Name and title or job description: Pat McVay, president/owner
Business name and location: Sporthaven Inc., Brookings, Oregon
Services we offer: Septic installations, excavation services
Age: 68
Years in the industry: Sporthaven was started in 1958 by my father, Archie McVay, a dairy farmer, at the mouth of the Chetco River. It was primarily to develop a port facility for the fishing and timber industries. It was a family affair, dredging the mouth of the river, constructing docks for lumber shipping, and receiving fish and crab from the commercial fishermen. The company evolved from that to land and homesite development in 1974. That is when I began installing septic systems on sites my dad, my brother Rocky and I were developing for residential homes.
Association involvement: I believe I have been involved with the Oregon Onsite Wastewater Association since its beginning in 1994, serving on the board as the “Industry at Large” person for the last seven years. I have also served on the Curry County planning commission and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality external advisory committee, which both provided valuable insight and knowledge of the industry.
Benefits of belonging to the association: Prior to becoming involved with the association, septic installation was just a necessary portion of getting that homesite job. I have gained a deeper knowledge of, and exposure to, other industry professionals that share a common interest and goal. This relationship keeps me up to date on regulations and rule changes to the newest technology.
Biggest issue facing your association right now: Something that concerns me is the DIY installers/developers and startup excavators who are not familiar with what a septic system is or how much real estate is required. A septic tank is not “a septic system.” I don’t like coming in behind a bad excavation and being the bearer of bad news that takes a site from a standard system to hopefully an alternative treatment system, and the homeowner has to begin adjusting his “dream homesite” to what we can make work.
Our crew includes: In 48 years of operation, we have employed over three dozen young men, including sons and nephews, and some not-so-young men. Only three left at my request. I was told that summer employment with Sporthaven was the best incentive to stay in college. My best operators started as groundmen and ditch line technicians. I have been extremely fortunate to have employed respectful, eager-to-learn, hardworking individuals. The constant in our company is my office manager, payroll clerk, safety officer, head flagger and the foundation of my support team — Patty, my wife of 46 years.
The job I’ll never forget: We built a system at the Salmon Run Golf Course consisting of a 3,000-gallon trap tank, a 2,000-gallon septic tank and a 1,500-gallon dosing tank pumping up to a 10-line Orenco Hydrosplitter to equalize 1,200 feet of an Infiltrator drainfield system. Tanks were from Willamette Graystone, pumps and controls from Orenco Systems.
My favorite piece of equipment: The industry has come a long way from steel tanks, 4-inch ADS “squiggly pipe,” washed drain rock and drainfield paper. Our first systems were installed with a CASE 450 track hoe which we soon traded in for the speed and mobility of a rubber-tired CASE 580B backhoe.
With that upgrade I began trenching for Coos-Curry Electric Co-Op, a relationship which spanned 45-plus years. It filled out my workload and paid the bills between development projects and land sales. I would begin early, trenching as much footage before the power crew showed up in the afternoons to string the new, improved underground cable affectionately called “lifetime wire.” Little did I know that 15 years later we would be trenching and installing four-inch conduit to replace that same wire when our acidic soils compromised its longevity.
In 2004, we took a leap of faith and purchased a used 7X11 Vermeer horizontal drill, which allowed us to install conduit under roadways, eliminating nearly 90% of cleanup from open trenching. This gamble really paid off during the downturn of the housing market in 2008 when we were putting in underground conduits for the electric co-op.
Along the way we have run the wheels off of one Caterpillar and six CASE backhoes, three excavators, six dump trucks, and three Vermeer directional drills. But I’d say my favorite piece of equipment, my go-to-machine, is a CASE 580-M Extendahoe with four-wheel drive and four-in-one bucket, probably due more to our CASE dealer that has taken care of us for over 40-plus years, Central Equipment in Medford, Oregon.
The craziest customer situation encountered: There was a site along the Winchuck River where a single gal was having trouble with her plumbing backing up and flooding her shower. The local pumping company asked for assistance to locate the septic tank. Once we found it and removed the concrete lid, we discovered a huge ball of wipes. Stuck in the inlet pipe was the wipe wrapper that read: “Septic safe/flushable,” so she had flushed the wrapper too.
Best piece of small business advice I’ve heard: After school, I worked for a man who operated a preventive maintenance shop, everything from welding to painting. We often discussed business. His nuggets of wisdom included the “do” theory — Find something no one else wants to do and do it better than anyone else. He taught me it’s important to answer the phone and return calls, even if you can’t do the job or don’t have time for it. Courtesy is never outdated.
If I wasn’t working in the wastewater industry, I would like to: My last systems were installed in 2022, so that’s a span of 48 years and I’m thinking it’s time to climb out of the ditch, let the younger generation take a turn, and watch my cows eat grass.
Crystal ball time – This is my outlook for the wastewater industry: I envision in the years to come that one of our biggest issues will be educating those new to the industry and the public on the effects of poorly installed, failed and compromised sites. Sites are becoming more and more challenging, requiring all parties to be on board to ensure the best outcome. I would like to see more unity with the regulators, industry professionals, homeowners and Realtors. Homeowners and Realtors need to learn what is realistic to expect from a site and the system that serves it.
