Water and wastewater treatment is a necessary function for municipalities, food processing plants, commercial businesses, hospitals and oil refineries, to name a few. And it’s the livelihood and backbone of Fort Bend Services, Inc., a company that devotes itself to providing customers with water and wastewater treatment solutions.
With a history that dates back to 1981 when the company was established, Fort Bend Services, Inc. (FBS) started as a boiler and cooling tower treatment company that excelled in manufacturing industrial and residential water softeners. In 1989, the company expanded its boiler and cooling tower business and added the water and wastewater treatment polymer and coagulant division. The company experienced considerable growth from 1989 to 1995 and in 2015, Rosemary Levens took over as CEO of the company, after the passing of former CEO Lyn Levens.
Today, FBS is a woman-owned business and one of the largest resellers of water and wastewater treatment polymers and coagulants in the United States.
“Our boiler and cooling tower division works with hospitals, office buildings, colleges and other large building structures to maintain their equipment and provide high quality water,” said David James, FBS’ vice president of sales. “Our water treatment chemicals are designed to make equipment work at the highest efficiency, saving our customers money.”
FBS currently staffs a diverse team of 32 employees and Tammy Faber, FBS’ vice president of operations, credits the team for the company’s rapid growth.
“Our employees make sure our customers get exceptional customer service. They work hard to develop water treatment plans that are economically better for our customers,” Faber said. “For instance, we test the water and find the polymer that is the most efficient to run their treatment plants. This means we may sell less of the product, but it improves our customers’ water treatment.”
Like most companies, FBS has a goal on expanding its customer base.
“We are trying to stabilize our position in the market and grow in every area we can. We want to leverage our certification as a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE)/Texas Historically Underutilized (HUB) Vendor to enter larger markets, such as selling to the City of Houston and other large municipalities and universities,” said FBS president Lanasa Moyer. “We are also working on certifications in other states to expand our reach into new places. We want to use our knowledge, skills and abilities to help our customers more efficiently treat their water and wastewater. Our goal is to expand in every aspect of our operations.”
FBS also believes in taking care of its employees. In a time in which insurance premiums are steadily rising, FBS still pays 100 percent of all of its employees medical and dental insurance for them as well as their families.
Moyer said being a woman-owned business – one of the few woman-owned companies in the industry, at that – allows the company global exposure and opportunities not available to most companies.
“Being a cohesive team can be contributed to the diversity of our employee makeup. Our board and senior management team are very diverse as well,” said Moyer. “The CEO, president and vice president of operations are all female. Our vice president of sales is a minority. We believe this diversity is the strength of our company.”
This summer’s hurricane season was especially brutal and the devastating effects of Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma wreaked havoc on businesses and operations in Texas, Florida and the Gulf Coast. But FBS’ devotion to its customers never waned.
“There were multiple plants that we service that were affected by both Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma,” Faber said. “These storms affected the production plant of one of our major suppliers, limiting the ability to get product to our customers. Our saving grace was the different warehouses we have throughout the United States being stocked with inventory. None of our customers had to go without polymer for any extended period of time.”
Unmatched customer service is what FBS prides itself on. And it also believes in serving and supporting the community in which it operates. Based in the Houston metropolitan area of Stafford, Texas, FBS is expanding its outreach in the community and always looking for ways to give back.
This has come in many forms: supporting its employees’ volunteer activities through donations to charitable causes such as the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo and Junior Achievement, employing students from the local high schools and becoming directly involved with organizations such as Duck’s Unlimited and the Women’s Business Enterprise Alliance (WBEA) Houston.
“Our goal is to grow our impact in the community around us while we grow our business,” said Faber.
No business is immune to challenges and obstacles. FBS is no exception, but Faber insists it’s the people – the staff – that make all the difference.
“We compete with large companies on a daily basis. We are successful because of our employees. They build relationships with our customers and our customers trust us,” she said. “We can ship within one- to- two days on almost all of our products. This makes a difference with our customers and improves their bottom line. There are ups and downs economically for every company, but each time we find better and more efficient ways to do things – because of our team. They are dedicated and creative. They love what they do and it shows in their dedication.”
For more information, visit www.fortbendservices.com.
By Valerie Jones
