HVAC

Two historic companies are joining forces to serve San Antonio 

San Antonio, Texas — Two of San Antonio’s oldest home services companies— Shafer Services Plus and Steve’s Plumbing—are joining forces to become one of the area’s largest and most experienced plumbing and HVAC businesses. The catalyst for this partnership is the upcoming retirement of Steve’s Plumbing founder, Robi Jalnos, who has served San Antonio for more than 40 years. Robi started Steve’s Plumbing out of his mother’s garage in 1978, naming the business after his father, Stephan Jalnos, a Holocaust survivor and plumber who passed away when Robi was a young man.

Robi and Eileen Jalnos

Since then, Steve’s Plumbing has grown to become one of San Antonio’s premier plumbing contractors currently serving some 4,500 customers throughout the area. Robi has become a plumbing leader, not just locally but regionally, serving on the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners where he was of Chairman of the Examination, Medical Gas, Water Supply Protection Specialists, and Personnel Committees for seven years. Robi also serves as an expert witness on plumbing-related matters across the country. He’s considered a national plumbing expert in all aspects of plumbing installation and products, holding a Green Plumbers Certification and is an expert in solar water heating.

“For decades, our teams have had a mutual respect for one another’s history, skills, and dedication to putting customers first—so you can imagine our delight in uniting to become San Antonio’s preferred option in plumbing and HVAC services,” said Chase Anderson, President and CEO of Shafer Services Plus.

Shafer Services Plus is San Antonio’s oldest plumbing company. They added HVAC services to their offerings upon the invention of air conditioning in the early 1900s. Since then, the Shafer team has built much of San Antonio’s residential and commercial infrastructure including installing the first commercial air conditioning in a high-rise office building in the United States at San Antonio’s own Milam Building in the heart of downtown. Today, Shafer serves more than 6,000 residential and commercial customers, and is consistently rated among San Antonio’s best plumbing and HVAC contractors.

Chase Anderson (l) and Jimmy Shafer

In searching for a compatible plumbing partner, Robi Jalnos selected Shafer Services Plus because of the organization’s knowledgeable team and commitment to putting customers first. Robi will be working with the united Steve’s Plumbing and Shafer Services Plus teams for the next three years to assist in the transition.

“It has been my honor to serve San Antonio for the past 40 years,” said Robi Jalnos, founder of Steve’s Plumbing. “This has been more than a job for me. It’s my life’s work. That’s why I wanted to partner with the Shafer Services Plus team to ensure that my employees and customers will continue to be cared for like family for generations to come.”

Both Shafer Services Plus and Steve’s Plumbing attribute their longevity to top-quality workmanship and a customer-focused business model. Through their union, they will operate under five core values: treat people like family; do the right thing, even when no one is watching; be easy to do business with; exceed expectations; and provide mutual respect for all.

“The Shafer and Steve’s Plumbing teams are not satisfied with marginal service,” added Chase Anderson. “We are committed to bringing value and world class service to everything we do because it is an honor to be invited to work in someone’s home, an honor that we will continue to earn for generations to come.”

New tool boasts the widest range of applications of any press tool on the market

No two jobs are created equal, but the RIDGID RP 342-XL Press Tool is built for them all: Its lightweight design packs major power and boasts the widest range of applications of any press tool. Now you can press ½” to 4” copper, stainless steel and carbon steel pipe, and ½” to 2” PEX pipe – in under 12 seconds and all with one tool.

The lightweight RP 342-XL features QuickSwitch™ technology to quickly switch from Standard to Extended 32kN applications to press 2 ½” to 4” carbon steel. Adding to the tool’s versatility and usefulness on the job, the lightweight RP 342-XL is compatible with the RIDGID full line of Standard 32kN Press Tool accessories, including the StrutSlayr^™ Strut Shear Head, Press Snap^™ Soil Pipe Cutter and all MegaPress jaws.

“RIDGID has been the industry leader in press technology for decades and our latest innovation, the RP 342-XL Press Tool, continues to set us apart,” said Michael Provenzano, Global Product Manager for Press Connections at RIDGID. “The RP 342-XL offers maximum versatility in all types of materials and sizes that can be pressed with one tool.”

The RP 342-XL is backed by the industry’s leading warranty, and also offers the lowest initial investment for contractors whose goal is to press up to 4” copper, stainless steel and carbon steel pipe.

To learn more visit, ridgid.com/342-XL.

Now more than ever, homeowners are looking for alternative ways to safely address seasonal maintenance needs and/or home repairs given changes to standard procedures set in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From social distancing protocols to mask requirements, home visits provide new challenges. The HVAC industry has worked quickly to adapt to this new normal. Our professionals continue delivering necessary services to homeowners in a safety-first way, especially as we enter peak cooling season, to ensure HVAC systems operate smoothly and are prepared to withstand the summer heat.

With new precautions in place that impact in-person maintenance appointments, the need for digital dealers with remote solutions has become more urgent. Digital remote technology provides technicians with resources to streamline the service process, which enables an HVAC technician to investigate a system from afar with the safest and most cost-effective strategies. Further, the rise of the digital dealer and remote capabilities reinforces how smart technology can bring homeowners convenience, comfort and peace of mind.

As a trusted HVAC partner, we can share tips for approaching cooling season more efficiently through remote diagnostics.

Stay in tune with the latest remote diagnostic capabilities

• Take advantage of training programs to better understand how the remote diagnostic programs operate. Learn how/when to use these offerings to determine if an in-person visit is necessary, or if the issue can be resolved without having face-to-face contact with the homeowner. These programs offer a more holistic explanation of remote diagnostics, allowing you to add more tools to your virtual toolbox. Also, it’s important to stay in touch with your network to learn about future training opportunities, as well.

Clearly communicate the benefits of digital offerings to the homeowner

• Many homeowners assume that HVAC updates or fixes can only be handled by having a technician physically enter their home. In the era of COVID-19, there is heightened concern as to how safe it is to have someone entering the house, particularly when an immune-compromised person is living in the household. With remote diagnostics and the homeowner’s permission, it’s possible to access the system’s information, diagnose the issue, and sometimes completely address the issue remotely. If the matter cannot be fixed remotely, some diagnostics programs allow the technician to determine what parts will be needed for the in-person repair, let the tech explain the situation by phone and thereby greatly reduce the time spent inside the customer’s home.
• Because remote diagnostics is new to most customers, it’s important to share easy-to-follow infographics, short commercial assets, and other digestible materials that clearly explain the benefits of this new offering. Have these materials readily available on your tablet or online for homeowners to review and build confidence in opting into this service.

Be overly responsive and aware of your customer’s concerns

• Knowing in-person service calls have been halted or delayed due to COVID-19, thorough communication and frequent touch bases with your customers are even more important. Looking ahead to heating season, continue to reinforce the benefits of remote diagnostics and remain ready to inform customers of alternative solutions and safety protocols.

Following these tips and procedures paves the way for sustained growth for digital dealers and provides homeowners another way to make sure their systems are running properly – whether or not in-person visits are an option.

Carri Norton, Portfolio leader for Nexia Diagnostics on behalf of American Standard Heating and Air Conditioning.

Recently, Mechanical Hub spoke with Mike Fowler, franchisee of Benjamin Franklin Plumbing and One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning in Charlotte, NC., about his business, COVID-19 and what it’s like to have the backing of such known company and brand.

Now that the country had “reopened,” are there any different procedures in place for the company

FOWLER: In Charlotte, North Carolina, the reopening of the economy is in full effect. Our servicemen in the field are continuing to implement the safety procedures required by the CDC and our company, and those measures will be in place indefinitely. As we prepared to reopen our office for our office staff, there were a lot of things to consider. The call center and dispatch teams make up a large portion of our employees. We had to invest in plenty of materials to ensure the office staff could safely return.

A Benjamin Frankling Plumbing employee displays the PPE used on the job.

We created new layouts and seating arrangements to ensure social distancing is observed, we have thorough cleanings daily for all high touch points, and we allocated a larger budget to purchase hand sanitizer, soap and paper towels since frequent hand washing is required. Our employees in the field have been practicing these safety protocols for months, so our employees in the office are now our primary focus as we adapt to the new normal. Our main priority is the safety of our employees, and throughout the process we strive to ensure they each feels comfortable and safe coming back in.

What protocols or procedures did Benjamin Franklin Plumbing implement as a result of COVID-19?

FOWLER: The health and safety of our customers and employees is paramount, so we implemented stringent protocols and procedures based on the latest information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). By mid-March, we rolled out more strict guidelines to help ensure the safety of our staff and those we service. Since that time, we have required all employees to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including masks and gloves, as well as practice social distancing and regularly wash their hands and sanitize, especially when it’s required for us to enter a home to fulfill a project.

Since we are entering our customers’ homes, we require our employees to wear PPE the entire time they are working. We continue to supply all PPE to our staff members, so they’re fully equipped with safety gear while they’re on the job. We have asked all of our customers to inform us immediately if someone in their home becomes sick, and we’re being flexible and understanding when service appointments need to be rescheduled or cancelled due to illness. Thankfully we already had contactless payment options throughout our system, so the biggest protocol update in terms of customer interaction was utilizing FaceTime and videos for consultations and moving all of our documents to be signed and completed digitally.

Were there any advantages to being a franchisee during these uncertain times?

FOWLER: Absolutely. While we were deemed as an essential business and could continue to operate while many businesses could not, there were a lot of necessary changes and we were still impacted. Our franchisor, Authority Brands, is the parent company of seven leading home service franchisors, America’s Swimming Pool Company, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, The Cleaning Authority, Homewatch CareGivers, Mister Sparky Electric, Mosquito Squad, and One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning.

The corporate team has always excelled in providing strong marketing, technology and operational support to our business, and over the past few months, their exceptional leadership and guidance helped us stay afloat.They kept us up-to-date with everything going on throughout the pandemic, from COVID-19 safety procedures and regulations to guidance for applying for government relief such as the Paycheck Protection Program. We’re grateful to have had ongoing communication with them over the past few months, and they continue to play a big role in keeping us informed and providing us with knowledge and resources.

What do some aspects of the business model blueprint look like at Benjamin Franklin Plumbing?

FOWLER: Being part of a franchise system and being surrounded by a strong network of business owners across the United States proved to be invaluable as we all navigated through the unknown. Benjamin Franklin Plumbing already had a Franchisee Leadership Team (FLT) established prior to the pandemic, and it exists to continuously improve our brand as a whole with systemwide collaboration and ongoing communication.

The motto ‘working for yourself, but not by yourself’ is echoed from all aspects of the Benjamin Franklin Plumbing franchise, and forming relationships with both the home office and fellow franchisees, in addition to the support of my family and the communities we operate in, continues to propel my business forward.

I’ve been a franchisee with the company since 2003 in Charlotte, North Carolina and I’m proud of how we’ve molded the proven business model from Benjamin Franklin Plumbing to fit our community. Everything starts with marketing. We have a dedicated marketing staff that executes monthly initiatives to ensure the call center receives calls.

We take training very seriously, and every new hire—whether it be as a marketing team member, accountant, a dispatcher or a service plumber in the field—goes through intensive training to ensure our customers experience a seamless process from start to finish. We’ve needed to change how some things are done over the past few months, for example conducting interviews through FaceTime, but with a strong structure for our business already in place, we’ve continued to provide services locally with the support of our franchisor.

What types of investments are being made by Benjamin Franklin Plumbing to ensure better success and continued growth?

FOWLER: Through the FLT, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing is always listening to its franchisees and implementing enhanced operational procedures as needed. They invest in the tools we need as franchisees to operate our business successfully.

For our business in Charlotte, we like to invest in our community both by giving back through charitable efforts, but also investing in the next generation of the workforce through our best-in-class training programs. With the unavoidable shortage of plumbers, we’re always working to educate those looking for their next career about the opportunity to join our team.

Our services were deemed as essential throughout the pandemic because, put simply, our community needs us as much as we need them. With the support of our franchise system and our dedicated employees, we continue to grow.