Michael, who owns the business with his wife, Lisa, was laid off after 15 years from Navistar when a brief exposure to the technology started him thinking about how it could be used locally.
“I was sitting up late watching the science channel and they did an hour-long show on innovative technology. They did a 20 minute piece about the cured-in-place pipe and that’s how I learned about it. Then we researched it for the better part of a year,” he said.
Vince worked at Navistar from the age of 20, and was laid off in December 2006.
“My grandfather, my dad and four uncles retired from there, so I was third generation out there. I just hit the point where I figured I wasn’t going to get back on. Our supervisors try to keep our spirits up, but the unemployment and sub pay only lasted for 12 months,” he said.
With financial help from his mother, Vince and Lisa committed about $250,000 to what they believe will be a solid business for their family’s future.
“The money was mainly used for the on-site work trailer that comes fully equipped with everything we need to do the different types of work,” Lisa said.
The technology also allows Champion City to offer video sewer line inspection and clean outs.
A number of their calls have been for clean-outs, which can lead to lining jobs.
“I can make a DVD of the video inspection, then I can show customers where they have holes or may have potential problems,” Vince said.
The Michaels are an atypical, but welcomed addition to the Perma-Liner family, said Rich Cristi, the company’s Northeast business development manager
“Most installers come from plumbing, contracting and engineering because this is another tool for them to use in the field,” he said.
“(The Michaels’s) were completely out of the arena, but look at this business as the next phase of their professional lives.”
Champion City is the only Perma-Liner installer in the area. There are about seven installers in Ohio, according to Cristi.
Quick and painless
Cured-in-place pipe technology allows a damaged or broken sewer pipe to be repaired without digging up the entire line. By inserting an epoxy-saturated non-woven liner into the sewer line, the repair can be completed on a few hours through a small access hole.
Through Champion City, the Michaels team provides lateral lining for residential, business and commercial applications and sectional point repair.
The process can be used on pipes from three to 54 inches in diameter.
The pipe liner — made from punch-needle felt with a PVC coating — is impregnated with 100 percent solid epoxy resins.
“Once the resin is mixed, it turns a different color so we know it’s fully saturated,” Vince said.
A special machine then inverts the liner as it pushes it into the pipe. A balloon is inserted into the pipe, which, when inflated, presses the liner to the pipe wall, sealing the damage.
Once the resin has hardened, the balloon is deflated and removed.
The most time consuming part of the process is digging the access hole, Lisa said. Getting the liner ready takes only about 40 minutes.
A 100-foot liner can be inserted in about 12 seconds once it’s loaded into the machine; most jobs can be completed in one day.
“It’s a neat thing for homeowners because they don’t have to get a big trench dug through their yard. We do have to dig a hole, but it’s usually about 4 (feet) by 4 (feet) — just big enough for a person to get down into to access the pipe. If a business needs to have repairs done, sometimes the pipes run under a parking lot, so we can save them a great deal of time and money. We can come in and do a job in one day,” Lisa said.
Training, provided by Perma-Liner, was on-site and includes textbook instruction, several practice relines and actual jobs.
Vince and Lisa were trained in Springfield, Cristi said, because it’s important to train installers in their environments with their own equipment.
The parent company provides the on-site training and continued support for the duration of a professional relationship. All supplies are also provided by Perma-Liner.
“Regardless of an installer’s experience level, he can call us and we can help him decide if a job is doable. We will send the trainer to the location of it becomes necessary. Our training and technical support are what separates us from others in the industry,” he said.
Products are warranted for 50 years, and lab tests have shown material samples can remain in-tact for 85 years.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime repair,” Cristi said.
Going forward
Champion City is moving into the prime season and has already gained experience with regional installations.
In Beavercreek, a residential repair to a sewer a line ran down the middle of a driveway, which didn’t have to be torn up.
A Centerville repair took Champion City to a condominium complex where four connected units had foundation damage resulting form leaking spouting drains.
“The two inside units had patios behind them and were landlocked in between the other two. Their only option on the concrete slab condos was to have the floors jackhammered and pipes replaced. The cheapest estimate they got was $8,900 per line, but we went in a did for $3,200 per line. And, of course, we were done in a day,” Vince said.
Already looking for future opportunities, Vince and Lisa have joined the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce.
They are also looking for potential partnerships with area plumbers, which they believe will save everyone time and money.
In the end, though, the most important thing for the parents of two young sons is to create a strong business that can become a family business for generations to come.
“We wanted to do something that would be available for our boys when they finish college. We want them to want to come back here — there are so many opportunities other places and so many kids leave,” Lisa said.
“Family is really important to us and we want them to see this as something to come back for.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0371 or elroberts@coxohio.com.
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