“We do a lot of heavy lifting with our Cat 321 to build MSE retaining walls,” Smith says. “And everybody thinks you need to get a crane to do it. But we always prove them wrong.”
As Jorrey Excavating continues to broaden its capabilities, it recently purchased a PM622 Cold Planer for milling jobs.
“This was something new to us—it represented a very specialized piece of equipment when we bought it,” Chris says. “So, Steve Skeen came out from H.O. Penn and spent quite a bit of time to train us and increase our proficiency with the machine.”
Chris and Mary Jorrey credit their Cat dealer with helping them grow the business and achieve the level of success they’ve experienced.
“From the respect that was given to us that first time we walked into the Cat dealership, our relationship with H.O. Penn has helped us grow as a company,” Chris says. “If we didn’t have the outstanding support that we receive from our Cat dealer, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”
Adds Mary: “From a mother and young son who walked into a Cat dealership off the street looking to buy a machine and start a business, H.O. Penn has supported us every step of the way.” This story documents the importance of treating every customer with respect.
“Most of our septic system inspections are for home sales, so we conduct pre-purchase inspections,” Dziadul says. “And then if there’s anything wrong, it’s documented in the report with any recommended repairs listed. We also provide a quote for the recommended repairs when requested by the customer.”
Septicology also maintains an active presence on social media, which has provided increased visibility and led to new business.
“Social media is big for us. We also get a lot of work through Google,” Dziadul says. “We’ve really built up our presence on there, and we have over 500 five-star Google reviews, which is great. We have over 20,000 followers on Instagram. We post a lot of photos from all the jobsites, and people definitely love the videos. We put those up, and they can register a huge number of hits. There’s one video we posted that has almost 20 million views. Another one has 11 million views. And they’re septic tank replacement jobs.”
A WELL-TIMED VISIT
Until this spring, Septicology did all of its excavation and grading work with rental machines. But after spending thousands per week on machine rentals to keep pace with the growing volume of business, Dziadul realized it was time to buy some equipment.
“I had been trying to get in touch with somebody representing another brand of equipment,” he recalls. “And they weren’t calling back. It seemed like they didn’t want my business.”
About the same time, Reed Hofmann, a sales representative with Cat® dealer H.O. Penn, noticed on Instagram that Septicology was posting a lot of jobsite photos that appeared to involve rental machines.
“Out of nowhere, Reed walked into our office just cold calling about a week later,” Dziadul continues. “So I sat down with him, and he said, ‘I’m just wondering if you might be looking to own your own machines.’ And I said, absolutely. It was perfect timing.”
Initially, Dziadul was interested in acquiring one or perhaps two machines.
“So we sat down, and Reed gave me the numbers,” Dziadul says. “At first, we were thinking about just getting one or maybe two machines. But when he told me we qualified for the highest credit rating through Cat Financial, I asked how much it would be to buy more machines.
“He ran the numbers, and financially, it was a no-brainer. Plus, now we have equity in the equipment. And the interest rate was phenomenal. The entire process was excellent. Within five weeks of Reed walking into my office for the first time, we owned four Cat machines in June.”
Hofmann came to Septicology’s office the day the first machine was delivered to familiarize Dziadul with its basic operation.
“And he walked me through everything,” Dziadul says. “And then he went out to the jobsite with our crew and did the same thing. He showed our guys some things that they may not have known. So that was great.”
MACHINES ADDRESS SPECIFIC NEEDS
Septicology uses a Cat 308 Next Gen Mini Excavator when installing full septic systems, and also for septic tank replacements when deeper excavation is required. A 305 Next Gen Mini Excavator is utilized on the majority of tank replacement jobs, while a Cat 302 Next Gen Mini Excavator handles smaller repairs.
Meanwhile, a Cat 259D3 Compact Track Loader is Septicology’s do-all machine—and is utilized on just about every job for final grading.
“We’ll backfill everything with an excavator and do a rough grading with the blade on that machine, and then we use the 259 Compact Track Loader to do the finish grading,” Dziadul says. “After that we attach a Cat Landscape Rake to do a final cleanup and get the rocks out.”
Septicology encounters a lot of rocks, large and small, in the course of excavating a residential yard.
“For the longest time we would backfill, and then grade as best we could with an excavator, which was really time-consuming,” he explains. “So now we use the LR199 Landscape Rake on our 259 to run through after we regrade, and it has become a real time-saver for us.”
Septicology is on the upswing, as it grossed $1.4 million in revenue last year and expects to finish 2021 at $2 million.
“We have a great work environment, and I think everybody can see how we’re growing,” Dziadul says. “Acquiring the Cat machines is a huge part of our growth. Now we have a fleet of Cat machines backed by great dealer support, and we’ve become a real player in the market.”