Municipal Maintenance Services LLC | Application Preview
Municipal Maintenance Services LLC is seeking $150,000 in government grants to enhance its operations and service offerings. The company plans to allocate $50,000 for three main purposes: completing the remodel of a new shop to relocate operations from a residential area, investing in training for certification through the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for staff, and purchasing specialty tools crucial for repairing system components such as fire hydrants and water pumps.
The remaining $100,000 will be dedicated to acquiring a new Valve Exercise Vac Trailer, as the current outdated unit incurs high maintenance costs. The owner has invested time and resources in revamping the existing trailer but recognizes the need for a more reliable, efficient option to reduce expenses and expand service capabilities.
The business has already demonstrated growth by securing a previously used vac truck for sewer system maintenance and water treatment rehabilitation. New services like fire hydrant maintenance and partnerships for specialized software tracking have been initiated. Plans to transition part-time employees to full-time, expand service areas, and increase staffing over the next few years are underway, alongside negotiations to acquire a local competitor’s business.
The company’s mission emerged from a desire to support small rural Iowa towns struggling with utility system maintenance due to rising costs and limited contractor availability. With a focus on providing affordable services, the owner aims to address the ongoing need for reliable maintenance and repair solutions, while also establishing a legacy for future generations.
In terms of competition, the owner highlights a unique position with minimal competitors in the service area, while actively pursuing contracts and partnerships that will bolster the business’s foothold in the industry. Overall, approval of this funding will enable the company to expand its services and fulfill a critical gap in the market, while contributing to local job creation and economic development.
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General Information
Business Registration Number: 87-1512287
Location: Gilmore City, IA, United States
Length of Operation: 1-5
Number of Employees: 1-10 Employees
Annual Gross Income: Less than $100k
Annual Gross Expense: Less than $100k
Open to Loans: YES
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Funding Usage
$50,000 will be used to finish remodel of newly acquired shop in order to move operations from my residence to a dedicated base of operations. Secondly training for me and my employees to get them certified through the DNR to provide better Affidavit Operator services and a better quality knowledge pool to help towns meet their needs and requirements. Finally for needed specialty tools to repair system components such as fire hydrants, pumps, electric motors/ control systems and safely climb water towers ( safety harnesses). The remaining $100,000 would be used to acquire a new Valve Exercise Vac Trailer, the current one is old and outdate with high repair/ maintenance costs. The current unit was found in a junk yard, rebuilt by me and has served me well the past 2 years. Higher parts and components are getting harder to acquire, replacing the unit with a new one would largely decrease my expenses and increase reliability and more options for further services to be offered.
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Business Plan
last year I was able to purchase a heavily used vac truck in order to offer lift station cleaning for sewer systems along with filtration system rehabilitation for water treatment plants. Currently I have expanded my normal services of Affidavit Operator and valve maintenance to include fire hydrant maintenance, repair and fire flow reporting for fire departments. I also have recently partnered with Silversmith Data company to give me needed software to track jobs, inventory, and provide a reporting system of detailed work orders of completed work. This software is in exchange for promoting and training new clients in the state of Iowa on their particular AST software system. This summer I plan to bring my 2 part time employees full time and expand services to a wider area. 2025-2026 plans are in motion to expand maintenance services by offering more specialized work such as water main repairs, live water work repairs, maintenance plans and consultation with addition of 1-2 employees. in addition to acquiring a local competitor's company who plans to retire, negotiations are currently in progress now. 2027-2028 plans are to include additional equipment to be able to provide the same services to multiple locations at the same time. Also begin partnerships with organizations and engineering firms that specialize in my area of industry such as IAMU and ISG. This company was started by accident essentially, I worked for the city I reside in and made some good contacts with a local affidavit operator, DNR field office agents and engineering firms. When I had a falling out with the city and left, I was approached by these contacts and encouraged to start my own company and provide these services due to my. passion and expertise I have acquired over the few years working for the city. Time and time again I have seen small rural towns of Iowa struggle to maintain their utility systems do to increasing costs, lack of contractors who provide the services I provide, and the mentality of society to just replace components instead of maintaining/ repairing the equipment on hand to ensure a long lifespan of operation and dependability. So when I started this company, I did it with the mission to provide a low cost alternative to small towns of Iowa to keep their water/ waste water systems operating and provide a quality product to their citizens which we all depend and rely on to live our lives. With this mission in mind it drove my passion for this industry to new heights.I am determined to make this company work, grow, provide local jobs and one day pass this legacy on to my kids you have also shown interest in what I do.
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Self Identified Competition
currently in the services I offer on the maintenance/ repair side I have little to no competition. Major companies have discontinued offering these services along with other small companies like myself have retired and shut down. As far as the Affidavit Operator side there are 2 major local competitors, North Iowa Environmental and one other who is currently a city administrator for large town. North Iowa environmental is currently under negotiations with me to sell his company to me and offer me 22 contracts with towns in the area. I work closely with the sole owner/ operator of this company ( who also convinced me to start this company) and plans to retire within the next 1-2 years and work for me as an employee. The Second fella I also work closely with, I currently provide maintenance contracts to many of his towns and we have a mutual understanding/ respect for our territory of operations when it comes to Affidavit Operations. I offer services in terms of Maintenance/ repair solutions that they do not provide. So in return they hire me to provide their towns with these services. In addition they have been in this industry for many years and plan to retire soon. With the lack of younger individuals such as myself to fill this ever growing labor gap, more and opportunities are "thrust" upon me due to the lack of options. In addition I provide my maintenance services to the entire state of Iowa mainly do to the lack of competition in this particular field.
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