Back in the mid-1990s, Chad Hart packed his bags and headed south in search of warmer climes.
“I was hanging out in Indiana and there was not a lot going on,” the 36-year-old Ft. Wayne native states. “I went to a warmer place and gave it a shot. It was a risk coming down here. There was no net to save me. I figured if it didn’t work out, I could go back. I’ve never been back.”
After working for several plumbing contractors, Hart took the Florida State Certified Plumbing Contractor Exam and purchased New Port Richey, Fla.-based Continental Plumbing six years ago.
Today, Hart and three technicians cover Pasco and Pinellas counties in the Tampa area specializing in residential and light commercial repair and remodel jobs.
The centerpiece of Continental is a 2012 Nissan NV 2500 HD cargo van.
“It was so new when I bought it I couldn’t drive it for a couple of days because my insurance company didn’t know how to insure it,” Hart says.
Hart is a huge fan of the van’s box height and storage space. He’s also not complaining about the van’s affordability.
“I can walk in the back of it,” he states. “I’m tired of crawling on my hands and knees to get things. You could be 6 feet, 3 inches and stand in the back. We can get a sewer machine and a jetter in there. You name it, I will get it up in there.”