As part of our ongoing "Getting to Know Your Local Businesses"
series, this week we sat down with Micheal Laurence, owner of Pride
Plumbing.
Tell us a bit about your business: What does your business offer, and how long have you been around?
Doing
every job with pride for over 26 years, our licensed plumbers have been
meeting both residential and commercial needs since day one.
Our
skilled leaders bring 40 years of combined experience in all facets of
plumbing expertise to address most every plumbing need. Our endorsements
include not only standard plumbing requirements but also back-flow
prevention, med-gas, and video leak detection.
For
your home, we handle drain repair, address water faucet and sanitary
sewer issues, repair water heaters, garbage disposals and dishwashers,
replace and repair tubs and showers, and repair air conditioning and
heating units.
For your business, we install ground up plumbing,
make tenant improvements, address property maintenance issues, handle
commercial kitchens, and install specialty fixtures.
How did you decide to get involved in this line of work?
In
1989, I was suddenly a single parent with a small baby. I drove my car
and u-haul from Georgia to New Caney with twenty-eight dollars in my
pocket, a diaper, and two cans of formula. With a baby depending on me, I
quickly found a job with an AC company. When the business owner offered
to jump me over to plumbing and make more per hour to support my young
son, I took it.
I became a journeyman in three years and was supposed to wait two years before I became a master plumber. I did it in a year.
To
make extra money, I started freelancing in 1993, taking side jobs on
nights and weekends. My co-workers started calling me Papa Pride or
sometimes referred to me as "Makin' It Happen" Mike.
After I got
laid off a second time from my “day” job, I decided to start my own
business and named it Pride Plumbing. I’ve been taking care of
sanitation and water needs for my neighbors and local businesses ever
since.
Tell
us a couple of things that you are proud of in your business. What are
you known for? What separates you from the competition?I am
proud to have mentored many plumbers throughout the years and will
continue to train tradespeople in the meticulous and thoughtful mastery
of plumbing skills. I created my business so that a skilled team of
plumbers
would
always have consistent opportunities for work on a variety of plumbing
projects from large to small. We aim to make a positive ripple in our
customer’s world of water and truly appreciate your business.
I’m
also proud of my company’s stability and longevity. During Hurricane
Harvey, my office had 10 feet of water in it. My company survived that,
and my company will survive this current health crisis by doing what we
have always done … taking pride in our work!
What is your favorite part of running this business?
I love how we help people.
Over
the years, my company has had the pleasure of helping my neighbors with
their new home construction, detected and repaired gas and water leaks,
repaired toilets and kitchen appliances, and so much more.
Some of our most famous residential clients include:
● George Foreman, where we installed plumbing in his new home
● Nolan Ryan, where we completed a kitchen remodel
● George Bush, where we made plumbing repairs in his home in the Memorial area
We’ve also helped our commercial clients address unique water challenges.
Some of our most interesting clients include:
●
Museum of Natural Science, where we installed the plumbing on their
Butterfly exhibit and piping the fountains across the street from the
museum
● Glenlock Farms and Sweetwater Golf Courses, where we installed sprinkler systems
● Retail clients such as Green Bank of Kingwood and PetSmart Kingwood, where we did turnkey plumbing from the ground up.
We also work with the city to handle all permits for both residential and commercial projects.
Who is your ideal customer/client? Who do you serve best?
Our ideal customer is any homeowner or business that wants their full-service plumbing services to be licensed and trusted.
Is there any other information you'd like your potential customers/clients to know about your business?Every
year, I reward my employees for their hard work by taking the proceeds
from all of our collected copper wiring scraps and treating them to a
trip of their choosing. In the past, they have chosen to go to Hawaii,
Vegas, on fishing trips, Mardi Gras, and a USC fight in New Orleans.
Employees reward themselves for taking pride in their work!
To view details about our residential and commercial jobs, visit our
website.
We always offer senior citizens a 10% discount on our services.
How do you see your business growing and improving over the next couple of years?We
will continue to do every job with pride and help our neighbors through
yet another difficult time. We offer 24-hour emergency plumbing
services, provide free estimates, and no-hassle guarantees.
To learn more about Pride Plumbing, visit our profile at
HumbleTX.com.