Trade Names: Plumbing business is all in the family

Lorrie Jones Gore and her two sisters grew up in the plumbing business.

All three have worked at the family-owned Gundlach Plumbing & Heating Co. off and on since middle school.

"I got my first W-2 when I was 12," said Gore, who has served as the company's general manager since 2008.

Their father, the late George F. Jones, became one of the company's owners in the mid-1950s and its sole owner in 1980. Herman and Raymond Gundlach founded the company in 1929.

George Jones died in October 2011 at 88. His three daughters — Gore, Betty Gregory and Linda Stevens — are carrying on their father's legacy.

One way they are doing so is by having a passion for customer service.

"We know as moms and women what we expect when a service person comes into the house," Gore said. "We implement shoe covers and walkway paper. We respect you, your home and your time."

The Henrico County-based company's personalized service gives it an edge in the market.

"You are not just talking to one person; you have a whole team working for you," said Stevens, who oversees credit, finance and customer relations.

Henrico resident Joe Winston was surprised to talk to one of the owners when he called the company on a Saturday morning because of a water leak.

"They are so responsive that it's incredible," he said. "I was amazed at their attention to detail."

Gore began growing the company's HVAC business in the late 1980s. She received her master license in plumbing, gas piping and heating and air conditioning in 1993.

"Dad's interest was in plumbing," she said.

The company's service territory includes Richmond and surrounding counties. About 95 percent of its business is residential with the rest in light commercial.

The company saw its residential business grow 8 percent from 2008 to 2010, she said.

"Before we did a lot of new construction," Gore said. "That was our dad's love — new construction plumbing. We don't do that anymore."

Many of Gundlach's clients have used the company for generations.

"We work with a lot of families," Gore said. "We want it to be a close relationship with customers."

Bruce Partridge of Partridge Remodeling in Hanover County finds the company easy to work with.

"They are full-service, so they can do anything," he said. "Their technicians know what they are doing. They are very thorough on everything they do."

Many of the company's employees have been with the firm on average "close to 20 years," said Gregory, who oversees maintenance and job costing.

When the three sisters were out during their father's illness, company employees took care of the business.

"Our customers never had a bump in the road," Stevens said.

Kelly Lee of Hanover uses Gundlach because of its reliability.

"They are truly old-school when it comes to their customer-service mentality. They do what they say they will do," she said.

In 2011, the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors national association named Gore as the HVAC Contractor of the Year. The award highlights community service and professionalism.

"We believe in giving back to the industry and the community," Gore said, noting that the firm partners with the Hermitage Technical Center at Hermitage High School where Gregory's son and Gundlach employee, Joey Lowe, teaches two hours each day.

Gundlach also is a founding member of Plumbing and Mechanical Professionals of Virginia, which lobbies the Virginia General Assembly for laws that affect the industry.

"Our dad was involved in writing plumbing codes (for) the state of Virginia," Gore said. "I feel like we are leaders in being industry watchdogs."