United Prairie is a prominent east-central Illinois-based agriculture retailer serving local farmers. For over two decades, United Prairie has trusted Heartland Tank with critical inspections and API-650 liquid fertilizer storage tank solutions essential for their operations.
Ben Rawlins, the Operations Manager overseeing all 14 United Prairie locations, recalls United Prairie’s association with Heartland Tank Services dating back to his early days with the company. “Whenever I started with United Prairie in 2000 we were already working with Chris Brooks and Heartland Tank Services at the time.”
Expertise and Regulatory Insight
United Prairie’s primary interaction with Heartland Tank Services is via API 653 certified inspections for their large fertilizer tanks. What sets Heartland apart, according to Rawlins, is their depth of knowledge and readiness to tackle any challenge. “Whenever we have a project coming up anyone we’ve worked with at Heartland Tank Services has been very helpful and you can tell they are very experienced.”
Rawlins highlights Heartland Tank Services’ experience with their state regulatory agency, the Illinois Department of Agriculture. “They’re able to stay in the loop and remain knowledgeable about the needs and expectations of the government regulatory bodies. They helped implement some of the experimental permitting programs here in the state of Illinois and elsewhere in the United States.”
Overcoming Challenges
Projects occasionally don’t go to plan, and present obstacles to organizations. Rawlins recalled a recent conversion project with a 750k gallon tank for storing ammonium thiosulfate. Unexpected OSHA restrictions necessitated changing the internal tank liner. “You can’t forecast everything, and you never know whatyou’re going to run into.” But Rawlins emphasized Heartland Tank Services’ responsiveness and problem-solving skills shined during that time.
“We’ve run into a couple of challenges that were unforeseen circumstances on a couple of different tanks. They were last minute, and Heartland was able to be very helpful and assist us with overcoming them, whether it’s a last minute internal tank liner replacement or obstacles of a similar nature. They were able to do that in a timely enough manner that it didn’t interfere with the seasonality of our business.”
Final Thoughts and Recommendations
When asked about recommending Heartland Tank Services to others, Rawlins doesn’t hesitate. He reiterates the strong relationship between Heartland and regulatory agencies, a testament to Heartland’s dedication to staying abreast of evolving standards. Rawlins emphatically states, “Today I would say I would definitely recommend your company.” He underscores the expertise and longevity of Heartland’s staff, noting, “One of the tank inspectors that has been inspecting since I started in 2000 is still there inspecting tanks and is currently coming to our property. It says a lot about their expertise and experience.”
“Heartland Tank Services does a very good job of making sure we’re compliant and that our tanks stay up to date on inspections.”
