contractors

“Service, service, service” is the official motto at Randal’s Plumbing Inc., in Palm Desert, CA. The owner, Randal Williams, started the 10-person company in 1994.

As their motto suggests, service is key, along with a healthy dose of remodel work. The majority of that business comes from high-end residential customers. Randal’s Plumbing lives on referral, spending not a single dollar on advertising beyond truck wraps and cycle graphics.

You read that correctly; Randal’s uses a “Service Cycle”. It’s a Yamaha 650 outfitted with a special sidecar for jobsite visits and running parts. Southern California’s climate is conducive to year-‘round cycle riding.

Unfortunately, it’s also conducive to drought. While the lack of rain has been a real concern for California in the past few years, it’s ushered in a lot of calls from homeowners looking to conserve water. Even heavy rain from the recent El Niño has not quenched the drought in California.

“The EPA has specified 1.28 gallons per flush as the standard for all new toilets being installed,” said Randal, “and a lot of folks are looking to do even better. We started offering Toto’s 1 GPF models, and have since put them in our showroom.”

But according to Randal, they’ve gone beyond low-flow fixtures. The company has installed hot water recirculation systems for more than a decade, but today it’s a main focus. Demand for hot water recirculation is way up, and today’s products are easier to install and offer more functionality.

“When people hear that they can save as much as 12,000 gallons each year, the only question is, ‘When can you do it?’” said Randal. “Of course we’ll save you water, but we’ll also save you time. I can buy more water, I can’t buy more time; it’s really our most precious commodity. Waiting on hot water for five minutes each day adds up to 30 hours per year.”

Return without a return line

For years, Randal’s has installed hot water recirculation pumps in homes with a dedicated return line. Today, the volume of calls means that they’re running into a number of different applications, with and without dedicated return lines.

“We went shopping for flexible solutions and discovered two different reliable options for homes that don’t have dedicated return lines: the TacoGenie and the Hot-Link system.”

Both systems operate by sending cool water back to the water heater via the cold water line instead of letting it go down the drain..

Replacement work

“Many of the big homes in this area had dedicated recirculation lines installed during construction,” said Randal. “Whether their pump fails or they need a new water heater, we often find ourselves replacing the existing pump.”

It’s a regular occurrence; the call comes in saying there’s no hot water. Randal runs out to the job on his motorcycle to check the water heater. The Service Cycle has its limitations though, so if the water heater is shot, he goes back to the shop to load a new Bradford White tank and a recirculation pump on a truck. Randal’s plumbing socks plenty of water heaters and special recirculating pumps that reduce electric consumption when compared to a conventional recirculation system that runs non-stop.

Hero on two wheels

“My sister-in-law comes for a long visit every year,” said Randal. “After waiting for hot water to arrive at the shower, she’d ask my wife, ‘Isn’t your husband a plumber?’ Well, it’s like the cobbler and his shoes…”

Last year, just before his sister-in-law arrived, Randal installed a hot water recirculation system at his own home. From what he says, it made him a hero. It’s not the first time he’s blended his profession and his personal life for the benefit of both.

The idea for the Service Cycle took hold as he was searching for a way to fit in a little more riding time. After having a friend custom build the big sidecar to haul tools, wax rings and recirculation pumps, he realized he’d stumbled into a great publicity stunt.

“I really just wanted to have fun with the Service Cycle, but now everyone around town knows me,” said Randal. “People wave and take pictures, and every once in a while, a new customer will say they called because they saw the bike.” According to Randal, the bike is a throwback to the early 19^th century.

“The sidecar was in broad use in the US before Henry Ford introduced the Model T,” he explained. “Once average folks could afford four wheels, they moved away from three. But until then, the sidecar was used as a delivery vehicle, tradesman’s transportation, and later, even had some tactical applications in the big wars.”

Whether throwing back to days of old on the Service Cycle or looking forward with water and time conservation, Randal’s Plumbing is on the move.

Porch now offers loyalty promotions from Lowe’s, Wayfair, Square, Weebly and more to Porch Guaranteed professional
Porch.com, the home services platform, today announced the expansion of features to help home improvement professionals grow their business, as well as Porch Perks, a loyalty program that provides exclusive business and entertainment discounts for Porch Guaranteed professionals. The new features make it simpler than ever for home service professionals to connect to homeowners by providing businesses with more flexibility and choice. Some of the new product enhancements that Porch unveiled include:

Enterprise Direct Connect: Porch is announcing an easier way for national and regional service providers to access projects through Porch. With Direct Connect, larger companies can integrate into our project marketplace and have requests flow directly into their CRM systems. Porch has already launched the Direct Connect experience with hundreds of the largest national and regional home service companies across the country.

Flexible Features for Local Professionals. Local professionals across the country wanted more flexibility and control in how they worked with Porch. The following capabilities were announced today: · For professionals who prefer little up-front commitment, “Pay As You Go” is an easy way to get started. By adding a credit card, professionals can browse a list of homeowner projects in a desired area and choose who to connect with. This feature is great for test driving the Porch project marketplace or for filling an occasional hole in a professional’s schedule. · Instead of browsing projects, professionals can set criteria based on type of work and a monthly budget. Projects that meet the criteria will automatically be “reserved” and delivered to the pro each month. This feature is for professionals who want a steady stream of project requests from the Porch marketplace. This is an evolution of the Premium product that was launched 2 years ago. Porch has thousands of active professionals already reserving projects. “Professionals can now decide the best way to grow their business through the expansion of our pro product suite. With our new offerings, Porch caters to every home service professional across the country, big or small, by providing features that are tailored to their business. for homeowner demand. Over the past year, project request volume on Porch from homeowners has exploded so now is the right time to accelerate the connection with all types of quality professionals,” said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Matt Ehrlichman. The new features accompany the Porch Guarantee, a free program for homeowners that guarantees a quality experience with Porch professionals to homeowners. Guaranteed professionals have passed a 30-point check system that includes pre-screening, a comprehensive background check and accepting the Porch Pledge, a commitment to making it right for every customer. Also launching today is Porch Perks, available immediately to all Guaranteed professionals. These high quality professionals will now be able to receive dozens of business discounts and hundreds of local deals to help them operate and grow their business. “Professionals are core partners in building Porch with us. For the past two years, we’ve been working on increasing the amount of qualified service requests that come through Porch. With the quality and value of these requests at an all-time high, we want to reward our professionals by helping them grow their business in other ways. Access to discounts for home products, legal services, payment processing benefits, or food for their crew are just a few examples of how Porch will give time back to professionals so they can continue to focus on doing the work they love,” said Chief Customer Officer, Matthew Neagle. First wave Porch Perks partners include:

Lowe’s: “Lowe’s partnership with Porch continues to demonstrate our commitment to helping customers find solutions to their home improvement needs,” said Jay Rebello, Lowe’s vice president of new and emerging business. “Participating in the Porch Perks program is a great way to extend that commitment to our ProServices customers and provide exclusive offers and discounts from LowesForPros.com on the products and tools Porch’s Guaranteed Professionals need every day.”

Wayfair: “Earlier this year, Wayfair partnered with Porch.com to further enhance our customer experience by offering the ability to add superior installation and assembly services to orders at checkout,” said Steve Oblak, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Wayfair. “Now we’re giving Porch Perks members access to Wayfair Pro, where they will enjoy competitive pricing and volume discounts across our extensive product catalog, as well as personalized service from industry experts.”

Square: “At Square we want to make sure that every home services professional can get paid and grow their operations,” said Mike Cieri, Services Lead at Square. “Working with the Porch platform is a win-win for contractors who can connect directly with their customers and manage their entire business through Square Invoices and Appointments.”

Weebly: A beautiful website is key to growing your business to a new audience online. Weebly allows you to power your site and gives you all the tools you need to build a thriving online business. We’re proud to partner with Porch to help professionals get started and be their partner as they grow.

Capella University: “We are proud to be an educational partner for Porch’s Guaranteed Professionals,” said Barbara Butts Williams, PhD, executive dean of external relations and partnerships, and dean emeritus, business, at Capella University. “Our professionally-aligned, competency-based programs will provide their professionals the opportunity to advance their education and skills, which we believe can further prepare them to advance their businesses forward.”

Intuit: “At Intuit, we’re on a mission to change the financial lives of self-employed people, such as the professional contractors who work with Porch,” said Liz Baker, Senior Business Development Manager at Intuit. “We’re proud to be able to offer QuickBooks Self-Employed as part of Porch Perks, empowering professional contractors to take control of their financial lives with an easy-to-use solution that simplifies tax time and provides clear visibility into their income throughout the year.”

ATGStores.com: “Joining Porch Perks is a natural fit for us as a local Seattle business that’s also part of the larger Lowe’s home improvement network,” said ATGStores.com President Michelle Newbery. “We treat every customer like family even if they live across the country, and our dedicated account executives provide the kind of product expertise, pricing and high-touch service that can take a Porch Pro’s business to the next level.”

Avvo: “We’re thrilled to be involved in Porch Perks and the opportunity to provide Avvo legal services to the highest quality home improvement professionals and their businesses, said Sachin Bhatia, Chief Product Officer at Avvo.

Taunton Publishing: “Fine Homebuilding is the most trusted and authoritative resource for residential construction and remodeling professionals, and we’re committed to sharing the industry best practices and advancements that help building professionals succeed in their trades. We are pleased to provide an exclusive subscription discount to Fine Homebuilding Magazine to Porch Professionals, a community of builders and designers that share in our commitment to the pursuit of quality craftsmanship and the advancement of home building,” said Renee Jordan, Publisher of Fine Homebuilding.

Hanley Wood: We are pleased to participate in the Porch Perks program. At Hanley Wood it is our mission to provide construction professionals with the information they need to be successful. We are happy to offer discounted subscriptions to our JLC magazine, and the online JLC Field Guide reference platform to Porch Guarantee Professionals. JLC has a 40-year tradition of providing construction professionals with how-to best practice skills information and we are thrilled to partner with Porch,” said Rick Strachan, President, Hanley Wood Contractor Group.

Wintac: “Taking part in the Porch Perks program is an exciting opportunity for Wintac to work with contracting professionals who are committed to providing the highest quality and best customer experience possible.” Seth Hauben, Chief Marketing Officer at Wintac.

Ruby Receptionists: “We know how busy home improvement professionals are between managing projects, producing quotes, and meeting with clients,” said VP of Business Development, Kevin Gillam. “We’re thrilled to partner with Porch Perks to provide these professionals with some well-deserved relief through our live, virtual receptionist service. We offer peace of mind by providing friendly, professional receptionists who handle all calls with care, making callers feel special!”

About Porch.com Seattle based Porch.com is a home services platform that helps homeowners maintain their home and get projects done by connecting them with quality home improvement professionals. Porch is available nationwide online and serves as the exclusive in-store resource in over 1,720 Lowe’s stores across the U.S. For more information about Porch, visit https://porch.com.

Reflective Tape on Cuffs for Extra Safety!

Galeton, a leading supplier of quality work gloves and personal protective equipment, has recently expanded its popular line of The Hauler™ Leather Palm Gloves to include the #12360 The Hauler Shine™ Leather Palm Gloves with Reflective Safety Cuff.

Popular with trash haulers, these durable leather palm gloves are sewn with orange canvas back and feature reflective tape on cuffs for increased worker’s visibility in low light. The Hauler Shine Leather Palm Gloves are great for keeping hands visible. Soft padding on the inside of the palm reduces chafing and adds comfort. Sturdy rubberized safety cuffs.

For more information on these gloves or any of Galeton’s products, please visit galeton.com.

Red Kap workwear known for exceptional apparel since 1923, has expanded into purpose-built apparel for the construction industry.

Red Kap, a leading workwear apparel brand, announces its entry into the construction industry with purpose-built products designed specifically for the construction worker.  Red Kap spent 2 years on construction sites to have a deep understanding of how construction guys work and designed garments that they need to focus on the job at hand, not on their workwear. Red Kap’s unique ability to flow function into style and professionalism is part of what makes Red Kap the leader in workwear apparel.

“For construction workers, apparel choice is really one of the many tools he considers to perform his daily tasks. Selecting apparel that is engineered for mobility and comfort is a priority.  Red Kap has developed the next generation of function for this industry.”

Cindy Chatman-Marshall, Director of Marketing, VF Imagewear, Red Kap

Some of the marquee offerings in the lineup include t-shirts, hoodies and carpenter jeans.  Red Kap Construction offers a complete line of apparel to make your crew productive and looking their best on the site.

This expansion is part of Red Kap’s continued dedicated to improving and expanding apparel choices to some of the hardest-working professionals in America.

Buy Red Kap Construction apparel today at:

http://www.redkapconstruction.com

For more details about Red Kap products, please check out our website and other interactive social media outlets.