How did one of the largest plumbing companies in Calgary come to be? Well, like most things, it started small and grew over time.
Planning for Pete the Plumber
Planning for the new company began in February of 1999, when founders Andrew Prince and Pete Archdekin started talking about joining forces in a new venture. They’d been working together for several months, and their personalities, work ethic and ideas about how a plumbing company should be run just clicked. It took several months to work out the details and raise the capital necessary, but in the fall of that year Pete and Andrew hired someone to work the phones and thus was born Pete the Plumber Ltd.
The new company quickly gained a reputation for hard work, honesty and fair pricing, as well as the eye-catching artwork that soon appeared on their work trucks. The plumbing superhero artwork, plus the caricatures of Andrew’s daughter and Pete’s bulldog on their respective trucks, had the phones ringing immediately. It wasn’t long before a third truck was added, and then a fourth.
Pete the Plumber in 2012
Today, Pete the Plumber has 35 trucks on the road handling Calgary’s plumbing, heating, electrical and HVAC needs. That kind of growth has only been possible because Pete and Andrew have instilled in their team of tradespeople, salespeople and office staff the principles of integrity and fairness.
“We are always fair to our customers because we want them to call us first when they have future problems,” Andrew says. “We charge a fair price, and we only do what is requested by the customer.”
“We also stand behind our work,” says Pete. “Our guys are professionals who know what they’re doing, but if there is a concern our customers know we will make things right.”
Pete the Plumber going forward
That, in a nutshell, is how one of Calgary’s largest plumbing companies came into being, but that doesn’t mean Pete and Andrew are content to rest on their laurels. They know that to stay on top means continually refining their business model, offering new services and product selection, and ensuring that staff is constantly trained in what it means to be top-notch service providers.
Both of the company’s founders agree that they still have room to grow, and they’re looking forward to many more years of service to the people of Calgary.