to sell a unit to another contractor on occasion. Lanexa lies on a peninsula about halfway between Williams burg and Richmond. “From the top of the roller coaster at Busch Gardens, you can see the rivers on either side,” says Mike. The York to the north and the James to the south flow to Chesapeake Bay. Federal and state government programs to protect and improve the bay’s water quality are driving changes in the onsite industry to which the Parsleys must adjust. The other agent of change is the economy.

The brothers serve all or parts of five counties in their 50-mile service radius. Last year, the counties notified owners of homes served by septic systems about a new maintenance mandate. Beginning in 2009, every treatment tank must be pumped or inspected every five years. Through 2006, the company pumped about 100 tanks per year. “On average, we now pump 100 tanks per month,” Mike says. “We are swamped with new pumping business.”

New residents’ attitudes about tank pumpouts are often in sharp contrast to the strong opinions of long-term residents about proper tank maintenance. “Newcomers want to know about and understand their systems, and we spend the time it takes to help them do that,” Mike says. “On the other hand, many long-term homeowners choose tank inspection rather than a pumpout. These folks are carrying out a family tradition that sees no purpose for a pumpout and sees no reason to abandon that tradition.”

Lifestyle impacts

In Virginia, Commonwealth-registered site evaluators and professional engineers prepare and often collaborate on system designs. “We do work with designers when asked, but that is not too common,” Mike says.

A few designers work with homebuyers or developers to up-size systems to handle the lifestyles that go with the up-sized houses built in recent years. Still, says Mike, “We have seen builders try to place big houses on small lots and service them with systems that meet minimum system requirements.”

When on the design team, the brothers tell owners how their lifestyles will affect the systems. “We get a lot of calls for systems that have been overloaded,” Mike says. “When owners understand that adjusting their lifestyle can help the system, they change their ways.”

In 2009, every system in Virginia that has an advanced treatment component, such as an aerobic treatment tank, must be managed by a Commonwealth-registered management service provider. “We see the management portion of our business growing,” says Mike. “In 10 years, it could be 50 percent of our annual workload.” The peninsula’s soils influence the systems installed. The soils are primarily sandy-clay-loam, and many sites have seasonal high water tables. “To protect the groundwater and the water quality in the bay, we must keep the system at least 18 inches above that seasonal water table,” Mike says. Installing 60 to 75 systems per year in recent years, the brothers let their sole employee, Linwood Harris, work on a variety of systems.

Last year, about 95 percent of their installations were gravity systems. Because of local elevation changes, it is common to find the suitable absorption area upslope from the house. In about half these systems, a lift pump delivers the tank effluent to the gravity absorption system. The firm installed about 75 percent of the gravity systems using gravelless technologies, and most of those used chambers from Infiltrator Systems Inc. Although mound systems are permittable in Virginia, the Parsleys have seen only a few in their area, and they have not yet installed one. About 5 percent of their installations are drip systems, and those require an advanced treatment unit as part of the design. Parsley is approved to install AdvanTex AX20 units from Orenco Systems Inc., Model 500 units from Clearstream Wastewater Systems Inc., Ecoflo peat biofilters from PremierTech Environmental, and Puraflo peat filters from Bord na Mona Environ-mental Products Division.

The brothers expect the percentage of drip systems will increase. “In recent years, most of the new residents who moved here came from places with public sewers,” Mike says. “These new owners have no clue what an onsite system is or how to use it.”

That means the new management regulations will give the brothers another opportunity to work closely with customers. They know that every customer contact builds the bond of loyalty through education.

Flexibility brings success

With three people to do the full range of tasks, cross training and flexibility are essential. “Everett and I are pretty much interchangeable as far as work assignments go,” says Mike. “At times, you could say he’s my supervisor when he’s handling elevation control and I’m on the backhoe.” Harris helps manufacture and install tanks and is the primary vacuum truck operator. In the office, Mike handles billing, payroll and all related tasks. “I took that work over from Mom a few years ago,” he says

The equipment fleet is as flexible as the men who operate it. The roster includes two Case 580 backhoes, a 1985 Ford F700 dump truck, and a 2005 Interstate 20DT trailer. Tank pumping is handled by a pumper outfitted by Lely Mfg. with a 3,500-gallon tank and an NVE 360 pump from National Vacuum Equipment. A 1994 Chevy pickup is put into service as needed.

By educating homeowners, the Parsleys are change agents. Whether their landowner contact begins as installer, service provider or pumper, their approach is the same. Investing time with customers, answering their questions, and helping them understand their systems builds relationships that bring loyalty and add value.

The Parsley name has value in the local marketplace and community. It is an asset the brothers value. “We have been in the community a long time,” says Mike. “We expect to be here for a long time to come because we take the time to do it right.”



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