Southern California brings to mind a sunny and warm climate, beautiful beaches and great waves for surfing. Mary Jean Anderson— president and owner of El Cajon, Calif.-based Anderson Plumbing, Heating & Air — is more comfortable bodyboarding than surfing, but her company has been riding a wave of success in the last few years, going from substantial debt to double-digit profits.
Anderson Plumbing, Heating & Air began in 1978 as Walter Anderson Plumbing. At the time, Mary Jean Anderson was a nurse, but in 1983 she joined her then-husband Walter Anderson in running the plumbing new construction company. By 1985, Mary Jean Anderson had convinced her husband to move into plumbing service.