Robert Bair Services, a plumbing and heating contractor in Downers Grove, Ill., won two local awards.

Robert Bair Services, a plumbing and heating contractor in Downers Grove, Ill., won two local awards:

• Last month, the Downers Grove Area Chamber of Commerce & Industry named the company its 2009 Chamber Choice Award for Business Excellence in the service category.
  
  
• This month, The Business Ledger, a newspaper serving the Chicago suburbs, gave Bair one its Annual Awards for Business Excellence for the small companies category.

The company has served the western Chicago suburbs for 35 years. Owner Robert Bair has grown the business over the years. “Starting with just himself and working out of his garage, he sold his motorcycle to buy his first piece of equipment,” the company reports.

Several years ago, finding it difficult to hire licensed residential service plumbers, Bair decided to open a plumbing school at his location. It is lead by a state accredited teacher, and young apprentices now entering the field are trained for free one night a week while working alongside a licensed plumber as a helper/apprentice five days week.

Bair holds weekly safety and training meetings for his customer service team to keep them up-to-date on safety issues. This is also the time outside trainers visit to train on new equipment and procedures. “Bob’s professional relationships with his team members, fellow plumbing contractors and his large customer base serve the community in many ways,” the company says.

The day Bair won the DG award, he went out and bought every employee a carnation, shook their hand, and thanked them each personally for the award. “He knows his people are what make this company stand above the rest and he wanted to share the victory with them.”

For more information about the company, visit www.bairservices.com.

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