William Russell is proof that confidence in your abilities and work ethic, and being a yes-man can get you places in the world of onsite wastewater.
Russell is currently the residential service lead for Meinco Wastewater Systems in Bryant, Arkansas, but before being promoted to lead, he got his start like many others in the trade.
“William was hired with his Class B CDL and Class II operator license to support our installation team,” says David Meints, co-owner and president of Meinco. “After working with that team for several months, a need developed on the service side of the business. William volunteered for the role and has successfully managed it ever since.”
Today, Russell independently oversees all of Meinco’s residential client base and plays a key role in keeping wastewater systems running properly and in compliance.
Right place, right time
Russell did not find his way to wastewater right away in life.
“It was probably about eight years ago that I started at Hope Public Works,” Russell says. “I had the opportunity to work alongside Donnie Maurer, a Class IV Wastewater Operator with over 30 years of experience. He taught me the basics and all the other things that go with wastewater. I was lucky to have had the chance to learn from him. Then, five years ago, I got married and relocated to Benton, Arkansas, and I got a job at Benton Utilities. It was a great gig, but just not my flavor.”
So he decided to mix things up and applied for a job with Meinco just over five years ago and was hired on as an installer. About seven months after being hired and doing installs, Russell’s install lead left the company and Meints asked him if he was willing to take over the role. It was a big role to step into, but Russell isn’t one to say no to an opportunity. “I said I can do it,” he says. “I can handle it.” And with that, Russell became Meinco’s residential service lead.
Even though it was a short time, his experience doing installs was invaluable for his current role. “I learned a lot from doing installs. Knowing how the systems go in the ground and how they work, it was really good for me.”
Foundation to succeed
Like most successful people, Russell is not afraid to give credit to those around him for his development, stating that having owners like David and Rene is a special opportunity and a reason he cares about his work.
“David and Rene, they’re such hard workers,” Russell says. “I don’t want to let them down because they work harder than anybody in the whole company.”
And though Russell is a one-man crew on most of his job sites, he acknowledges that he is just one part of a bigger team that he relies on every day. “A great thing about this company since I’ve been here, is that there’s been people here before me that are still here, and they’re all willing to help.
“My most valuable resources are the guys that have been here, like Kyle Gaston. He was a residential service guy that’s now a designer. And Phillip Johnson, who started off as a residential serviceman is now a manager over installations.”
Russell leans on those with experience when he has questions or needs to bounce ideas off another person. He also relies heavily on the crew in the office that takes care of his day to day.
“I have good administrators in Casey Grant, Sandra Shearer and Terri Blevins who do my scheduling. I’ve got a whole team of resources behind me. They take the phone calls, make the schedule and I go from there on how I want to go about each task.”
Daily responsibilities
Russell will service up to 1,400 residential systems per year. Russell’s job now is to make sure the people with those systems have lasting support from the company.
“I handle everything residential, from everyday maintenance to alarm calls and repairs,” he says. “I also do the sampling on our permitted systems.”
With that, Russell spends the majority of his day in the field. “I try to do six or seven services each day depending on how far away they are and I can usually get to all of them, that is if nothing is blown up. On an average day, I’ll have an alarm call thrown in there too.”
The uncertainty of what the day will bring along with the scheduled services means that there are times when Russell may not get everything he hoped done in a day, but he doesn’t let it get to him. “I just take my time and make sure I’m doing my best.”
To make repairs and inspect systems, Russell keeps his service truck, a 2019 Ford Ranger, well stocked with Milwaukee tools and an array of parts. He sees a variety of systems, but the company frequently uses BioMicrobics and Norweco treatment systems, so he is well versed with the routine maintenance of those units. Orenco AdvanTex, Jet, Aqua Safe and various other packaged treatment units are in the mix. He also manages traditional disposal wastewater systems, gravity or dosed.
Through all the jobs and tasks he is responsible for, when it’s all said and done, Russell enjoys the people side of things most. “My favorite task is just trying to make the homeowners comfortable, trusting and happy,” he says. “I enjoy meeting a homeowner that’s had a bad experience with another company. They’re leery of you, but when you can win them over and have them believe in what you’re doing and your company, that’s a good deal, a good feeling.”
Knowledge and advice
Being able to confidently ease homeowners’ minds comes from confidence in the subject matter. Along with the knowledge passed down from coworkers, Russell stresses the value of training courses.
“I have my installer’s license, which is very helpful. That and every wastewater class I’ve taken. The continuing education credits are so valuable,” Russell says. “Somebody new to it, go get every license, take every class that the company will send you to and pay for because you don’t know where it’s going to lead you. There’s a lot of realms of wastewater.”
He also acknowledges that he’s constantly learning and adjusting to keep up with the position he has due to changing technology. “There’s way more technology with systems now,” he says. “That’s an area I know I need to sharpen up on.”
All in all, life as a lead service technician is good for Russell and one he thinks more people should consider. “If anybody is thinking about getting into wastewater, it is a major part of the infrastructure. It’s needed just about everywhere and that’s job security right there,” he says. “Find a company like Meinco that pays well and has the respect of the area it serves. We are a well-oiled machine and that starts with the people on top and goes all the way down to the last person.”
What’s next
Russell credits David and Rene for giving him the tools to succeed and says that whatever is asked of him, he will do the best he can at that task. He is happy with his position and open to whatever Meinco has in store for him. “I enjoy being a part of this team and being one of the team players,” he says. “I’m pretty comfortable where I’m at right now. Every day is a new experience, I just plan to keep learning each day and I look forward to growing with the company.”
The Meints are happy with him as well. “From my perspective as an owner, he provides consistent value to the company through dependable service work and strong customer relationships,” says Meints. “William comes to work early, completes his routes efficiently and maintains a high level of professionalism. Most importantly, he treats our clients with respect and represents the company well. René and I greatly appreciate everything he does for Meinco.”
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