Forty-four years, one family
Big Mike started this shop in 1982. He handed it to his kids because he knew they would run it the same way. That is still who answers the phone.
your number 2 makes us number 1
About
How this started
Big Mike founded this company in 1982. He was a veteran, he knew the trade, and he built the business on a simple idea: show up when you say you will, tell people the truth about what you find, and fix it properly the first time. That was the whole plan and it turned out to be enough.
When he stepped down he did not sell the company. He handed it to his family, to Megan Cortez, Saul Cortez and Jimilee Allen, because he wanted to be sure the people who came after him would give customers the same service he had. He knew they would do the same work the same way, and that mattered more to him than what the business was worth on paper.
Forty-four years later that is still how it runs. Same name, same phone number, same valley, same family.
What has not changed
We would rather tell you the truth about a system that is near the end of its life than sell you a repair that buys six months.
When you call, a person answers, at any hour. That was true when Big Mike ran the phone himself, and it is a large part of why people here have kept calling us.
your number 2 makes us number 1
That has been on the truck a long time. It is a plumber’s joke, and the serious version of it is that we built a company on the work nobody else wanted to do. Septic, sewer, the things under the ground that other shops refer out. Being licensed for sanitation systems as well as plumbing is why septic work stays in-house rather than getting referred out.
The camera is the single most useful thing we own. It converts an argument about what might be wrong into a picture of what is.
We work across three counties from a base in Yucaipa, which in practice means the San Bernardino valley, the Riverside side of the region, and the eastern San Gabriel Valley communities. The territory grew the way most things here grew: somebody called, we went, and their neighbor called next.
“Our go-to for rental properties.”
Roger D. · Property manager
Questions about us
If yours is not here, call and ask.
Who owns the company now?
Big Mike's family. He founded it in 1982 and handed it to Megan Cortez, Saul Cortez and Jimilee Allen rather than selling it, because he wanted the way customers get treated to stay the same.
Is it really veteran-owned?
Big Mike was a veteran and founded the company. It is family-run now by the people he handed it to.
How big is the company?
Small enough that the owners know the jobs, large enough to send somebody when you need one. That balance is deliberate.
What does the tagline mean?
Your number 2 makes us number 1. It is a plumber's joke and it has been on the truck for a long time. The sentiment underneath it is that the unglamorous work is the work we built a company on.
Do you clean up afterwards?
Yes. We haul off whatever we replaced and put the area back. You should not be able to tell we were there except that it works.
Do you work on commercial property as well as homes?
Yes. Residential, commercial and industrial, including offices, apartment complexes, hotels, restaurants and plant systems.
How long have you been in business?
Since 1982. Big Mike founded the company and handed it to his family, who run it now. That is forty-four years in the same valley under the same name.
Call the shop. A person picks up.
Forty-four years in Yucaipa, still the same family, still the same number.
Yucaipa, California · Serving San Bernardino, Riverside and eastern Los Angeles counties · Open 24 hours