Correcting Things that Go Wrong - a Story Any Business Owner can Relate To

Herring Sanitation started repairing an inlet line in a large commercial building, what we didn’t know was that the tank it led to was old and in bad shape. These things happen from time to time because most of the system is underground. Because we’re used to this, it’s normally no problem. Usually this kind of thing would mean a simple tank installation for Herring Sanitation, which we do routinely. But not this time.

Worry 1 came because this installation was very costly to Herring and the customer, due to equipment rental and supply chain costs and challenges. It was such a substantial cost to the customer, that they put the replacement of this tank out to bid immediately as it was a large change in the scope of the work of the original job. In the end, I’m proud to say that Herring won back our customer and got the tank replacement job.

As the property owner was making the decision, Jason Herring went into the motions of putting everything together as quickly as possible, even going as far as to line up the suppliers and rental equipment.The most important step he took proactively was getting the Board of Health approval.

A typical septic tank is between 1,000 and 1,500 gallons and weighs between 8,000 and 15,000 lbs, depending on the material. The tank for this job was 5,000 gallons, 10 feet deep, 15 long and weighed over 50,000 lbs.

So you can gather that this tank is on the very large, very heavy side of the spectrum. With thetank’s weight, it was too heavy for any of the many pieces of equipment that Herring owns to lift it and place it into its new home. That meant renting a large Excavator. Enter Worry 2.

Now that we had a way to install this monstrosity, we had to get the tank. But all of Herring Sanitation’s normal suppliers could not supply it and when we were finally able to locate a supplier, the cost was astronomical. Also the tank had to be prepaid for. That’s Worry number 3 and 4.

In addition to the new tank and specialized equipment, the asphalt where the tank was being installed had to be cut and prepped (and eventually replaced). Luckily, I know our team is well trained for this, so no new worries on this part.

In this brutal winter weather things get harder and go wrong really quickly, but I thought maybe my worrying and hoping would give us some good luck. The large tank was delivered to the site as we gathered the equipment and cleared Herring’s schedule. Enter Worry 5 - concern that there would be damage or vandalism to the tank in the meantime.

The Herring Team assembled but as we did, we discovered the tank was too heavy to be liftedby the machine we rented. This didn’t make me worry, though, because Jimmy Herring came to my rescue with his ingenuity. Jimmy said “Drop the heavy bucket and use just the ring to lift the tank.” Up up and away the tank went and was set into the very large hole that had been dug for it with the very large Komatsu 290 Excavator. I was sure my worries were over.

But just when all the guys were happy that things were good, Jason Herring’s inner perfectionist got involved. He thought things didn’t look perfect and when he tried to make a minor adjustment to the placement …. Well the very large expensive tank broke. OMG. Worries 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10!

What to do? It's our fault. Herring’s problem. So a new tank piece, a new invoice and a new Worry were served with my dinner that night. But the very next day the Herring’s full team was on site again to set the new tank and get the job done successfully. And successfully they did. With the teamwork and skill our Herring

team is known for, we finished the job and put all my Worries to bed.

The moral of the story is: When you own a business with employees, equipment, and clients, you should also find ways to manage your stress and self-care. Because if you let it, your business can put you right into an early grave.

So how do I handle stress? I stay active both physically and mentally. I love playing pickle ball and corn hole, I love racing sailboats and I surround myself with family and friends to give me plenty of the “best medicine” (love and laughter). Oh, and when none of that is enough, I will swear that God made wine for business owners!