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The surfing karma Tab Hunter brought to plumbing on the Gulf Coast is so potent, he now seeks more of the good vibes.
A onetime executive with a chain of home-repair franchises, Hunter bought Manatee County-based Pritchard Plumbing in 2010. He rebranded the company The Surfin' Plumbers, which meant new signs, uniforms and sales lingo — all focused on surfing. (See Business Review, March 4, 2011.)
That operation, Hunter says, has been a big hit, with significant monthly sales increases.
That good fortune also gave Hunter confidence to move ahead on his long-range plan: to buy small heating and air conditioning firms on the Gulf Coast. He closed on the first purchase, of All Seasons Comfort in North Port, earlier this year.
All Seasons, says Hunter, was owned by a husband-and-wife team. It's had about $1 million a year in sales for the past four years. “I liked that it wasn't going backwards,” Hunter tells Coffee Talk.
Hunter will open a plumbing division branded under The Surfin' Plumbers at All Seasons. The heating/AC side of the business, which has about 10 employees, will remain under the All Seasons brand. The key for Hunter is both sides will cross-sell homeowners services from each division. “I always wanted to add another trade,” says Hunter.
Hunter, moreover, is in the market to buy more AC firms. He says he's in negotiations with another business, a company in Fort Myers. That deal, he says, could close by the fall.
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