Roto-Rooter parent company Chemed Corp. reported income for the plumbing service firm of $15.4 million in 2002, up from a net income of $3.4 million in 2001. 2002 revenues were $253.7 million, compared with $269.4 million in 2001 (the firm's 2001 net income included $13.5 million in charges related to restructuring and goodwill amortization). During 2002, Roto-Rooter exited underperforming, non-Roto-Rooter-branded operations, which accounted for the majority of the revenue decline.

In other news, Roto-Rooter announced it will equip its more than 1,500 service technicians at company-owned branches with mobile workforce management software to further improve quality. Roto-Rooter's technicians will be able to transmit messages, job status and location (via global positioning system functionality) in real time back to the dispatch centers.