Travis Gemmell doesn’t simply accept claims that an onsite system needs replacement.

He and his team of nine at Walnut Grove Excavating often turn away what could be high-dollar jobs because closer investigation shows that a tank or field in reality does not need to be replaced. Gemmell describes it as a “very long-term oriented” approach.

“We’re not there to prove that they’re right, the system has failed,” says Gemmell. “The way we look at most jobs, we’re going to prove that their septic system is probably OK. We don’t make big money on the job today, but when that system does fail in 10 or 15 years, we’ll get the business then.”

That level of customer orientation is a winning proposition for Walnut Grove in its territory around Grand Rapids, Michigan. “If you focus on the customer, everything will fall into place,” Gemmell says. “The customer is our main priority: taking care of them, being honest with them, being upfront, all the time. 

“I tell our people: Do every job like it’s for your grandparents. You really want to do what’s right because this is someone’s grandma, mom or dad, brother or sister.” 

BAREBONES BEGINNING

Gemmell started work life with a high school equivalency certificate loading trucks at an ice cream factory. When he turned 18, he earned a CDL and became a truck driver for a large food service company based in Grand Rapids.

He moved up the ladder into corporate management and stayed with the company for 20 years, in the process earning master’s certificates in strategic leadership and business development from Michigan State University. But eventually he tired of a job that kept him on the road and away from his family more than 40 weeks per year. 

Around that time he and his wife Stacy bought an old farmhouse on 30 acres. They cleared part of it and needed a contractor to pull stumps, but all the local excavators were too busy, and a family friend ended up doing the work.  

Seeing an opportunity, Gemmell bought a pickup truck, trailer, skid-steer and mini-excavator. He started by visiting every excavator within 30 miles and saying, “I’m the new guy in town, I want all the little jobs you’re not interested in.” He got enough work to get the business on its feet, and word began to spread.  

One of his early jobs was building a large pressurized mound treatment system. He completed it with help from a friend in the onsite industry and local sanitarians, along the way acquiring his installer license. He also watched YouTube videos on all aspects of the onsite business and got familiar with the regulations in the five counties where he now does work. Walnut Grove Excavating officially launched in 2017.

JOBS DONE RIGHT

Customer service and quality workmanship are the company’s calling cards. Team members in addition to Gemmell are Stacy Gemmell, finance and co-owner; Lisa Zandstra, office manager; Len Mol, estimator; operators Kelvin Anderson, Ethan Vanderwarf, TJ Bradly, Matt Grieves and Jake Gauthier; and Chuck Johnson, mechanic/operator. 

Gemmell observes, “We answer the phone almost no matter what. If we have multiple phone calls going and a call happens to go to voicemail, we’re calling back within five minutes.  

“We have trusting relationships with a lot of people. Customers call because they’ve been told by friends to call us. We show up the same day and deliver quotes to them within 12 hours of our visit. We pull permits for them. We coordinate everything from beginning to end.” Ninety percent of the company’s business comes by way of referrals.   

Crews install Schedule 40 pipe no matter what the minimum standards call for. They install 6-inch filters and risers, required or not. When jobs are complete they rake the property at the bare minimum and, if the customer so wishes, bring in topsoil and hydroseed the site. (Gemmell’s son Brock has his own hydroseeding business.) Pictures of recent jobs are posted on Instagram.  

“We quote a base package and list additions such as topsoil and hydroseeding,” says Gemmell. “People love it.” Customers who say they are getting other estimates are encouraged to check out those companies’ websites, social media and reviews. “And we tell them, ‘By the way, this job we’re quoting, we did this three times last week. If you want to see what it looks like when we bring in topsoil, look at the job we did Wednesday. You’ll see how the yard looked before, how bad it looked during and how good it looked at the end.’” 

The company maintains an extensive equipment inventory that includes:

• 2017 Volvo ECR145EL excavator with engcon and Leica 2D system 
• 2022 Volvo ECR88 excavator with engcon and 2D Trimble system
• 2020 Takeuchi TB210R compact excavator 
• Three Kubota SVL75 skid-steers (2023, 2019, 2017)
• 2018 John Deere 450K Dozer
• 2002 Oshkosh stone slinger
• 2005 T800 Kenworth dump truck
• 2006 International TT 5500 dump truck with tandem lowboy trailer
• Two 2020 Towmaster tri-axle trailers 

TACKLING TOUGH SITES

Tank and drainfield replacements are common in the area. The Grand Rapids region had a growth surge from 30 to 50 years ago, and many septic systems are reaching end of life. The area’s groundwater quality is generally poor; discharges from residents’ reverse osmosis treatment systems are relatively corrosive and in time take a toll on concrete septic tanks. 

Soils are highly variable and sometimes challenging. “It’s either beautiful sand or heavy, smeary clay,” Gemmell says. “You can have the best soil in some places, and then one neighborhood over, you have a high water table.”

Sites requiring an advanced treatment system or a major reduction in drainfield size have to be designed by an engineer. Walnut Grove installs Norweco aerobic treatment units and some Eljen geotextile sand filter systems, but his favorite is the SludgeHammer system, which uses aeration and inoculation with special microorganisms to clean septic tank effluent. 

“They are so simple, but yet they work so well,” Gemmell says. The first installation was for a homeowner with a challenging site who faced a $55,000 full system replacement. After reading up on the technology and getting county regulators’ consent to proceed, he installed the SludgeHammer unit for about one-tenth the new system’s price: “We put it in three years ago and it brought the system back. It’s the bacteria blend that makes the difference.”  

For conventional drainfields, rock is Gemmell’s first choice, but he uses EZflow or Advanced Treatment Leachfield, both from Infiltrator Water Technologies, where affordable and where hauling rock into a site would excessively disturb a homeowner’s landscape.  

BOOSTING THE PROFESSION

No matter the type of system or the nature of the site, Gemmell strives to boost the onsite industry’s image. “All of our trucks match,” he says. “All of our people wear uniforms. In everything we do, we try to bring another level of professionalism.”

That includes taking time to educate customers about their systems: “When we’re installing and the customer is there, we’re saying, ‘Here’s how the pipe comes out of your house. This is how your tank holds sewage. This is how an effluent filter works. This is why we install risers. Here’s how your drainfield works.’” He’s looking to hire a videographer to create YouTube videos. 

When customers call with system problems, office manager Zandstra often provides over-the-phone troubleshooting and can send estimator Mol to take a firsthand look and offer advice. The education extends to industry practitioners: Gemmell gave a presentation on basic installation and system troubleshooting at the 2024 WWETT show in Indianapolis. 

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP

Gemmell decided early on to focus on what he does best. In the early days the company pumped septic tanks, but that wasn’t profitable, especially after the nearest wastewater treatment plant stopped accepting septage. He sold out to Plummer’s Septic Tank Service, which had a fleet of a dozen trucks. 

“We did a handshake agreement that he gets all my pumping, and I get referrals for drainfields,” says Gemmell. “We built a really good relationship with them over the years. Then they got away from tank replacement. They didn’t want to do troubleshooting, earthwork or risers. They said, ‘We want you to do that.’

“We give some business away because we’re not the right fit for it. You have to know that sometimes you’re not the one who can help.” If a customer wants someone to pour concrete, install a sprinkler system, or do other work outside Walnut Grove’s expertise, Gemmell is happy to give referrals to contractors he knows and trusts.

He advises people new to the industry, and even those with experience, not to be shy about reaching out for help: “There are five big septic guys I talk to out of Michigan, South Carolina, and Canada who are phenomenal and do great work. I can call them and pick their brain. That makes all of us so much better.”

It’s a formula that has worked well and promises a bright future for Walnut Grove Excavating.