Southwick Liquid Waste is a family owned and operated liquid waste business. Jaime Kubik and her husband Jason are the owners of Southwick Liquid Waste.
Tell us a little about your business. – We provide residential septic pumping and commercial pumping (such as grease traps and other industrial waste) services along with the installation of septic and lagoon systems. We are also certified to perform septic, lagoon and well inspections for property transfers in Lancaster and surrounding counties.
How did you get started in the business? – Ten years ago we were living in Wichita. Jason was running a FedEx business and I was teaching middle school science. We had always hoped to move back to Nebraska to be closer to family. Brad Southwick called Jason up one day and asked if he’d be interested in working for a few years and then buying the business when he was ready to retire. So, we sold our FedEx routes and moved to Nebraska. Two years ago, we bought the business from Brad and last year he retired.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced professionally? – I think many people don’t realize the extent of the regulation in our industry at both the state and county levels. This requires education and licensures for us to hold as a company and we work closely with the Lancaster County Health Department as well as the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality to ensure we abide by their regulations and requirements. Though every septic system is basically the same in parts (i.e. septic tank, pipe, and lateral fields) each functions a little bit different based on the lay of the land, soil type, and usage by the homeowner. Our employees must also hold these licenses and abide by the regulations set forth by the state.
What has been your most important achievement professionally? – The growth of the business and our commitment to educating our clients and employees.
Tell us a little about your family. – Most of Jason’s family lives in the Lincoln and Hickman area, and I’m from a small farming community in south-central Kansas. We met in 2002 at our college friends’ wedding and ended up getting married the next year. We have two boys, Kaden (10) and Kahle (8).
What do you see as one of the biggest turning points in your life? – We feel family is very important and the birth of our first son helped us see how we wanted to change things for him and future children. We were living in Wichita at the time and though we loved living there, we didn’t want to raise our kids in a big city like that. Since both of us were small town farm kids, our goal was to achieve that as soon as possible – especially before Kaden hit his school years. Kaden was a year old when we moved back to Hickman and were able begin that process of small town family life. We love living close to Lincoln but also appreciate the small town life that exists just outside.
What is your favorite thing to do on a day off? – Spend time with our boys. We love playing or watching baseball, shooting rockets off on our acreage, shooting targets with BB guns, and just relaxing at home. When we can make it work, we love a trip down to Kansas City to watch our Royals play!
If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so? – You can call our office at (402) 747-2462, email southwicksewer@yahoo.com, or contact us via Facebook or our website in our “Get a Quote” sidebar window at www.southwickliquidwaste.com.