When Chris White started his business more than 50 years ago, he painted two words on his first truck: Quality Work.
“He believed that attitude is what you create, and it is about how you live your life,” says Charles White, the second generation owner of C. White & Sons LLC, who owns the business in Seaford, Del., with his own sons Mike and Bryan.
Charles White’s daughter, Julie Condos, runs the office, and his wife, Joyce, is a fill-in there as needed.
“We are constantly focused on meeting our customers’ expectations and needs,” Charles White says. “This is our calling in life. It is what we do. It is our mission.” The family’s can-do, do-it-right-the-first-time attitude is one of several attributes that sets the company apart from other installers.
Quality means the company is always on the leading edge of onsite innovations and practices. Drip irrigation systems are a good example. Many competitors do not install drip systems. A few years ago, White and his sons took the initiative to learn the technology, and their knowledge of it has put them out in front.
Today, the business focuses almost exclusively on system installation, but it is working its way into operation and maintenance as a new service line. The workload includes about 65 percent conventional systems and 35 percent alternative and advanced technology, including about 10 percent drip irrigation. About half the installations are new systems, and the balance is repairs and replacements.
Standing apart
Landowners’ and regulators’ demands for more effective onsite systems make continuing education high priorities for White and his sons.
“We are environmental stewards at several levels,” Mike White says. “We must find affordable ways to protect our water resources while supporting new and existing homes and businesses.”
Seaford lies in the middle of the Delmarva Peninsula, and the firm’s 50-mile service radius includes both farm homes and upscale houses in coastal areas. On the job, the Whites are never far from water, and they appreciate the need to protect the saltwater estuaries and the groundwater aquifers.
For customers who do not understand the permitting process (most do not), the Whites bridge the gap in creative ways. They offer a complete package of design consultation, assistance with system selection and permitting, installation, and operation and maintenance. They tailor the services to the customer’s need.
After an initial customer consultation, White or one of his sons works closely with the site evaluator, designer and regulator. The first step is for the evaluator to identify the system alternatives for the site conditions.
“Before taking the list of options to the customer, we find the best products available for the site,” Charles says. “We then help the customer understand the technology choices, how they work, what the finished system will look like, and what the operation and maintenance requirements will be. Ultimately, the landowner makes the call, and does so from a strong position of knowledge.”
Homeowners usually view the best system as the one that is the least intrusive in appearance. “If the choice is between a drip system and an elevated sand mound, usually they choose the drip system, with its ability to ‘disappear’ into the site,” Charles says. The company also provides a well package that includes drilling (subcontracted) and pump and water delivery line installation.
Changing markets
The company’s business mix is changing. In the recent past, about 75 percent of the work was for contractors and 25 percent for homeowners. In 2008, that split changed to 60-40. The company works in Maryland and Delaware. Because of regulatory requirements, the Whites see price differences across state lines. There are streets where one side is in one state and the opposite side is in the other.
“If we were to install two identical systems on two identical sites, we could expect to see a 10 to 15 percent higher price tag for the system in Maryland,” Charles says. While the states’ siting and system requirements may not be too different, White observes that things seem to run a bit more smoothly in Delaware.
By moving toward systematic management of systems that use advanced treatment, both states are creating new opportunities. “Management is the next logical step for our business,” Mike says. “It is the natural follow-on to installations.”
The company is taking steps to be well-positioned for that change. C. White & Sons has established partner relationships with several equipment manufacturers and has formed a new business, Del-Mar Onsite Solutions LLC, to sell Delta Environmental Products technologies to other installers. This also brings additional management oppor-tunities to C. White & Sons.
As the number of alternative systems increases, Bryan White expects to see more and more management work. “It could increase to as much as 25 percent of our work,” he says. “It is hard to make that call just yet, but it is headed in that general direction.”
Industry leadership
As part of the firm’s effort to stay in the lead, Mike White is a member and past board member of the Delaware On-Site Wastewater Recycling Association (DOWRA). He started attending DOWRA meetings out of curiosity. “When I saw how well DOWRA kept me connected in the industry, I realized that this was something I could not do without,” he says.
DOWRA has definitely helped the business, especially as a venue for networking with other installers. “DOWRA’s relationship with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources (and Environment Control) is not, as I understand it, typical,” Mike says. “Individual DOWRA members have a voice in the way regulations are written. It is a collaborative relationship. DNREC wants to hear what we have to say while they are writing the regulations.”
Together, DOWRA and DNREC reach out to the community at large. For example, they share a booth at the Delaware State Fair, educating homeowners about onsite systems. “This joint appearance helps build the industry’s credibility with the public and has been well received,” Mike says.
Family business
The Whites hold installer licenses in Maryland and Delaware. Delaware’s tiered program requires them to be licensed separately for installation, operation, inspection and management. If required by regulation, employees are manufacturer-trained and certified or state-licensed, or both. To offer well services in Delaware, they are licensed water pump installers. The company also holds business licenses in both states.
Mike is the primary person dealing with alternative and advanced systems. Bryan focuses on large installations and all conventional systems. Repair technician Jeff James concentrates on service and maintenance. John Webb is the company’s primary truck driver and is also a general laborer. Each team member can fill in for others as needed.
To keep the business moving, the Whites install and service a wide range of alternative systems, including low-pressure systems in elevated sand mounds, traditional gravity systems, and drip irrigation systems. They install Ecoflow (Premier Tech) and Puraflo (Bord na Mona) peat biofilters. When they need a complete packaged treatment unit, they look to Delta Environmental.
The company can call upon a diverse equipment roster to meet any installation task. Four GM pickups move the men, materials and supplies. Two Mack dump trucks transport aggregate, fill and cover.
For the heavy lifting, they use two Bobcat Model T190 loaders, three excavators (two Kubota KX161 models and a Cat E110B), a JCB 214 Backhoe and a 1994 Kubota 3450 tractor. They also can deploy a locally manufactured four-line drip plow.
Well recognized
The business is well established and recognized in the community. In 2006, C. White & Sons received an Exceptional Customer Service award from the Seaford Chamber of Commerce.
“It was a good feeling knowing that other businesses in the area recognized our outstanding customer relationships,” Charles says. “We didn’t even know we were in the running.” Customers have mentioned that they heard about the Chamber’s recognition.
Beyond the White family, there is a feeling of family in the onsite installer community. “There are a lot of good installers in this area, and we have a good rapport with them,” Charles says. “When one of us gets busy or the job is not something we normally handle, we freely make referrals back and forth.”
Charles does not know if there will be a fourth generation in the business, but with 15 grandchildren, that seems likely. “I so appreciate my sons and daughter,” Charles says. “On a weekly basis, customers tell me how helpful they all are.”
Over three generations, C. White & Sons has maintained countless customer relationships. Recently the firm was called out to look at a repair job. “We were met by the landowner and her dad,” Charles says. “He remembered when our dad installed the system for him years ago.
“When dad painted ‘Quality Work’ on his trucks, he committed to living up to that standard. We have done that for three generations and we will keep that commitment for generations to come.”
