Somerset Regional Water Resources
Some organizations keep secrets from their customers, but Somerset Regional Water Resources (SRWR) believes in openness, CEO and co-founder Larry Mostoller says. “[We] have full disclosure [with our clients],” he states. “We are as transparent as any organization can be.”
Based in Tunkhannock, Pa., SRWR provides water-related services, including the delivery, removal and cleaning of wastewater. SRWR started operations in 2008, and has since grown to operate two offices in Tunkhannock and Somerset, Pa., that employ 110 people, Mostoller says.
Both offices are staffed with employees who not only have knowledge of water resource requirements, but also strive to expedite services, Mostoller says. “We do whatever is asked, and we run to do [it],” he asserts.
“This is very much a service-oriented business,” he declares. “The ability to think outside the box and get things done [has been critical].”
Applying Experience
In addition to his time at SRWR, Mostoller carries experience in a broad range of work, including the fields of heavy highway construction and trucking. “I ended up with natural gas,” he explains. “To some degree, all of the experience I’ve had came together [at this company].”
Each past experience helps SRWR be a better contractor, he notes. “We provide, in a large part, trucking to the industry,” Mostoller states. “[My experience] enhances our ability to offer ancillary services.”
Mostoller credits several with the company’s success, including its first client, Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., based in Houston. “They gave me a chance [and] a start,” Mostoller recalls.
In addition, Mostoller gives credit to his father, Lloyd Mostoller, with whom he also co-founded Geiger Develop Corp., a land development company. Mostoller notes that his father always was self-employed.
He also gives praise to the company’s staff, which includes many longtime workers. “I have several people that have been with me a long time in the work force,” Mostoller declares.
“We came to this point [together] and they helped me manage the day-to-day operations,” he says. “We work together, try to make sure we minimize our mistakes and maximize our return. [We are] viewed as a company people want to work for.”
An Attractive Industry
SRWR recently started construction of Pennsylvania’s first wastewater treatment plant that will specifically support the natural gas industry. According to the company, the new plant will treat water and meet the regulations of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
“As this industry expands, SRWR expects this innovation in safe handling gas well wastewater and recycling of clean water to put it at the forefront of the environmental sustainability movement in the Marcellus Shale region,” the company declares.
Mostoller says he believes SRWR will continue to grow.
“I think that we add value to drilling and the eastern part of the United States,” he says, noting that the company’s success is due in no small part to its openness.
He also predicts that the natural gas industry will remain a prosperous one, as companies strive to lower their reliance on foreign oil. “In Pennsylvania, [the resources are] close to markets, [which makes] it attractive to drillers,” he says.
“Reducing costs of any kind in any business is advantageous to forward progress,” he declares. “It’s a win-win for mostly everybody.”
There are some, he admits, who don’t see the value in natural gas. “I do and I believe the majority of people do,” Mostoller asserts. “The tax base that it creates is advantageous to local and state governments.”
“It’s advantageous to people who [run] local businesses,” he adds. “Everybody benefits here.”