Revolutionizing Tank Cleaning
Bristola’s technology might grab headlines — but it’s our team that keeps the company moving forward, solving problems and delivering results no one else in the industry can match.
For CEO Jared Burma, building Bristola meant more than inventing a new way to clean tanks. It meant finding people who believed in the vision and were willing to build something that didn’t yet exist. That meant grit. That meant flexibility. That meant trust.
“The qualities of the people who started out with me — those first hires — they had to trust me. They had to understand the vision,” Jared says. “They made sacrifices. They were willing to travel, work through the chaos of startup life and figure it out as we went. That’s what built the foundation.”
Today, Bristola’s team includes roughly 20 people, each with unique skills but a shared mindset: Get it done safely and get it done right.
Built for a Startup, Ready for Anything
Bristola is solving a problem an entire industry couldn’t figure out: how to truly perform online tank cleaning without downtime, confined space entry or operational disruption. And that means the company’s day-to-day operations aren’t always predictable.
“We're a startup. We're doing something that hasn’t been done before,” Jared explains. “Things change overnight, sometimes by the hour. And our team knows how to roll with that.”
That flexibility has become a defining trait of Bristola’s culture. The team isn’t just adapting; it’s anticipating what clients need, learning new skills on the fly and showing up when other contractors would walk away.
Nearly every time Bristola’s crew arrives at a jobsite, the scope expands far beyond the original work order to include things like repairs, retrofits and system support — because the team is there and knows how to get the job done.
“They troubleshoot, adapt and solve problems in hours, not months,” Jared says.
Five Team Players Who Keep Bristola on Top
While every team member brings critical value, here are five individuals Jared highlights as instrumental to Bristola’s growth:
- Jeff Harclerode — the first to invest in Jared’s idea. Jeff believed in the vision and gave Bristola the resources to start building the team.
- Ian Dunlap — the company’s chief technology officer. Ian came from the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) world and brought a rare blend of industrial cleaning, IT, design and electrical programming experience. “He’s kind of our unicorn,” Jared says.
- Adam Perkins — a team-first operations expert who worked with Jared at a previous company. With a background in industrial cleaning and trucking and a knowledge of Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards, Adam brings critical field expertise and leadership.
- Korbin Woolsey — hired at age 19 and now a field engineer. “He knows our technology inside and out,” Jared says. “He’s grown up with the company.”
- Chad Neleman — started with no industry experience but stuck it out, learned fast and is now Bristola’s top-performing salesperson.
Each one brings something different, but all share a willingness to adapt, problem-solve and put the client first.
Not a “Kumbaya” Company. A Results Company.
Bristola isn’t built around pingpong tables or happy hours. It’s built around execution, trust and taking pride in what you deliver.
“Are we a singing-Kumbaya-holding-hands kind of company? No,” Jared says. “We’re a ‘let’s get it done, make some money and get back to our family’ kind of company.”
The team works hard, Jared says, but he encourages family visits, boundaries during travel jobs and opportunities to rotate field staff into office-based roles when possible.
In fact, Bristola is working toward remote operation of its ROV systems to allow seasoned field crew to manage tank cleanings from a climate-controlled office rather than being out in the elements.
What Clients Don’t See but Should Know
To the untrained eye, Bristola’s system might look like a high-tech Roomba for tanks. But the reality is far more complex.
“Clients think it’s as simple as hooking something up and pressing a button,” Jared says. “But this isn’t a pool cleaner. It’s a live system working in hazardous environments. Our guys are managing logistics, safety tech integration, real-time adjustments ... all in places no one else wants to go.”
And the job doesn’t end when the ROV hits the tank. Bristola’s crew educates clients daily, manages expectations and tracks progress in systems with no clear visual indicator of success. That mental challenge alone takes skill, discipline and experience.
Innovation Is Nothing Without Execution
It’s easy to talk about disruption, innovation and game-changing technology. But without a team willing to get dirty, stay flexible and learn every day, none of it matters.
Bristola’s crew is its engine: field-tested, sharp-minded and all in on doing things differently.
“We’ve been called a lot of things,” Jared says. “But at the end of the day, our clients know if you want it done right, and you want it done without taking your system offline, there’s only one team that can do it. And that’s us.”
Want to learn more? Contact us today to see how Bristola can help your operations run more safely and efficiently. Stay informed about the latest innovations in tank maintenance.