He got out of the dairy business and into the sanitation business.
And, according to Dale Fogle, owner and operator of Fogle’s Septic
Clean, Inc. in Sykesville, Maryland, he “couldn’t be better.”
Although the farm boy stills comes through in his soft, southern
drawl and the way he uses farm antidotes to talk about his life,
Fogle knows the sanitation business in Maryland.
According to Fogle, as the area, about 30 miles west of Baltimore,
became more populous, the many dairies that called the once rural
area home were pushed out. Fogle joined his brother, David, who
already had an established residential garbage collection business in
1978. Then, about five years ago, the brothers branched out into
the sanitation business.
“It just seemed a natural thing to do,” explained Fogle. “You know,
to move from trash into the septic and other sanitation business.”
Besides portable restrooms, the Fogles also install septic systems,
even lay house foundations and drill water wells
And, according to Dale Fogle, owner and operator of Fogle’s Septic
Clean, Inc. in Sykesville, Maryland, he “couldn’t be better.”
Although the farm boy stills comes through in his soft, southern
drawl and the way he uses farm antidotes to talk about his life,
Fogle knows the sanitation business in Maryland.
According to Fogle, as the area, about 30 miles west of Baltimore,
became more populous, the many dairies that called the once rural
area home were pushed out. Fogle joined his brother, David, who
already had an established residential garbage collection business in
1978. Then, about five years ago, the brothers branched out into
the sanitation business.
“It just seemed a natural thing to do,” explained Fogle. “You know,
to move from trash into the septic and other sanitation business.”
Besides portable restrooms, the Fogles also install septic systems,
even lay house foundations and drill water wells
Portable Restrooms, Septic Tank Cleaning Fogle's Septic
Clean is on it paying close attention to the details of
customer service.
Clean is on it paying close attention to the details of
customer service.
“We find ourselves doing a lot of percolation tests,” explained Fogle. “We have a fairly high water table here, so
people have to know where the water is when they begin to build. ”The high water table is one of the many
challenges the Fogles face working in their environment. Rocks get in the way, salty water is a problem in some
wells and, of course, in the winter, it gets cold. Real cold.“The ground can freeze and then it gets real hard,”
laughed Fogle at his own double meaning. “Breaking through that frozen dirt slows you down and can damage your
machinery. A good freeze can go three feet deep. It’s like breaking through rock.” Plus, there are other problems
when the weather is freezing. Trucks and tanks must be drained nightly or they will freeze where they sit.
“Once frozen it’s nearly impossible to get them thawed out,” said Fogle.
One way Fogle and others in the business deal with the cold weather is to put a brine solution into their tanks. That’
s more costly, but it helps keep the fluid from freezing. There are also some specially formulated solutions on the
market to help with the problem, but Fogle said they are very expensive making them not cost effective for them.
“And you can’t use straight old anti-freeze like in a car because it will hurt the environment when you go to dump
it,” Fogle explained. To say the least, Fogle is no fan of winter.
people have to know where the water is when they begin to build. ”The high water table is one of the many
challenges the Fogles face working in their environment. Rocks get in the way, salty water is a problem in some
wells and, of course, in the winter, it gets cold. Real cold.“The ground can freeze and then it gets real hard,”
laughed Fogle at his own double meaning. “Breaking through that frozen dirt slows you down and can damage your
machinery. A good freeze can go three feet deep. It’s like breaking through rock.” Plus, there are other problems
when the weather is freezing. Trucks and tanks must be drained nightly or they will freeze where they sit.
“Once frozen it’s nearly impossible to get them thawed out,” said Fogle.
One way Fogle and others in the business deal with the cold weather is to put a brine solution into their tanks. That’
s more costly, but it helps keep the fluid from freezing. There are also some specially formulated solutions on the
market to help with the problem, but Fogle said they are very expensive making them not cost effective for them.
“And you can’t use straight old anti-freeze like in a car because it will hurt the environment when you go to dump
it,” Fogle explained. To say the least, Fogle is no fan of winter.
But spring is different. “When I see the flowers starting to come up I think ‘Hot Dog, it’s getting warmer’,” his
gentle laugh betrayed a southern gentleman’s joy in work.
From a partnership of two brothers, Fogle’s Septic Clean, Inc. has grown to a business those employees about 60
people, depending upon the time of year.
Maryland is undergoing a boom in growth and Fogle figures his company installs between 1,000 – 1,200 systems
per year. “There are lots of wells going in here,” Fogle explained. “Many subdivisions are being created.”
But, just because there’s plenty of construction going on doesn’t mean that people are going to use Fogle’s
company, and Fogle knows it. He credits the success of his company to several things.
“It’s our workers,” he said. “Every one of our guys knows what to do. So, if a customer calls, our people can deal
with them in an honest, efficient and polite way.”
As a matter of fact, Fogle says when he looks at a potential employee the most important thing he looks for isn’t
knowledge of the business.
“If you’ve got good manners I can work with you,” he said. “If you come to me not knowing anything about the
business, but you’re willing to learn, are polite, then that’s what I want. I can teach you about the business.”
With great employees that look and act professionally, Fogle says that most of his customers are willing to accept
the fact that, because of climbing business costs such as high fuel and material replacement costs, they will have to
pay more to rent his units are to have a well installed. According to Fogle, people must be able to trust the company
they hire whether it’s for a day’s rental on one sanitation unit or to drill a series of wells for a rural subdivision over
a period of several months, or even years. That’s the way a company builds customers, and that’s the way a
company stays in business and grows.
Fogle’s Septic Clean, Inc. is very involved in the local community. David and Dale believe in giving back to the
people who support them with their business. They support a variety of local non-profit events and groups
including youth sports.
In his spare time, which Dale Fogle admits isn’t nearly as much as he wishes he could find, he likes to hunt rabbits
with his dogs. A family man, Fogle’s daughter is following in his footsteps and operates a sanitation business near
Ocean City, Maryland with 450 units and 70 roll-off cans. She employs six people and her younger brother when
he isn’t in college. His other son also follows the family tradition installing pumps.
“You know,” he said, “I miss the dairy sometimes. But the greatest people work with me right here.”
gentle laugh betrayed a southern gentleman’s joy in work.
From a partnership of two brothers, Fogle’s Septic Clean, Inc. has grown to a business those employees about 60
people, depending upon the time of year.
Maryland is undergoing a boom in growth and Fogle figures his company installs between 1,000 – 1,200 systems
per year. “There are lots of wells going in here,” Fogle explained. “Many subdivisions are being created.”
But, just because there’s plenty of construction going on doesn’t mean that people are going to use Fogle’s
company, and Fogle knows it. He credits the success of his company to several things.
“It’s our workers,” he said. “Every one of our guys knows what to do. So, if a customer calls, our people can deal
with them in an honest, efficient and polite way.”
As a matter of fact, Fogle says when he looks at a potential employee the most important thing he looks for isn’t
knowledge of the business.
“If you’ve got good manners I can work with you,” he said. “If you come to me not knowing anything about the
business, but you’re willing to learn, are polite, then that’s what I want. I can teach you about the business.”
With great employees that look and act professionally, Fogle says that most of his customers are willing to accept
the fact that, because of climbing business costs such as high fuel and material replacement costs, they will have to
pay more to rent his units are to have a well installed. According to Fogle, people must be able to trust the company
they hire whether it’s for a day’s rental on one sanitation unit or to drill a series of wells for a rural subdivision over
a period of several months, or even years. That’s the way a company builds customers, and that’s the way a
company stays in business and grows.
Fogle’s Septic Clean, Inc. is very involved in the local community. David and Dale believe in giving back to the
people who support them with their business. They support a variety of local non-profit events and groups
including youth sports.
In his spare time, which Dale Fogle admits isn’t nearly as much as he wishes he could find, he likes to hunt rabbits
with his dogs. A family man, Fogle’s daughter is following in his footsteps and operates a sanitation business near
Ocean City, Maryland with 450 units and 70 roll-off cans. She employs six people and her younger brother when
he isn’t in college. His other son also follows the family tradition installing pumps.
“You know,” he said, “I miss the dairy sometimes. But the greatest people work with me right here.”
The Sanitation Journal is a monthly trade publication that caters to the portable restroom industry. Each month
thousands of portable restroom operators utilize information from the Journal to aid in business decisions.
Subscribe today and make sure you never miss an issue.
thousands of portable restroom operators utilize information from the Journal to aid in business decisions.
Subscribe today and make sure you never miss an issue.
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Serving the American Liquid Waste Industry Since 2002