Truck of the Month: Sieben Plumbing, Hastings, Minn.
Sieben Plumbing has a wide-ranging scope of services it provides to customerswithout geographic limits.
The Hastings, Minn.-based contractor recently finished plumbing work on a log cabin some four hours away in Deer River, Minn., and is in the midst of a dog-boarding facility project. Other recently completed jobs include a Mexican restaurant, a bakery and a fitness gym.
“We will pretty much go anywhere,” says 30-year-old Terry Sieben, who runs the company with his first cousin, Dave Sieben.
As such, Terry Sieben wanted to make sure the company’s 2010 3/4-ton Sprinter van stood out on the road. Between Sieben’s original vision, assistance from younger sister, Shanna Sieben, and the folks at Rogers, Minn.-based Transport Graphics, the van was outfitted with a wrap that highlights both the company’s services and the Twin Cities area where it does the majority of its business. Sieben notes the company will add a second Sprinter van to its fleet this year.
“I had an idea in my head of how I wanted the wrap to look,” Sieben explains. “My sister drew the black logo. The city of Minneapolis background is eye-catching and the water drops and 24-hour service pop out at you. We are into green plumbing and use a lot of water-saving products, so we put the green plumbing logo on the back door. It worked out well. Everybody sees you.”
The eye-catching truck wraps won Sieben Plumbing the Best-Looking Van award in PM’s 2011 Best Looking Truck Contest.
Besides the flashy exterior, Sieben raves about the Sprinter’s performance in the field. “It floats down the road, gets great gas mileage and it seems like there is endless space in the back,” he says. “I’m a little over 6 ft. tall and I can walk in there with plenty of clearance over my head. We once put the components for all the completely finished bathrooms in a house back there with no problem.”
Terry Sieben started the company five years ago after receiving his master plumber’s license. The company, licensed in both Minneapolis and St. Paul, does no advertising beyond the truck wraps and relies on customer referrals.
“We benefit from the quality of our customer,” he says. “A new customer is getting our name because a previous customer liked us and everything worked out. We’ve been extremely fortunate to stay busy and by doing so we have not used any money for advertising beyond our trucks.
“Customer service is extremely important. We make sure the customer knows we care. When you walk into someone’s house, you have to make sure he trusts you and believes in what you are doing.”
Sieben, who previously worked for another plumbing contractor, says starting his own company has been quite an experience.
“It’s been stressful at times, but very rewarding as well,” he says. “I definitely would do it again.”
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