Mark Collins’ history in the plumbing industry dates back to 1905 when his great-great-grandfather started his own plumbing company in Houston. As a fifth-generation plumbing company owner, Collins took on and grew his father’s plumbing business and was eventually able to purchase the 1-800-Plumber® brand in 2015. He knew owning this brand would provide the foundation for him to achieve something extraordinary in the industry. By Kelsi Trinidad
Mark Collins’ history in the plumbing industry dates back to 1905 when his great-great-grandfather started his own plumbing company in Houston. As a fifth-generation plumbing company owner, Collins took on and grew his father’s plumbing business and was eventually able to purchase the 1-800-Plumber® brand in 2015. He knew owning this brand would provide the foundation for him to achieve something extraordinary in the industry.
In 2018, Collins launched 1-800-Plumber +Air and has since grown the company to 28 active locations and 10 in the opening phases across 18 states. The company also has landed itself on Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500® ranking for the past two years. Collins credits 1-800-Plumber +Air’s success to its emphasis on superior customer experience.
“We’re not reinventing plumbing methods or practices, but we know home services is a people-driven industry,” said Chief Marketing Officer Kyle Smith. “We’re a people-first organization, and that starts with our customers.”
The brand also is using technology to create more efficient modes of communication with customers. For example, clients receive text alerts that let them know what’s going on during the entire experience, and it offers technician tracking, so they’re never surprised about the technician’s time of arrival.
Aside from gaining immediate brand recognition, franchise owners benefit from the assurance that their territory will be the only franchise offering both plumbing and HVAC services, giving them a larger customer base and increased earning potential. Additionally, they receive ongoing support from a dedicated B.E.S.T. Business Advisor who keeps franchisees informed about plumbing and HVAC best practices. Bolstered by a team of experts, franchisees are able to encompass the brand’s core values of becoming better, exceeding expectations, superior service and teamwork.
“Mark has a quote that we have hanging in our corporate offices and franchise locations that reads, ‘We do not want to just be better than our competition, we want to deliver the best experience our customers have ever encountered. Period,’” said Smith. “This is something we make sure everything falls back on – marketing messages, brand positioning, customer interactions and company culture.”
Kelsi Trinidad