Dream of a Drain Cleaner
What started as one woman’s revenge against her ex-husband has evolved into a multimillion dollar company that has changed the lives of so many. Marian Davidson was a loving, loyal wife and mother of four children. Born and raised in Arvada Colorado, she was married to her high school sweetheart and placed into the role of a housewife. She faced many adversities in her eclectic life, but nothing could prepare her for the day she learned her husband of 25 years was unfaithful. Her ex-husband, Dell Davidson, was a well known businessman in the community and to everyone’s surprise, he had been living a double-life. As her husband was the provider of the family, owning a sewer service company named Dell’s Sewer Service, an untimely divorce left her with nothing to her name. Although she was distraught and broken, she decided to do the unthinkable and use this adversity as motivation to rise above the situation.
In 1985, it was not common for a woman to own a company and was not encouraged the way it is today. But Marian Davidson was a fighter, unable to just sit at home while her world was falling apart. Out of spite for losing everything in the divorce and for the hurt her ex-husband caused, she opened a competing company now named Colorado Sewer Service. Does this company name ring a bell? Ms. Davidson grew this company from the ground up, using the knowledge she gained from her ex-husband’s business as well as her own determination to establish her own roots. Within 10 years of betting all her chips into building a sustainable drain cleaning business, Ms. Davidson outshined Dell’s Sewer Service and put her ex-husband out of business.
Her empowerment did not stop there as she used this company to give opportunity to those less fortunate. She would hire individuals who did not receive education and who were surviving meal by meal, giving them a chance to change their lives. She would also use the company facility as a home for AA meetings at night, an organization she was once involved in following a prescription drug addiction. This company has grown to be the number one sewer service in Colorado, providing services for many well known businesses and establishments. This list includes:
- Mile High Stadium
- All of the King Soopers locations
- Colorado School of Mines
- Coors Field
- Pepsi Center
- The list goes on and on…
But what is the most memorable, is the way Mrs. Davidson defined women empowerment and had provided an enriching story her children continue to share in her legacy. Within 10 years of betting all her chips into building a sustainable drain cleaning business, Mrs. Davidson outshined Dell’s Sewer Service and put her ex-husband out of business. This company has grown to be the number one sewer service in Colorado.
Mrs. Davidson defined women empowerment and had provided an enriching story her children continue to share in her legacy.
I had the opportunity to sit down with Susan Morehead, Marian Davidson and Dell Davidson’s oldest daughter. She is now the co-owner of Colorado Sewer Service alongside her sister and had a very tight bond with her mother. In our very relaxed, sit down interview, we talked about the relationship between Dell and Marian after Dell’s Sewer Service was out of business. I was curious how this may have affected the family dynamic, as this was already a tumultuous time. What I learned was very surprising, and I want to share word for word what was explained to me. This is a conversation that was recorded and transcribed into written text for viewing.
- Interview question: Where would your loyalty lie when it came to supporting both businesses?
- Susan Morehead, “It was definitely difficult having the two competing sewer companies of the Denver area be owned by both my parents. I remember my mom would tell me to walk into businesses along Colfax and offer our company services. Sometimes they would be interested, and other times they would say they already had a company. They would say it was called Dell’s Sewer Service and I would just say to them, ‘Great company, stay with them.’ I didn’t want to take my dad’s business away either, so I had nothing but the best to say about either company. It was especially weird when I would have to explain to businesses how each of my parents owned the competing companies, and ultimately I would not support one company over the other.”
- Interview question: Did this situation make it any more uncomfortable, or more divided, for your family?
- Susan Morehead, “Actually, it became a healthy rival! In the beginning, my mother worked so hard on the business that my dad did not see it coming really. He was running the business as he always had and was dividing his interest into building his new life with his new love. He also took more interest in partying and gambling. Meanwhile, our mother was essentially a workaholic and could not get enough. It was somewhat of a vengeful act, however, it let off a lot of steam for her. So whenever the families were together, she wasn’t so angry because she knew she was doing okay and was succeeding on her own. They didn’t speak much at family functions, but they were always a lot nicer than they were when they were married.”
- Interview question: Do you have anything you want to share about this story that these questions have not touched on?
- Susan Morehead: “Yes! This is pretty cool, but as I said before, my mom and dad did not speak much at family functions or really at any point after the divorce. But, when he was in hospice and hanging on for the last two weeks of his life, there was a point where my mom sat with him a lot. Even though he was remarried, she took that time to work through forgiving him and rebounding before he shortly passed away. I was there when this happened… but he had said to my mom, ‘I heard a big anniversary is coming up!’ He was referring to the Colorado Sewer Service Company’s 30th anniversary that was approaching the same month he had passed away, 20 years after Dell’s Sewer Service went out of business. She asked him, ‘Yes! The 30 year anniversary. How long did you think I would last?’ He laughed and responded, ‘When I found out you were starting your own sewer company, I gave you two weeks.’ My mom called me on the drive home and was so thrilled when he said that. It was adorable to witness that pride not only in my mom’s reaction, but clearly in my dad as well. It was a memory I will never forget.”
This story has been an absolute dream to learn more about. Not just for the sake of how humanity is represented and celebrated, but also because of the incredible individuals involved in the narrative. Marian Davidson passed away from lung cancer in May of 2018, but her spirit has continued to burn bright. I did not know Marian in real life, but I have had the pleasure of growing a friendship with her beautiful family. It has been a joy to learn about the empowering life story of Marian as well as give her loved ones an opportunity to share the story from their perspective. I hope you love this story as much as we do and that with each medium and story outlet, you continue to grow with Marian’s journey.
