Rillco Inc. prepares to grow

RACHEL WARTIAN/SUFFOLK NEWS-HERALD Rosalind Lacy runs Rillco Inc. with her father Ronie Ledbetter at 122 Bell St.

BY RACHEL WARTIAN STAFF WRITER

Rillco Inc. was started by Romie and Costellar Ledbetter as Ledbetter’s Septic Tank in 1972. Today, the business is run by Romie Ledbetter and his daughter, Rosalind Lacy.

This father-anddaughter business has plans to keep serving the Tidewater area for a long time.

Rillco Inc. is a Class A environmental septic contractor environmental service drainage. They are for people who are not hooked up to city sewage and need one onsite. Their work can be seen all over Tidewater, as they work in a 100-mile radius.

“Our mission is to provide good workmanship at reasonable prices, and we stand by our work,” said Lacy.

Rillco Inc. started when Romie Ledbetter felt it was time to leave the shipyard and became the first African American in the area to create a sewage business. He started with doing electrical, too, since he is a master electrician. He later renamed his company to Rillco in the 1980s, consisting of his initials R.L.L. and the first two letters of Costellar’s name.

“My daddy has always been a hard worker,” said Lacy. “He’s always worn many hats.”

Ledbetter spent time doing electric work at the shipyard, the Hampton Roads Bridge, Burger King on North Main Street, and residential homes. He is well known throughout his community, as he has done work on many homes.

“He always tells me stories as we drive of what houses he’s done work on,” said Lacy. “It seems he’s done some sort of work just about everywhere. He believes in treating people fairly and not jiving them.”

In 2006, Lacy came to help expand the business. Even though septic tends to be a man’s business,

LEDBETTER SEPTIC TANK

Certified Residential & Commercial Septic Tank & Grease Trap Inspections Plus Excavating & Concrete

INSTALLATION • PUMPING • REPAIRS CLASS “A” GENERAL CONTRACTOR & MASTER ELECTRICIAN www.rillco-inc.com 539-2003 R.L. Ledbetter Locally Owned Since 1961