Chris West Plumbing Inc.

It’s been 25 years since Chris West started his plumbing business, and for several years he was in survival mode. When he could finally afford to hire a couple of employees, “that’s when I figured out I needed help.”

West embraced national trade groups and learned strategies for organic growth, including training his own plumbers and creating a culture that ensures new hires are a good fit and makes it hard for competitors to lure his employees away.

Now he has 20 plumbers on staff, running 10 trucks with two-person crews, plus four more employees back at the 17,500-SF facility that includes a state-of-the-art training room. Revenue has been growing by approximately one-third each of the past three years.

Chris West Plumbing seeks to be a “one-stop shop” where high school graduates can get training, good wages, benefits and a lifelong career that allows them to balance work and family life.

Previous Honorees