New Jersey Septic Management Group, LLC is a state-of-the-art septic services company and much more. The full-service business, under Jason Drift, CEO, provides commercial and residential septic systems installation, maintenance, repair, and inspection for several western counties of the state. However, the scope of the company’s mission far exceeds the traditional goals of septic service operators. The powerful technologies and processes its leadership have in place are designed to facilitate the expansive objectives that will position the company to achieve that vision.
NJ Septic Management Leads Industry in Technology
This full-scope New Jersey septic management provider is breaking ground by adopting the world’s most advanced septic tank health technology and by innovating the industry’s most comprehensive and intuitive custom septic business operations network software platform.
First, NJ Septic Management, under Drift’s leadership, offers the world’s most advanced onsite septic wastewater management process, far advanced in contrast to the outdated and very inefficient old approach of merely pumping out all the tank water and hauling the massive weight of it away to some distant location for dumping. The revolutionary new septic service water filtration and recycling equipment featured on the new state-of-the-art septic tank truck is from the Omega company, Canadian inventors and manufacturers of the patented equipment.
The NJ Septic company is further developing a custom ERP platform for the septic services industry, including a CRM and formal document management system — prepopulated with a complete set of UOPs, SOPs, and UTPs. The company has been working with an external team of network platform developers to realize Jason Drift’s technological vision for NJ Septic Management.
As New Jersey’s leading septic systems management company, NJ Septic invests in the most advanced service equipment and operations software. The company’s operating principles are defined by choices of means and methods that help protect the region’s groundwater and that help septic services business operators throughout the industry do their work more efficiently and conveniently to produce the best quality results for property owners while minimizing costs for their septic businesses and their customers.
We are fortunate to have Jason share his amazing story of the development and growth of this exceptional east-coast service business with us:
How it All Began
Our original family business was commercial exterior maintenance called Dutchtown Nursery. We worked for residential homeowners and commercial maintenance providers. Johnson & Johnson was one of my father’s customers for many years. But, the lawn maintenance, building maintenance, and other services we performed didn’t really drive me. I liked more the big yellow equipment, like trackhoes and dump trucks. I also looked at competition and found there wasn’t a lot of opportunity there for the sense of challenge that motivates me most. Anyone with a backhoe and dump truck could do it.
On the path I chose, I liked the equipment, I liked seeing a house improve with your work. I initially focused on the real estate world. In most cases, minor repairable items or full replacement jobs for people who were often very stressed during the experience of buying and/or selling a home.
I started the company in 2002, and then I started the maintenance side of the business in 2004. We originally started installing advanced treatment systems with peat moss. With that product there is a requirement to perform semi-annual service. I learned preventive maintenance is important for effluent filters in septic tanks.
I discovered that multiple contractors for septic pump outs I was familiar with were simply removing the water from the customers’ tanks and not the sludge. They were taking the easy way out. Then, we’d find that 6 months later the property owners needed a proper septic tank cleaning. In 2007, we applied for our own license. It’s a long, drawn-out process.
But, that’s what got me into the maintenance side with advanced treatment systems — it was knowing I could do the best job for the customers. Now we work with Norweko and Hoot Systems. They’re for aerobic systems, vs. those using peat.
It’s a family business. My brother is a custom home builder. My father has a lot of skills and does a lot of different things at 82 years old. Both my father and my brother are silent partners in the business. Peyton, my daughter, has come on board to fill a major role in the company. My son just graduated too, and he is coming into the business. There are others involved too.
NJ Septic Management Operations
Our progress is never the result of just one person—it’s the strength of our group. From the beginning, over 20 years ago, we chose the name to reflect our vision: to serve the state and operate as a true group. We’ve always been a group of people working toward the same goals, sharing the same values, and supporting each other every step of the way.
At our office, we truly operate as a team. Everyone steps up and helps each other out—we all wear many hats and work together to keep things running smoothly. My sister-in-law Tracey is our accountant and handles credit card processing and bookkeeping, but her role goes far beyond that. She plays an integral part in the day-to-day operations. Vicki manages all of our service program contracts, but she’s also the go-to for troubleshooting, scheduling, and just about everything else. Peyton leads our marketing efforts, works closely with our team in India, generates repair estimates, and continues to take on more responsibility as the company grows.
During some seasons, we average about 18 employees, including myself. I don’t know the exact size of our fleet, probably 30 to 40 trucks. We do snow removal in the winter. If we’re just counting septic trucks, it’s probably about 15. What we tool each truck for is specifically what we need for the service we provide with that vehicle. We have checklists for tools that go out every morning with each truck. The pre- and post-service checklists include the daily tool and vehicle maintenance checks. That helps us efficiently control monitoring of particular tools and needs for proper care of the vehicles.
We have service vans for servicing customers’ septic systems, inspection vehicles, repair vehicles, and different sets of tools for each. We have Ford pickups, Western Star, Freightline, and Macks. We operate two locations in the same community, just 5 minutes apart. Our office and maintenance shop are at one location and our second location has 2 mechanics. My brother can do almost anything in mechanical repair. But, we do have 2 part-time mechanics who come in as needed. Both are high-level mechanics at dealerships.
Presentation matters to us. All of our trucks and equipment are branded with our logo, and our team wears professional uniforms. We believe that how you show up sets the tone — not just for the customer, but for how seriously you take your work. A messy truck and disheveled appearance send the wrong message. That’s why we prioritize keeping everything clean and professional. Our trucks are washed every weekend by a professional detailer, and our team takes pride in maintaining a polished look. It’s part of our commitment to quality and the high standards we’ve become known for.
A Healthier Way – Advanced Onsite Septic Water Cleansing
The extraordinary Omega septic tank sewage water filtration and recycling technology used by NJ Septic Management features a septic service truck bearing a tank with a patented sewage water fine filter, automatic retracting hose, and a patented grease trap. Jason talks about what the game-changing Omega septic service equipment and what it means for septic business operations:
I’m surprised more people in the industry haven’t made the switch yet. Whether it’s the upfront cost, sticking to tradition, or simply hesitation to change long-standing habits, it seems many aren’t quite ready to evolve their operations. But for us, the benefits have far outweighed the initial investment.
Last year, we purchased our first Omega truck with the advanced system, and we haven’t looked back. Moving forward, it’s the only type of truck we’ll be adding to our fleet. In fact, we’re already planning to order another one later this year or early next. At this point, it’s tough to watch the conventional trucks roll out of the driveway—they just don’t compare.
Not having to put hoses together and break them down after each use is a big help. In our area, we only have 2 facilities where we can dump. Depending on where we’re servicing, it may be an hour and a half or 2 hours round-trip to drive to one of those. Using the onsite filtration method enables us to double or nearly triple what we can do in a day, and we save the dumping fees, all that time, and the big fuel expense. It’s also a huge benefit to the environment.
Educating Customers on New Septic Service Technology
Some homeowners are convinced that a full 1,000-gallon pump-out is the only way to go, and they may be skeptical of anything different. But in most cases, educating those customers has been surprisingly easy. We take the time to explain the process and answer questions, and that effort makes all the difference. While some operators might not feel comfortable having those conversations—or might not see it as their role—we view it as a key part of our service.
We rarely face pushback because we go the extra mile to ensure our customers understand what we’re doing and why. From the moment they see our clean, modern trucks—noticeably different from the typical septic service vehicle—they recognize this is something more advanced. They hear it, they see it, and they get it.
It also helps customers understand the importance of the advancement when they’re made aware of the real costs behind the traditional methods. For example, the weight of a full tank truck carrying wastewater can make operating costs soar, sometimes up to $1.00 per mile. That’s part of why the filtration and recycling method makes so much sense for us and them — both operationally and environmentally. So, we’re fully committed to continuing the transition to this system and are excited to keep moving forward with it and helping customers understand how much it benefits them.
Custom ERP for Septic Industry from NJ Septic Management
The centerpiece of Jason Drift’s septic services management program is a full-blown ERP innovation — a full-scale integrated business platform accessible to workers, customers, and vendors. Our software architecture engineering and coding is by Septic Smart, a group of experts based in India.
We’ve taken septic service organization management and training a step further. We are not like your average company. We don’t wait for customers to come to us to schedule their next pump out. We’re all about customer education. That’s a lot to handle the old fashioned way, with a regular scheduling system. Our CRM does much more than that, and it’s just one component of our larger ERP platform, which makes pump out scheduling, preventive maintenance scheduling, service routing, inspections, septic filter installation, customer quality contacts, etc., all routine.
It stores all histories, and it answers all the questions customers usually have about components of their septic systems. It prints out beautiful reports in green and red text for Acceptable and Unacceptable conditions, so they can see what is good and what is bad in their reports, understand what it means, and how we can fix it.
Ultimately, we would like to take partners in other areas who can handle routing, scheduling, and septic service management. We would offer a standard septic service management training program, guide the setting up of operations, the hiring, the start-up phase, equipment purchasing, etc. We have written Operating Procedures for almost everything we do, based on standards developed through years of experience, to help make it easier for new employees to learn and for new management to maintain consistency of training and operations quality.
He is planning to launch sales of subscriptions to the template starting in about 12 months. He continued: Omega may like having the platform go along with their trucks. Omega’s owners are sending a buyer from Texas to NJ to spend the day with us.
Drift’s Community Lead Generation Program
Jason Drift has developed what he calls a grassroots marketing program that features posting signage in a neighborhood and distributing invitational postcards with seasonal and/or other time-sensitive CTAs. They can update their messaging as seasons change, prices change, the economy changes, internal plans change, etc.
Peyton’s department is equipped with its own amazing commercial printer and in-house bulk printing capabilities, complete with a barcoding program and direct mail messaging to each individual area they target for their campaign.
Hands-On Quality Management by NJ Septic Management
I’m a 110% hands-on manager. I’m a big believer in training on the most efficient and professional way to do a job. Quality management is a lot about communication. I like to say we pretty much operate six different companies under one roof. For customers of each type of service we offer, succeeding depends on cultivating relationships with builders, sellers, attorneys, and others.
Whether we’re doing emergency repairs, or other major or minor repairs, once the work is completed, we always reach out to our customers to let them know it’s done. Depending on what kind of business we’re doing with them, education, communicating, and following up is most important. Peyton added, building relationships with customers over the phone and through email is key too. People really do appreciate a nice email. When they understand what’s happening step-by-step, they thank you so much.
Jason summed up the team’s attitude: You have to treat every customer like they’re your only customer, because they’re the only one that matters to them. They may need you for a minor item currently and then a major job in the future. You have to treat everyone equally, regardless of the size of the job you’re doing for someone right now.
Advice for Industry Newcomers from Jason Drift, New Jersey Septic Management Group, LLC
It’s hard to sum up the best advice all in a single quote, to be honest, but what’s worked for me is really enjoying what I do, which is really taking the time to educate people and enjoy the industry and what it has to offer. Ours is one of the few industries that can’t get replaced or outsourced. It’s not going away. Almost everybody outside city limits anywhere in the country needs it.
There are lots of opportunities to run a successful company if you’re making sure the customer is heard, and if you deliver a quality service product. I know it’s not the most glamorous career, but there is probably more opportunity to succeed in this business than many other alternatives.
For information about New Jersey Septic Management Group, LLC, Belle Mead, NJ, call (908) 874-4669 or visit nj-septic.com.