A Shining Star In a Dry Climate

Surviving Texas droughts and competition requires a tough attitude, strong ethics and staying power in an ever-changing economy. Lone Star Wastewater Services has proven its ability to adapt and grow in these conditions making it a true “Lone Star” among its competitors.

Located in Holliday, Texas, Jeff Boyd, owner of Lone Star Wastewater Services, has primarily worked under drought conditions. This environment has affected Lone Star Wastewater as well as the septic customer. “Many people are going through tough times and are forced to move in with their families. The septic system previously installed and designed to meet the needs of a family of four is now struggling to accommodate a family of eight. The system can get water logged and has to be pumped out more often.”

Lone Star is often called in to pump and even dig up old systems replacing them with bigger ones that can meet this higher demand. Boyd predicts that the drought will also affect state regulations regarding reuse of wastewater as well as new options for collecting and dumping.

Boyd does not shy away from new regulations or technology explaining that both help to improve the quality of service to the customer and give his business more opportunity for growth. Lone Star installs LPD and mound systems. “We like them. They give the customer an alternative to aerobic. They do cost more upfront, but they have fewer issues later on.”

Surrounded by farmland and oil fields, Holliday is a rural community located outside Wichita Falls. Lone Star provides services to both residential and industrial customers, and emphasizes their changing needs. Holliday is an attractive country community to many suburbanites seeking to raise a family in a simple setting.

“These people are used to sewer systems and don’t know anything about septic, which often results in premature failure.” Boyd relies on his employees to educate these new families on the septic system maintenance and requirements.

“A lot comes back to basic knowledge; usually farm house owners have experiences with septic and understand the differences in what they can expect.”

Lone Star Wastewater Services is state-licensed, servicing all major brand systems, installing septic systems and providing pump truck services as well as portable toilets for construction and special events. They are manufacture-certified, offering maintenance contracts and a two-year warranty. “That is one of the big differences between us and our competition,” says Boyd.

Beside drought conditions, another challenge Lone Star has had to face is “lowball competitors” who often operate without proper licenses and permits. These competitors will do illegal installs, illegal dumps, and even undercut Lone Star prices. But the quality of work is far less and ends up costing the customer more in the long run when they find out the wrong system has been installed or was installed incorrectly. These competitors can cost Lone Star up to 10 percent of their profit. “But those people never last and are eventually caught or arrested.” Boyd wants the best for his customers—emphasizing the importance of explaining how to maintain the system that is being installed while making sure that the system is going to meet the needs of the homeowner.

Boyd began the business in 2001 servicing aerobic systems. In 2004, he added a pump truck service and since then has expanded to two pump trucks with a Masport pump, one septic truck, two portable trucks, and over three hundred portable toilets. Boyd has four employees who have always “been respectful in how they treat the customer.” Boyd proudly explains, “They make their own decisions. There is no manual that can cover all the different scenarios that can happen. My employees get on-the-job training.”

Boyd describes Lone Star Wastewater as a one-stop-shop, providing diversified services and taking time to educate each customer. “We do it all, from installation to pumping and servicing.” He believes that good customer relations, good employees, and good service have created the stability that
Lone Star has experienced for more than a decade.

Story by Kelly Jones

Resources

For More Information:

■ Masport, www.masportpump.com

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