You already know the drill: Swipe your credit card, tell the dispenser what kind of gas you want and start pumping. When your tank is full, pay for the gas, hop back in the driver’s seat and head for the open road. But that simple description raises more questions than it answers. How does the gas get to the car?
The gasoline sold at service stations is stored underground in buried tanks that must to get to the gas dispenser and that is where Oklahoma entrepreneur, Richard Heck comes on the scene. Heck’s Underground Service Company, Allen, OK makes sure there are no leaks in the lines and no corrosion or other foreign matter in the underground storage tanks. If a leak in the line is found, it must be reported to the Corporation Commission and the pump shut down until the problem is resolved.
Heck’s Underground Service Company just located into a commercial business space managed by Rural Enterprises of Oklahoma, Inc. (REI) and owned by the community of Allen, OK. Heck is very passionate about his work and his plans for expansion and hiring of additional line testers and pump repair technicians. Heck’s Underground Service Company employs two full time and one part-time person. Current customers include convenience stores, school bus barns, airports, marinas and OG&E fleets.
In May 2010, a tornado demolished the school, injured dozens of people and took the life of a young mother in Little Ax, OK, a rural community just east of Norman, OK. The local grocery store also took a direct hit and Heck’s Underground Service Company played a role in getting the grocery store with fuel sales back in business. “It seemed everything in that little community, including the grocery store was in the path of this tornado,” Heck said. “We wanted to help restore the business and also provide local citizens with the services they so desperately needed at the time.”
Heck’s line and tank testing experience comes from 10 years of service in the U. S. Air Force as a fuel specialist, later serving as the fuels manager for the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. He is certified in tank and line testing, corrosion testing and pump calibration.
“We are proud to welcome Heck’s Underground Service Company to our family of business incubator tenants,” said Sherry Harlin, REI business development director. “It’s also great to see a small community like Allen so persistent and aggressive in attracting new businesses that create needed jobs.”
According to Heck, he was learned about the business incubator from Farmer’s State Bank in Allen, a strong proponent of economic development in this rural community.