Out With The Old
Florida's Aetna Plumbing has found a new company philosophy: Quality doesn't cost, it pays. And to complement this bright and shiny future, the company has purchased a bright and shiny truck.
The colors of the Chevy 3500 Series vehicle blaze red, white and blue like a flag through the streets and beaches of Wellington, Fla. Its 12-foot body was its greatest asset when owners Bill and Marge Isadore were in the market for a design to fit their company's new outlook. Two-foot deep shelves in the cube's interior and 18-inch deep drawers help keep everything in its place. Besides tools, this includes four water heaters, garbage disposers and faucets of varying grade and style.
"Time is of the essence on a service call," Marge Isadore said of the new approach the company takes when servicing clients. "The truck has just about every item needed to complete a call 98 percent of the time."
Aetna Plumbing began in 1962 in Connecticut, where Bill was the state's youngest licensed master plumber at age 23. The company was then lured to the Sunshine State in 1980 by the lucrative new construction business. With more than 1,000 people moving there a day, according to Marge, business was always booming. But it was stressful, and recently the company has wanted out of construction and into service and repair.
After deciding that menu-pricing was the way to go, Aetna Plumbing was well on its way to actualizing its goals.
"We've always had good service and quality, professional training, but we had never implemented it in the service/repair aspect." With their flat rate book in hand and a new truck on the road, Marge says the company and its five technicians have found success. "We will never do things by the hour again, and we're planning to purchase another truck in September."
The new vehicle will be bigger with a 14-foot cab, and will feature cameras for backing up and a monitor in the cab. Also, the company will convert the truck's engine to propane to help it last longer and be more environmentally friendly. Other tools and equipment slated to be kept in the new truck are sewer cameras and a gas-powered jet machine for drain cleaning.
It seems the company's five-year plan is moving along smoothly for the Isadores.
"We try to give our clients the best of everything," Marge concludes.
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