*David Parson, owner of Clearwater Pump Services, will open a store that sells irrigation equipment on March 4 in the building where his crew currently operates.
From Cornelius garage to Forest Grove storefront: Q&A with Clearwater Pump Services owner David Parson.
When David Parson went on a call to repair a woman’s pumps, he was surprised to hear the woman ask if he were related to Wilbur, his grandfather. Parson, who started fixing pumps in high school, had worked in his family’s business before starting his own in 2012.
The woman explained that Parson’s grandfather had helped her fix a pump 15 years ago. Parson looked just like him.
“She didn’t know him,” he said. “But that’s the kind of impact that you make.”
Since November, Parson and his five-person crew have operated his irrigation repair and installation business, Clearwater Pump Services, out of the 6,000 square-foot industrial building on Douglas Street in Forest Grove. On March 4, the 35-year-old will open a store that sells irrigation equipment.
“These guys are part-electrician, part-plumbers,” Parson said. “They are the jack of all trades and the masters of none.”
The Forest Grove Leader caught up with Parson on Wednesday to see how the business is doing.
Q: How did you start your own pump service?
A: The business began in Cornelius, out of my home—my pickup truck, a kitchen table and an empty garage. It was myself and one part-time employee. I had my pickup and a 1978 boom truck that I had been working on for six months. We just parked those outside the house.We were out doing residential water systems on January 7, 2012. Everything we did was mobile. We didn’t have space to keep inventory around. If we had to repair a pump, we did it on site or we did it on the tailgate of a pickup. All the guys were out in the trucks and we’d go out to the job sites, whereas now we are able to have an inventory. We have a shop. We build pumps and motors. (Read More…)