been with the company for five years. At
a special ceremony recently, four employees
received bonuses of $500, plus a
trophy and plaque. Christine started the
tradition when her son Mark McLaughlin
reached ten years of service (he received
a $1,000 bonus). This year, employee
George Lambert will get his ten-year bonus.
How and why they grew
Brian is modest about the company’s
success. “In truthfulness, I was not a business
guy,” he says. “I was just a service
guy working for someone else. But I
knew I was good at what I did. I did feel
confident that I would be successful.”
Christine, with a degree in accounting,
was ready to step into her role.“He is the president,” she says with a
chuckle. “I’m everything else if it has to
do with the office.” That means accounting,
payroll, hiring, and keeping the staff
on target.
Within five years, Brian and Christine
had four service vans, had purchased
property in a good location in Memphis,
and moved the business from their home
into an old house on the site. Today, the
business runs out of a new 4,800-square-foot metal building that has the
offices and three service bays. Brian
started the company as a drain-cleaning
business, then gradually added waterjetting,
inspection, grease trap pumping
and septic tank cleaning.
“For me, the most important thing in
buying equipment for new lines of work
was to check what was available and
learn about it at the Pumper & Cleaner
Expo, and through Pumper and Cleaner
magazines,” says Brian. “I also network
with other people in the business. That
is the beauty of this industry. There are
a lot of people willing to share information.
They want to improve the quality of
service for all of us. They want someone
like me to be successful.
Searching for information
Brian finds that generally, even with
the more costly items such as video
cameras, it’s not difficult to learn the
basics. “When I was looking for camera
equipment, I checked with other people
and learned about the various options,”
he says.
“That’s what I’m doing now with
underground leak detection. I’m still
learning the techniques and looking at
the equipment. I found an organization
out of Atlanta, Underground Leak
Detection Association, a networking
system. I joined the organization and
went to their training program and got
a lot of information there. We have the
equipment now to add that service.” He
bought Goldak equipment.
Brian makes sure that all the technicians
can work in all areas of the
business. He does a good bit of training
in-house. “The goal for us is that everyone
be trained to work on everything we
offer,” he says. “I tell them that learning
to do it all is an advantage for the company
but also for each individual. My
people get job training they would not
get anywhere else. These are opportunities
I’m happy to provide.”
To the Rescue
Rooter-Man has been the right franchise
for Christine and Brian, and name
recognition has been important. Also,
Rooter-Man allows operators to grow in
their own chosen directions. That’s why
it was easy for Brian to add new services
his customers were asking for.
Don’t Sweat
the Small Stuff
When Brian and Christine McLaughlin opened
their Rooter-Man franchise in Memphis, they knew
they needed to offer a full range of services. Brian, a master plumber, began by
fixing faucets and toilets but soon graduated to fixing broken drains and sewer
problems. They added equipment and hired people. Little jobs turned into bigger
jobs. And that continues to this day.
“I felt that if I just kept it simple and followed the rules it would all work out,” says Brian. “I knew to not promise anything I could not deliver, and to pay attention to customers. This is the philosophy I try to impart to my service personnel.”
The company does about 60 percent residential work and the balance commercial.
For the commercial side, the company offers a maintenance program.
“When we point out the features and advantages of being on a maintenance
program, our customers appreciate it,” says Mark McLaughlin, company technician
and the owners’ son. “We got involved with this by maintaining sewer systems
in apartment complexes.
We approached them offering to save them money on emergency work by doing
regular service for them and knowing the problem areas. “That way, when we have a slow day, we can send one or two of our guys in
to clean every line in a complex. This has been a positive approach and works
well for all involved.” (cont on Page 4)