Truck of the Month - Dun-RIGHT Plumbing and Heating, Metro Boston

This plumber has a ‘Glowing’ future.

Photo courtesy of Dun-RIGHT Plumbing and Heating

As he was getting started in the plumbing service business two years ago, 36-year-old Bill Dunphy, the owner of Dun-RIGHT Plumbing and Heating in the greater Boston area, realized he had to make a big transportation decision.

With finances tight - four months earlier he had started the company with $27 in his pocket - Dunphy made the decision to forgo a new service truck in favor of purchasing a used one. He spent $4,500 on a 2002 Dodge Ram 1500 truck.

“It wouldn’t have been wise to go out and pay $600-$700 a month for a new truck right after starting a business in one of the worst economies people had ever seen,” he explains. “It was more important to me to put that money toward advertising.”

These days that repainted metallic blue, yellow and black 2002 Dodge turns plenty of heads in the metro Boston area thanks to the use of reflective, vinyl lettering. The lettering, by Mike Rapoza of West Bridgewater, Mass.-based Rapoza Signs, glows in the dark.

“I wanted to be seen if I was out at night,” he says. “It was another way to advertise.”

The truck at night. Photo courtesy of Dun-RIGHT Plumbing and Heating

The unique lettering touch has produced its desired result.

“I’ve gotten a few calls where people will say, ‘I saw you go down the highway the other night,’” Dunphy states. “You don’t really see the truck because it’s so bright. It moves through the air. Any light that hits it, it lights up. It really stands out. My neighbors don’t like it too much.”

There is additional lettering on the truck that holds a place close to Dunphy’s heart. On the side of one of the truck doors is the inscription “Mom’s and Billy’s Dream.” The phrase honors his late mother, Louise Dunphy, who encouraged him to revisit a career in the plumbing field after an earlier flirtation with the business in his younger days.

“Unfortunately Mom never got to see this,” he says. “She was the one who gave me the little push to look into plumbing again. That’s why it’s on the truck. I have an angel looking over me. She’s with me every day.

“As the business grows and I get more trucks, there will be something in reference to Mom on them. She helped me with this, and it’s the best choice I ever made for myself in my life.” Sponsored by General Pipe Cleaners

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Mike Miazga (former group editorial director for BNP Media’s Plumbing Group) is now the vice president of sales/membership at the American Supply Association (ASA). Supply House Times is proud to be the official publication and brand of the ASA — a relationship that spans more than a decade.

Mike’s relationship with BNP Media and the Plumbing Group continues today. He now writes a monthly ASA-focused column for Supply House Times and acts as an editorial consultant to BNP Media’s Plumbing Group.

In his 10-plus years at BNP Media, Miazga was senior editor of Plumbing & Mechanical and PM Engineer before taking over chief editor duties at Supply House Times in 2011. In addition to his role as editorial director, Miazga continued as Supply House Times chief editor and the editor of the American Supply Association’s PVF Outlook eNewsletter. He also enjoyed three stints as PM Engineer’s chief editor, holding dual roles as Supply House Times and PM Engineer chief editor on two occasions.

Miazga started his career in newspapers at the age of 19 and has more than 25 years of newsroom, management, editorial and public/media relations experience, and is a former high-school baseball and golf head varsity coach. Mike and his family are still based out of the Chicago area (with ASA Headquarters in Itasca, Illinois). You can reach Mike at PlumbingGroup89@gmail.com.