Century Club Contractor Spotlight: Fred Hutchinson, Hutchinson Plumbing Heating Cooling
Another Century Club Award-winner this year is Hutchinson Plumbing Heating Cooling. Working with New Jersey State's Clean Energy Program, Hutchinson completed 431 jobs in 2011 that improved the energy efficiency of homes through the Home Performance with Energy Star Program. We had a chance to talk about this year's success with owner Fred Hutchinson. Here's his business profile and thoughts on the future.
Business Profile: Hutchinson Plumbing Heating Cooling
Years in business: 64
Nonprofit or for-profit? For profit
Number of staff: 220
Number of women on staff: 30-35
Number of work vehicles/trucks: 150
Average number of jobs completed per year: 800
Average job size: $17,644
Average annual sales: $39,000,000
Required staff certifications: BPI and NATE
Additional languages spoken by staff: Spanish, Russian, Polish, German
About Hutchinson Plumbing Heating Cooling
What geographic area do you work in? Hunterdon, Somerset, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Mercer, Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem, Atlantic, Cumberland, Cape May, Bucks, Montgomery, Philadelphia, Chester, Delaware and New Castle counties
Do you have partner organizations? We partner with several insulators.
What local energy efficiency programs do you work in conjunction with? New Jersey Clean Energy and EnergyWorks
Do you work primarily on single or multifamily homes? Do you also work on commercial buildings? All three
Do you offer free energy audits or home assessments? We offer free energy audits and comprehensive assessments for $197. We employ a total of five auditors/assessors.
Does your company typically do your own test-in and test-outs? Yes.
Do you receive third-party verification of your services to clients? Yes, sampling QCs from the states, BPI and 100% project inspections by the local township’s inspectors.
Do you offer financing options for your clients? Absolutely.
Q&A With Fred Hutchinson:
Home Energy: What have been the critical success factors for your company?
Fred Hutchinson: The key to our success is teamwork and respect. We hire the best people, meticulously train them, nurture their development, and encourage them to treat all of our customers the way they would want to be treated. This is critical in keeping our customers "extremely satisfied". That is our corporate mission.
HE: What do you think is the one most important item for home performance professionals and/or companies to focus on in the next 2–3 years?
FH: We believe the single most important item for home performance professionals and/or companies to focus on in the next 2-3 years is heightening the awareness to homeowners and HVAC contractors of the Home Performance with Energy Star (HPwES) program. The whole-house approach is critically important for all HVAC contractors, so that they can fully educate their customers with all the content required in making the best decisions for their home comfort needs.
You can read the first blog in this series, "Century Club Contractor Spotlight: Chad Ruhoff, Neil Kelly Company" here.
Above: The Hutchinson Plumbing Heating Cooling team.
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