Richard Bogda, president of Union, N.J.-based Service Professionals, knew right from the start he wanted more than to just be “Rich Bogda Plumbing.” He had a vision for his company and chose the name Service Professionals because that was what he wanted people to receive from his company — expert service delivered by remarkable professionals.

Bogda is involved in the day-to-day operations and pursuit of excellent customer service, which has been his goal from day one. He learned the plumbing trade by working with his father at a young age. Bogda has always been an ambitious man, and in 1989, at age 21, he branched out on his own by partnering with a plumbing business owner looking to retire. Bogda spent the next five years learning the back-office and operational side of the business, and in 1994, he took full ownership of the business and Service Professionals was born.

“We are constantly looking to better ourselves in a way that will allow our customers to feel a sense of comfort and security so that when they call our company with a need or question, it will be a truly enjoyable experience,” says Roy Kuczera, general manager. “At Service Professionals, ‘Our Name is Our Mission’ — professionalism is literally built into our company name.

“What does it mean to be professional? Traditional definitions would use words like competence, reliability, honesty, integrity, and respect for others. Remarkable professionalism can be defined as: striving to be your best, having ambition, challenging yourself, being focused and real, acting with integrity, having pride, being thoughtful and supportive and forming meaningful relationships.”

Twenty-four years later, Bogda has grown his company to include 46 employees and 34 vehicles. Though the company is a member of several associations, Bogda and his team believe they benefit the most from being a member of the Nexstar Network. He is a strong believer in the Kaizen approach to doing business — it is a Japanese term that means constant and continual improvement.

“Never stop learning” is a mantra for Bogda and his employees. Seminars, webinars and books are a staple of ongoing education at Service Professionals for Bogda and his team.

Of the numerous vehicles, the favorite is the Ford Transit Van. The new design, which was re-branded in 2012 and is on 95% of the vehicles, incorporates shades of blue — a color studies show people associate with trust. The blues contrast with orange and white to make key design elements pop off the blue background. The design has a corporate feeling with a friendliness that comes from a smiling technician with a thumbs-up.

“The vans have good pick-up despite their size and provide better gas mileage than other models in our fleet,” Kuczera says. “While these vehicles have not been in our fleet long, they have proven to be durable, and our technicians really like them. These vans provide more height for standing in the truck. Our larger technicians find it easier to maneuver between racks in this vehicle. Because of their boxy design, they are easy to rack out in a way that maximizes space. Lighting in the cargo area is also better than other vehicles in the fleet.

“The response to our wrap has been strong,” Kuczera continues. “We capture the source of leads for every call that comes into our call center. We ask the customers how they heard about us, and since wrapping our trucks, the number of customers saying they saw our truck has increased 350%.”

This article was originally titled, “Two thumbs up” in the February 2018 print edition of Plumbing & Mechanical.