Name and title or job description: Marcus J. Caplin, owner
Business name and location: MJC Septic Services, Ostrander, Ohio
Services we offer: Most of our work is septic pumping, but we also do installations, repairs, service work and inspections. We pride ourselves on being full service. We’ve done spray systems, drip, mound, chamber, aerators, NPDES.
Age: 31
Years in the industry: I got into it as a freshman in high school, working with a local guy. I started my business in April 2017, doing it on the side. Then in 2021, I bought a truck off my old boss and broke loose.
Association involvement: I’ve been a member of the Ohio Onsite Wastewater Association since 2022.
Benefits of belonging to the association: I’ve met a lot of people in the industry — installers, regulators, manufacturers — who have helped me mull over issues related to the industry or things I come across daily. Since I’m young and there’s still a lot I don’t know, it’s great knowing there are people I can go to. And when they’re part of an association, you know they have the same goals and standards as you.
Biggest issue facing your association right now: The counties we work in all have different regulations. That can bring up a lot of questions and cause misunderstandings for contractors and homeowners. Homeowner education is another challenge we face — trying to get customers to understand it’s not just “flush and forget,” that they really need to take care of their system.
Our crew includes: I hired my brother-in-law Brad Rasberry. We’re out there together every day doing jobs. He also heads up marketing and customer retention, making sure we keep customers on a proactive pumping schedule. My dad, Tom Caplin, also works with me. He owned a successful hardware store and gave me an entrepreneurial spirit. He helps with back-office work — financing, tracking inventory, making sure we’re profitable. He also has a commercial driver’s license and helps move equipment.
Typical day on the job: Brad and I do installs and repairs one or two days a week, then pumping the rest of the week. We start at 7:30 a.m. and work until 3:30 or so. Then when my three-year-old son goes to bed around 8 p.m. I start doing book work, sending out estimates, doing payroll, paying bills. Brad and I work together on everything. I know a lot of pumpers only have one guy doing pumping, which I understand, but with two guys it’s easier and it’s also a big safety thing. Four eyes in the truck are better than two. And trying to back up a truck with a 4,000-gallon tank on it down some of these driveways is difficult. So having an extra set of eyes to make sure we’re not hitting anything is definitely worth it.
Most challenging site I’ve worked on: A guy wanted some French drains put in his yard to help drain it out. He was basically asking us to work in an already-wet yard with heavy equipment, so it caused some ruts here and there. We ended up drying out his whole yard. I think there was some miscommunication on both our parts and a misunderstanding on his part on what to expect — that there were going to be some landscaping issues at the end of it. It taught me a big lesson in making sure there are clear-cut expectations about what’s happening and how the process will go.
My favorite piece of equipment: One is my phone because if it’s not ringing, I’m not making money. And with two people in the truck, one of us can always pick up the phone, so we’re not missing calls. I also like my 2019 Cat 303 mini-excavator. It opens a lot of doors. My large excavator is a 2011 Yanmar ViO80 pulled with a 1988 single-axle International dump truck. I also have a 2023 John Deere 325G skid loader. And having a 4,000-gallon vacuum truck is great because we can make fewer trips to the treatment plant. It’s a 2005 International 750 with a Wallenstein pump built out by Lincoln Center Manufacturing.
The craziest question or comment from a customer: One customer thought we should already know about everything in the ground at their house. But of course septic systems are different from neighbor to neighbor, so unless we installed it, we don’t know what’s there until we see it. And we get people who don’t know they have to take care of their system. So we take the time to build a relationship with them. Our philosophy is if you’re going to be our customer now, we want you to be our customer for life. We get a lot of repeat business and referrals because we take the time to explain to customers what they have and how we’re going to maintain it. Brad is always going through our customer list, reaching out to people, talking to them about their system and teaching as much as he can.
If I could change one industry regulation, it would be: I think septic inspections need to be mandatory for real estate sales. A lot of people buy a house and then afterward find their septic system has failed — which could have been avoided had there been an inspection. I also think there needs to be a tracking system so that if a company comes in and does some work it’s added to a public database. If I want to buy a house, I should be able to do a search to see everything that has gone on with the septic system.
Best piece of small business advice I’ve heard or came up with: Take care of your people and they’ll take care of you, be honest and trust God. This is a small tight-knit community so if you do people wrong they’ll know, and word travels fast.
When I’m not working in the wastewater industry, I like to: I really enjoy golfing with family and friends, just enjoying those moments of peace and tranquility. When you’re working from 7:30 in the morning until 9:00 at night you don’t get that relaxation. And I love spending time with my wife and son.
Crystal ball time – This is my outlook for the wastewater industry: People keep saying septic will go by the wayside, but I don’t see that happening. Sewer can’t attach to everyone. We’re always going to have septic systems. I think we’ll see stronger government regulations as people start to live on top of each other. I think public databases would help. Education is going to continue to be very important because you see so many different things. It’s a great business to get into because it’s never going to go out of style.
