There’s a certain dignity in coming home from work with sweat on your brow, dust on your boots, and the satisfaction of knowing you made someone’s day better—maybe even saved a life. The trades don’t always come with spotlight moments or shiny offices, but they carry something deeper: purpose, skill, and an unwavering commitment to serve.
From pest control to waste services, HVAC to excavation, these are the crews who handle things most people would rather ignore. They show up on weekends and holidays—through freezing mornings and blistering afternoons—to crawl into muddy, infested spaces, climb into 160-degree attics, and balance on rooftops to keep our homes safe, our air breathable, and our communities running.
Here are some stories from the Dripping Springs crews who are willing to show up, get dirty, and give their all to serve their neighbors. The work may not be glamorous, but it’s needed and it’s noble. For the guys in the trenches, that’s what makes it beautiful.
Brock Anderson
Owner, BrockStar Pest Services
At a service call for roach activity, I was under the home when I heard a rustling, whishing sound getting louder. As I raised my flashlight, I encountered a wall of roaches—all very healthy, large, and flying! I did my best to keep my mouth shut as I retreated as fast as possible out of the space. I was almost naked in that client’s yard getting them off me. Sometimes I can still feel those tarsal claws on my neck.
Another time, I received a call about a skunk messing up a client’s garden. So, I grabbed my trap and headed out to handle it. After a few days, I finally got that sucker … little did I know, a trapped skunk isn’t a safe skunk. That rascal was locked and loaded when I went to grab the trap, and all I saw was a cloud of yellow skunk stank coming straight for my face—direct hit! After simultaneously throwing up and crying, I tossed a blanket over the trap, collected what was left of my pride, and headed home after a job … well, done.
BrockStarPestServices.com | facebook.com/brockstarpestservices
Chase Rampy
HVAC Service Manager, Mend Services
The story of this unforgettable experience takes me back a couple of decades … My crew and I were installing an HVAC system and all the ducts in a home that was over 100 years old. It was quite a job. The workspace was underneath the house and, thanks to recent rains, the ground was a muddy mess. We had to remove ancient ducts, dodge bare electrical wires, and install all new sheet metal.
In that cramped, mucky crawlspace, we found dead snakes, rodents, and even a raccoon that had gotten stuck in the HVAC and didn’t make it. We drew straws to see who was on removal duty, and the new guy, in his first week on the job, drew the short one. It may have been a rough start, but it didn’t scare him off—he’s still with us today, and he is one of those co-workers who became a lifelong friend.
MendServices.com | @mendservices
Ryan Biel, Owner
Recon Waste Service
It started like any other day on a route through a quiet neighborhood—until one of our waste trucks suddenly burst into flames. Within seconds, fire erupted inside the truck’s load, forcing the driver and helper to spring into action.
They quickly called 9-1-1 and grabbed fire extinguishers to contain the blaze until North Hays County Fire and EMS arrived. To fully extinguish the fire, the crew had to dump the burning trash directly onto the street. Then came the real grind: hand-shoveling nearly 20 cubic yards of scorched, smoldering, stinking garbage back into the truck … one scoop at a time.
The cause? A dangerous combination of discarded pool chlorine tablets and a gasoline can tossed into a residential trash bin—a stark reminder of the risks of improper hazardous waste disposal. Thanks to the crew’s quick thinking and the fast emergency response, no one was hurt and the truck was saved from serious damage.
ReconWS.com | facebook.com/reconws
James Kuykendall Jr., Owner
Sunset Construction & Excavation
In Texas, you can’t live without a septic system or some way to dispose of wastewater. And when my phone rings about septic, it usually means someone’s system is one flush away from disaster.
On a particularly long and busy day, I needed to bail out water from a tank. After installing a pump and piping, everything was set up—until I plugged in the pump. Boom! The elbow on the pipe blew off and launched a 20-foot wastewater geyser straight into the air … and then all over me. After all, what goes up must come down.
The homeowner rushed outside, saw me coughing up tank water and pulling everything out of my pockets, and—without a word—walked back into the house.
So I did what any pro does: embraced the grind, finished the job, and mentally prepared to scrub my truck (and myself!) when I got home. Back at the shop, one of my guys, also soaked, looked at me as I stepped out—shirtless, barefoot, and dripping—and said, “Let’s do it again Monday!”
SunsetConstructionAustin.com | facebook.com/sunsetconstructionandexcavation