All it takes is a little TLC

By John Messenbrink

Chief Editor, Phc News

“What’s the quickest way to TLC Plumbing & Utility?” asked Tom, reading the map of Albuquerque. As the three nomadic passengers traveling down I-25 tried to answer that ever-important question, I thought to myself amusedly: request plumbing assistance, have a leaky pipe, be knee-deep in water.

You see, with quick response time and 24-hour emergency service, TLC can take care of any plumbing need, large or small. With TLC, one can bet that they’re going to get the best service available. Servicing homes, apartments and commercial properties, you can count on TLC to be there, and their customers affirm it.

Phc News recently was fortunate enough to go on location to the greater Albuquerque, N.M. area and absorb some of the Southwest culture, and more importantly, find out what plumbing and hydronic contractors are up to in this part of the country. One of the stops: TLC Plumbing & Utility.

TLC Plumbing & Utility is a locally owned and operated company in its second decade serving the greater Albuquerque region. TLC’s commitment to quality and customer satisfaction represents the cornerstone to TLC’s success in the industry. As a result of prompt service and competitive job cost, TLC remains at the top of the list of companies used by many of the state’s general contractors and municipalities.

What started as a small business back in 1986, 20 years later has turned into a thriving plumbing and utility company with 280 employees strong — 200 of whom are in the utility division doing municipal (public) work. In 1987, the one-man outfit of Armstrong Co., ruddered by Dale Armstrong, president, had high expectations.

Good business, perseverance and hard work paved the way for loftier things. “Growth was never our single goal,” said Armstrong. And with a little humility and focused vision, growth was inevitable. In 1989, Armstrong Co. purchased TLC. “At the beginning it was ‘just Dale,’ and has now grown into a 280-person firm,” said Tracy Johnson, service division manager for TLC.

The company was, and is, based on values. Those core values to live by are: deal with customers, vendors and co-workers in an honest manner; maximize the effect of hard work through efficiency and innovation: respected through action, word and deed; compassion in the way TLC maintains standards and expectations; and consistency in character and in unwavering commitment to the company’s goals.

“We’re not afraid of a hard day’s work. And we also understand the importance of helping to build employees of strong moral character and responsibility, and to sustain commitment to the families they support. We also promote Albuquerque as a good place to live and work,” said Armstrong.

“TLC is a great company. They’ve grown steadily, and have now risen to become one of the leading firms in the city,” said key supplier, Chad Padilla, Ferguson Supply. “They’ve got an outstanding reputation. Here at Ferguson Supply in Albuquerque, we help to train their technicians in our Energy Center, focusing on high efficiency hydronic systems. Their technicians are all top drawer.”

“We’ve grown our business by providing solid, reliable service to our customers,” said Armstrong. “Important parts of that equation are the products we install. Two of the key suppliers at TLC are Bradford White and Grundfos Pumps. We install a lot of Bradford White water heaters because of their high quality and ease of installation. And they’ve consistently given our customers the reliability they demand.

A TLC technician installs a Bradford White Defender Series residential water heater. Here he completes the installation of the 75-gallon, gas-fired Defender water heater with a Grundfos Comfort System hot water recirculation pump.

“Grundfos multi-speed and variable-speed circulators and hot water recirculation systems provide trouble-free operation for many years, and their performance is always exactly as it’s stated,” added Armstrong. “And because our guys install a lot of this equipment, we need to choose those products that will reduce call-backs.”

About 3/4 of the business stems from the plumbing & utility division (mostly large public projects), and about 1/4 of the business comes from Johnson’s division, the plumbing, heating & cooling division.

Johnson’s division sees about 60% of revenue from plumbing work (of which 10% of this is hydronics); the rest of it comes from HVAC. “Most of our work is service-related. This includes repair and retrofit, with new equipment as required,” said Johnson.

While we were talking, Johnson learned that one of his crews was about to go out on a new installation at a customer’s home not far away. So we went along for the ride. The homeowner needed a new water heater, and while they there on the estimation visit, she expressed interest in a hot water recirc system, not only for the convenience of it, but also because these devices are known to save large volumes of water, especially important in draught-stricken New Mexico.

So atop the new 40-gallon water heater, a gas-fired Defender unit (model M-1-403S6FPN) by Bradford White, TLC technicians installed a Comfort System by Grundfos. The system is a one-pump, one-valve combo that’s quickly installed without the need to install a return line to the water heater, and without the need for an electric connection outside the mechanical room.

There's a timer on the pump to make it more efficient during evening and mid-day downtime — homeowners can dial-in what time they want the system to be operational. The unit begins working when the timer-activated pump at the hot water tank pushes hot water toward a valve beneath the furthest fixture in the house. The valve connects the hot and cold water supply lines.

“We like this water heater for two key reasons,” explained Rick Marquez, service technician, during the install. “It has the Defender flammable vapor [ignition resistance] safety system — ideal for locations like this, in a garage — and its ‘hydro-jet’ feature has a set of jet ports that create a lot of turbulence inside to reduce the accumulation sediment, much more effective than an ordinary dip tube.”

Marquez and Efrain Arzate, apprentice plumber, completed the work with efficiency, loaded up and headed off to another job.

Tracy Johnson (left) and Dale Armstrong (right) discuss the benefits and the three-speed operation of a Grundfos circulator with Ferguson Albuquerque's "ExpressNet" checkout counter sales specialist, Mark Keryte.

Back at TLC’s new facility, during a tour that would impress anyone, I kept asking myself the same question over and over again: Does TLC stand for what I think it stands for? Because it’s no easy task at all for a contracting company to encompass an overall “TLC” toward its clientele, its employees and its work.

“I love working for TLC. While it is a professionally run business, my co-workers make it fun, and we all feel like a family. And we all feel like we’re contributing to the overall stability of the firm, and solid customer care,” said Celeste Reut, employee at TLC.

Said employee Gerred Knight, “TLC takes care of their employees. And they provide awesome benefits!”
“Of course, recruiting tradespersons is important,” added Johnson. “To appeal to recruits, we have an active apprenticeship program. There are all of the expected, trade-related skills training, but there are also very important life skills training that focuses on everything from balancing a check book to building family skills.

“We have a training center here,” continued Johnson. “Right now, we have classes for employees — apart from the apprenticeship program — every Tuesday and Friday night. [Incentives are attached to attendance]. This fall we move to four nights a week. There are 16 people in it today. Most are focused on residential service and plumbing, but many are cross-trained in heating, HVAC and hydronics. One of our goals is to attract and retain the top 5% in any position.”

Most of TLC’s work is service-related. This includes repair and retrofit, with new equipment as required.

TLC’s wide range of capabilities has allowed them to develop a unique approach to packaging work in a manner that eliminates common gaps that exist in managing large projects. TLC’s physical resources consist of over 82 individual pieces of 20,000 lbs.+ heavy equipment; but more significant to TLC’s success are over 30 crews supported by a professional team of estimators, project managers, contract administrators, field supervisors and cost control personnel, ensuring that each project is completed on time and within budget.

Needless to say, I later was to learn that TLC was the initials leftover from the previous owner; but oh how a name so aptly fits the character of the company and is reflective of its mission statement: TLC provides a stable work environment while profiting fairly and being respected among its peers.