Since the turn of the century, the Doetsch name and reputation have been synonymous with high quality, professional industrial inspection and cleaning services. Oil spills, hazardous waste, solid waste and sewer line backups are formidable clean-up jobs tackled on a daily basis by Doetsch Environmental Services, a 109-year-old industrial contractor based in Warren, Michigan. Doetsch offers professional cleaning services of wet and dry materials, located above or below ground, to municipalities, manufacturing facilities, power plants, foundries, chemical plants and refineries.

This diverse range of application is a result of providing dependable, high-quality cleaning services year after year. "When you put your family name on the line every day for 100 years, there's no other way to do a job than the right way," says Frank Doetsch, Chief Executive Officer at Doetsch Environmental.

The Doetsch name has been part of the firm's identity since Frank's grandfather started the company in 1898. The identity, which we now refer to as cleaning sewers the old-fashioned way - was a shovel and bucket. Today, 89-year-old Frank is the senior family member in the business. His daughter, Diann Regelbrugge, advise him.

Leading the company's management into the future are Frank's grandsons - Joseph Schotthoefer IV, Jamie Doetsch, Frank Schotthoefer and Sean Schotthoefer. These young men represent the fifth generation of the Doetsch family who are involved in the company's daily operations.

Years before jet vac units were available - back when cleaning a sewer line meant sending a worker down a manhole with a bucket - Doetsch Environmental was always looking for a more efficient way to get the job done. In the late 20's, Doetsch Environmental Services first revolutionized Michigan's sewer cleaning industry by introducing the electric sewer machine. As jobs became more demanding, Doetsch automated its sewer cleaning system by attaching a bucket to a cable and anchoring it in the manhole, automating the pick up and removal of debris. This new system significantly increased the amount of debris removed from a line and perhaps most importantly, eliminated the need for crews to go down into the manhole.

In the 1970s, Doetsch introduced to Michigan hydraulic sewer cleaning by use of their combination machines. The technology dramatically elevated sewer cleaning to a new level and made cleaning sewers efficient, fast and safe. Doetsch quickly identified many other applications for jet/vac technology and began expanding its services to industrial applications that could benefit from high water pressure and vacuum.

Doetsch has always been the first contractor in its market to offer customers the latest innovations and technologies. Today, the company offers the industry's most up-to-date technology to customers who need everything from traditional line cleaning services to "pot holing" services required by utility customers to locate buried utility lines.

The company's record of providing 100 years of quality service to its customers would not have been possible without the reliable equipment it uses to successfully complete each job. Doetsch Environmental's fleet of workhorses includes Vacuum Loaders, combination Sewer Jets, Liquid Haulers and High-Pressure Water Equipment.

With 63 crewmembers and field supervisors on call every day and night, customer assistance is just a phone call away. To ensure quality work and 100% customer satisfaction, field supervisors routinely monitor and evaluate work completed by crewmembers. Plus, Doetsch Environmental is also the only industrial cleaning contractor in Michigan to be IS09000 certified.

Looking back 100 years, Frank Doetsch's grandfather would undoubtedly be overwhelmed at his company's success. With a fifth generation in the Doetsch family coming up the line, one can only imagine what the next 100 years will be like.