Getting the work done American Pumping owner Jim Hodge is seen on a Daewoo mini excavator backfilling a tank at a job site. He has two of his vacuum trucks outfitted in front with an attached carrier for an excavator. Tim Bath photos A Carroll County business is featured in the October 2009 issue of Pumper, a monthly publication dedicated to the liquid waste industry. The cover story highlights the achievements of American Pumping of Camden, owned by Jim Hodge.

The article titled “Waving a magic wand” focuses on Hodge’s success in growing his business despite tough economic times.

Hodge started American Pumping in 1992 as a sideline to farming. It soon became apparent, he said, that his sideline business was more lucrative than farming, so he started renting out the farmland.

Hodge said in the article that the business has grown an average of 12 percent a year.

Jim and Cindy Hodge When deciding a name for the business Hodge said that he wanted it to be something patriotic to honor his dad, a World War II veteran. The fact that it came at the top alphabetically was an added bonus.

American Pumping’s services include septic pumping, grease trap cleaning and Terralift soil restoration.

Hodge is quoted as saying that because he has kept his business to strictly pumping, it’s “kind of recession-proof because I don’t do installations. It’s emergency work, when people are in trouble.”

He also credits his business success with always putting customers first and hiring quality employees. His employees David Crume, Jeff Clawson and Ben Bennington are all former factory workers who have been let go or the factories closed down.

“Hiring at a higher level keeps the business self-sufficient,” Hodge said in the article.

Hodge’s wife, Cindy, is involved in the business too, as is his son, Miles, a student at Purdue University. Their two daughters, Courteny and Madison, are students in Delphi Community schools

The cover story in its entirety can be found at www.pumper.com. In the search line type in American Pumping.