One day about three years ago, John Downing was working as a construction inspector for the City of Albany, Oregon, when a friend complained that he didn’t like his job. John challenged his friend to strike out on his own, but the friend shot back: “Why don’t you go start your own company?” Downing decided to take up the challenge, and within three weeks he had incorporated Atlas Professional Services, Inc. and was on his way to building his own dream specializing in trenchless, pipe bursting jobs.
Incorporating was the easy part. Downing hasn’t forgotten how excruciatingly difficult the first couple of years were: “Pipe bursting/pipe tv equipment and a vac truck cost a lot of money, but I found a support from the equipment guys who extended great terms to me. In fact they seemed to believe more in my company than I did.”
Using a Grundotugger pipe bursting machine from TT technologies, Atlas takes on jobs large and small, especially those in sensitive areas. Last year, the Independence Heritage Museum in Independence, Oregon, needed to have a line replaced, but the existing pipe ran under an historic tree. A traditional open trench approach would have brought down the tree. The Grundotugger made quick work of the replacement, leaving the tree safe and secure.
The system works equally well in tight residential lots with its new partner the 3,500 lb Volvo EC20B mini excavator. The EC20B, like the rest of John’s start-up equipment, is a used machine that he picked up for an outstanding price in Kent, WA. One of the unique features of this excavator is its variable-width chassis which gives an operator extra stability at full extension while the narrow setting reduces the overall width to less than 3.3 ft allowing it to move through a narrow opening with no problem.
backyard of a 1908 homestead. Its compact frame allowed them to maneuver it into tight spaces and snug up against the back deck to complete the replacement of an existing clay pipe line. The 360 degree visibility is an added safety feature for this kind of residential work. Downing said that it took him a little time to get used to the controls on the EC20B, “but once you get used to it, you actually fall in love with it.”
Downing and crew take obvious pride in their work: “When I left the City of Albany I had no customer base, so from the start I have tried to set a high standard of quality.” That shows in details large and small. They strive to leave a very shallow imprint on a job site, raking and reseeding lawn, compacting soil, and providing a warrantee against settling for one year.
In addition, they go out of their way to take care of their customers. Downing got a call on New Year’s Eve 2007 from a young couple on a private sewer line who had run out of sewer service. Atlas went out right away and got to work on a very tough job which they couldn’t finish that afternoon. Before they left for the night, the crew approached Downing because they wanted to work New Year’s Day to complete the job. So, at 7:00 a.m. the next morning they were all at work getting the young couple back on line.
That’s customer service.
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