Southern Air recently created the new Commercial Plumbing Service department, a development in the making for some time. The biggest missing piece was finding the right people to take the ball and run with it. Whitney Wigglesworth and Troy Lane are two of the most highly sought out plumbing mechanics in Central Virginia. With decades of experience and building genuine relationships with their customers, Wigglesworth and Lane bring to Southern Air a young team of developing plumbers, great attitudes and authentic pride in the extensive work they are capable of doing. The list of services this team brings to Southern Air include, but are not limited to the maintenance and/or installation of sewer lines, medical gas, back flows, hydronic hot water piping, chilled water piping, water heaters, pumps, faucets, sinks, drains, toilets, and connecting businesses to city water lines and sewage. To say their skills are in high demand would be an understatement – they’re already booked out well into 2023.
“Exceeding customer expectations is what my department is all about – when you build the customer relationship, money doesn’t matter,” says Wigglesworth. “I’m not here for a one-time job, I want to provide lifetime service to my customers. When the customer is comfortable with you and trusts you’re going to do exactly what you say you’re going to do, it can lead to a lifetime work. I’m going to be fair, provide excellent service, I’ll never be the cheapest but I stand behind my work and make everything right. I’m still very proud of jobs I’ve done 20 years ago when I see them but developing relationships is key to anything you do.”
He hopes the next generation of commercial and residential plumbers can establish that same sense of pride in their work. Wigglesworth and Lane take great ownership in developing their own. They been in this business for more that 40 years each and understand that developing skillsets, obtaining certifications and learning from mistakes is what makes a plumber worth top dollar salaries. Those who job hop from business to business for a few extra dollars an hour might be happy now, but won’t be the expert technicians in the long run. Its another reason they have come to Southern Air, due to our ability to grow our own through apprenticeships and the inter-department resources available to get the job done the right way. Southern Air’s Service departments can maintain a significant amount of HVAC and electrical systems in commercial buildings. Adding a plumbing department makes us more appealing to our customers.
“For some time, Southern Air has sought to hire seasoned, established tradespeople in the market and enter in to a venture that up to this point, did not have the managerial and field expertise to pull off to maintain a plumbing department,” says Foster Beeker, Southern Air Vice President. “Anytime you can offer complimenting services to a customer from under the same roof, you can provide additional value. Whitney and Troy’s work ethic, positive attitude and willingness to take care of the customer are exactly in line with the values and mission of Southern Air Service and we couldn’t be happier to add them to our family.”