Changing with the times
Family business marks 50 years
Like most businesses, the septic service industry has undergone dramatic changes over the last 50 years.
Richard and Carole Chiarella have seen it all, having been involved with Danbury Septic Tank Service since 1968. The trucks used to be emptied by “dumping it into the lagoon” on Plumtrees Road. Now the trucks are emptied at the wastewater treatment plant and the contents are filtered and treated with chemicals to kill impurities.
“You can drink it after it’s processed these days. But I’m not drinking it, that’s for sure,” Richard Chiarella, 72, said in his candid, yet sarcastically humorous manner. “I can’t believe it’s been 50 years.”
A large banner at the company’s facility on Mill Plain Road advertises the milestone.
Richard Chiarella started the company with Carole’s brother, Phil Mazzucco, after working for M and M Septic, which was founded by in 1950 by Carole’s father. Her grandfather started D and S Septic in Norwalk in the early 1900s. That makes four generations in the septic business for the family as Carole and Richard’s sons, Richard and Philip, work for the family business.
“It was a lot of hard work and a lot of hours,” Carole Chiarella said. “We’ve had a lot of good customers and made a lot of friends.”
Carole, whose nickname is “Muzzy,” continues to do the books, make appointments and answer the phone for the company. Aging knees — both of which have been replaced — have slowed, but not stopped, Richard as he still works a few hours a day.
“Yeah, what the hell, why not?” he said when asked if he planned to continue working. “It’s hard for me to just stop. After all the sweat and pain and toil I went through to get it going, I can’t just stop. I just can’t dig or drag hoses anymore.”
Their sons, Richard and Philip, handle the driving and pumping these days. Richard also has a septic install and repair business, Hard Rock Contractors, which he founded in 2008. Philip owns PJ’s PortaJohn and Septic Service.
“Don’t get me started,” Richard II said when asked about working in the family business. “It’s all I know, but I’ve also expanded the business to include repairs and installations.”
Richard II remembers helping with the trucks when he was 6 or 7 years old. He has an 8- year- old son, potentially the fifth generation in the business.
“I want him to go to college and make his own choice,” Richard II said. “It will be up to him to make that decision, but the business will be here for him.”
Rocky start
It was an inauspicious beginning for Danbury Septic Tank Service as Richard Chiarella almost watched his efforts to start a business go up in flames. In 1970, the company’s first truck caught on fire along Route 7 in Redding, rendering the truck useless.
The expenses piled on as the Chiarellas had a baby at home and had to replace the truck.
“It was a nightmare. What a way to start the business. We just went on from there,” he said. “We bought a small truck to get us through.”
Richard Chiarella remembers like it was yesterday another financial detail of the truck fire. It was a cool day and he had a flannel shirt on. At some point during the day he put $ 60 into the shirt’s pocket and fastened the button. Before the fire, he had taken off the shirt and put it in the truck’s cab.
“I was going to go get it ( the shirt), but I thought: My life is worth more than $ 60,” he said. “Back then, that was a lot of money.”
Growing a company
It takes two large frames to hold the photos of each of the trucks that have served Danbury Septic over the past five decades. The frames hang in the company’s home office and serve as a reminder of the growth and history of the company. Many of the photos show the Chiarella sons near the truck, further illustrating the passage of time.
While the industry has changed dramatically, the trucks themselves look surprisingly similar from the 1960s to today.
“A septic truck is a septic truck,” Richard said. “Maybe the color or style changes.”
The trucks have remained busy over the years as the Chiarellas say business has improved each year. The growth of Danbury and surrounding towns have kept service providers busy, Richard Chiarella said. Even the increased number of homes using public sewer systems have not cut into business.
“For every house built that goes on sewer, there are four or five on septic,” he said.
Chiarella has been in the business for so long that his septic cleaning license number from the state of Connecticut is 000003, meaning he was the third one to be licensed. He said increased licenses, taxes, insurance requirements and regulations are another major change the industry has seen in the last 50 years. He credits his wife with keeping the books organized.
“The paperwork is phenomenal here,” Carole Chiarella said. “It gets tougher all the time.”
Richard Chiarella said a turning point in the company came in 1997 when Danbury Septic Tank Service took over the business of R. J. Gallagher. The Chiarellas also purchased the property on Mill Plain Road from Gallagher.
Like many small- business owners, Richard Chiarella said the company has served the family well and created a lifetime of memories.
“I’m not a multimillionaire, but it’s paid the bills,” he said. “All in all, it’s been good.”
Danbury Septic Tank Service may be reached at 203- 746- 3900.