SIX LAKES, Michigan — You never want to hear the words “septic” and “surprise” in the same sentence. But somehow, two small West Michigan companies proved that wrong.
"The first rule is don't hold anything above your head that drips. So once you master that you're all set," said Tony Pant, owner of Six Lakes Septic.
The grueling work of dirty jobs is kept like a secret.
“Originally, grandpa and dad just pumped septic tanks, we kind of spread it into the portable toilet business and kind of keep branching off in different directions with it too," he said.
But Tony is about to come clean.
“You don't realize how many like weekends and things you give up to build a business," he said, choked up. “We're really passionate about it”
Tony stands where his father and his father’s father did before. Except now, it's on rubble.
“Somebody told me one time it takes one generation to start a company and another generation to kind of get it going and then a third one to burn it right to the ground," said Tony.
"It was a joke kinda at the time but yeah, it was painfully accurate."
One of the best days of a father’s life, would turn towards the worst.
“It was my twins' birthday. They turned 16 that morning," said Tony. “I got a phone call. I would say it's about 5:30 in the morning. The building was on fire.”
When Tony pulled onto the drive leading to his business, all he saw was orange.
"My parents' house is right around the corner. So they came up," he said. "We had like three generations kind of watching it all go up in flames.”
Once everything to Tony’s family, the business is now nothing at all.
“We just got a new truck to the point where it wasn't even licensed. It was kind of like my pride and joy, and that's gone," he said. “We're just out of business.”
Tony said in the days following the fire, he walked around in a daze. He wondered what was next for him.
Though many will never understand that feeling, it could be
"I can't imagine. You've got mouths to feed. Winter is tough in this industry alone," said Ally Plummer.
Ally and her husband, Jon, own Plummers Septic and Sewer in Wyoming. Plummers is another generational company passed down from Jon's grandfather, to his father, to Jon. The pair were both happy to take over.
To Tony, Ally and Jon are strangers and competitors. But they quickly turned more.
“We're business partners, but we're married. So it was you scroll on your phone at night? Check out the day's news. We saw it on the Grand Rapids scanner page. And John just said, 'Hey, what do you think about this?' And I said, 'Yeah, it's a no brainer,'" said Ally.
“I had a message from John and Ally, saying that they had a truck and they wanted to kind of let me have it for a month to get on my feet," said Tony.
Among the ash of the grounds of what was once Tony's livelihood, something sits shiny and new.
It's a brand new truck with a Plummers logo on the side.
"In most industries I don't think your competitor would reach out and help you," said Tony. "So yeah, it's huge."
An emotional tank that was once empty, is now full.
“I've cried more in the last week for from people being just genuinely nice to me than I have my whole life," said Tony.
"We're just two people try to do the right thing," Ally and Jon laughed.
The trio tempered a new bond by fire.
“It's definitely a glimmer of hope, that's for sure," smiled Tony.
Tony hopes to rebuild his family business, and the small community of Six Lakes is helping to do that. You can donate to Six Lakes Septic on their GoFundMe here.
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