4 •
PROGRESS
W
hen 60% of the community is without
power because three tornadoes
touched down, there isn’t any point
in plumbing and air conditioning repair. Dave
Jourdan, President of Summers Plumbing,
Heating and Cooling was quick to react.
Instead of sending crews home, he sent them to
ground zero to help. The day after the storms,
the crews in their bright orange and yellow
vans were seen darting from home to home,
volunteering; carrying out debris from the
storms, carrying in food, water and supplies to
tornado-affected families.
“We’re a local company. I’m local and so is
most of my staff. It just made sense to pitch in
and help. We can mobilize our staff and make
a difference in the lives of those in our own
backyards and our neighbors in need,” said
Jourdan.
On an average day, the first thing you notice
about Summers Plumbing Heating and
Cooling is that it’s clean, very clean. The second
thing is the orange booties. They’re big and
bright and everyone wears them.
“When it comes to our customers, their homes
are their castles and we are going to treat them
that way,” said Dave Jourdan, President. We
start with that mindset here at work and carry
it into every home.” The orange color doesn’t
stop at the booties; it’s part of their logo, their
shirts and their trucks. It’s bright and cheery
and definitely not how most homeowners feel
when they have to call a plumber.
A BRIEF HISTORY
Summers has been in business since 1969. The
company originally started in Noblesville IN.
In 2008 Darlene Summers sold the business
with the goal of her company to succeed and
flourish even though it was time for her to step
down. Dave Jourdan and Steve Line, along
with one plumber and one office staff, took to
work. With the hard work and dedication of
our employees, Summers has grown in the past
eight years from a staff of four and one location
to over 16 locations across Indiana and also
now in Ohio.
Summers continues to see growth on average of
34% year after year!
TREAT YOUR EMPLOYEES LIKE FAMILY
“Here’s our business concept—treat your
employees as well as you do your best
customers, and your business will reap
rewards,” said Jourdan.
“Our technicians are the first people that
our customers are going to meet. Things
like employee attitude or appearance of
truck condition begin the customer service
expectation,” said Jourdan. “It’s the little
things, such as don’t walk on the grass, use the
sidewalk, cover your shoes when you enter the
house, and know your trade are things that get
us invited back,” said Jourdan.
With 401(k)s, full health insurance benefits,
continued training, monthly events for team
building and staff retreats, a trip to King’s
Island for employees and family members, and
the employee’s favorite year-end Christmas
party, Summers is a stand out!
Internal and external training with 3
rd
party
trainers for heat exchange, diagnostic and
the same for plumbing. Keeping abreast of
the latest technological advances and offering
options to each customer is part of the plan.
Every associate has the opportunity to attend a
minimum of 150 hours of classes annually.
100% SERVICE GUARANTEE AND A
WELL-TRAINED STAFF IS THE KEY.
Summers Heating and Cooling was the only
plumbing heating and cooling company to
be awarded “Top Companies to Watch” out
of the whole state of Indiana. Also, Summers
has been awarded the Lennox “Circle of
Excellence” award for the last two years in
a row! These are only a few of the many
accomplishments Summers Plumbing Heat &
Cooling have achieved.
“For job seekers, trade skills are always needed.
There will always be work in plumbing, heating
and cooling. We are funneling individuals to
college and that’s great, but some people like to
work with their hands, tools, meeting people
and working through problems. Our size will
double in the next five years and we need
people that are driven and want to succeed in a
skilled trade,” said Jourdan.
COMMUNITY STRONG
Charitable giving is important and starts in
our area of expertise. Summers depends on
technicians in the field for that. They are the
first contact, they see and understand what
people are going through. They bring this
information back so the company can know
where to jump in and help best.
“We tell our employees to watch the
community and let us know what we can do,
how can we make things better?” said Jourdan.
“People have things that come up in their lives
and live with old furnaces, air conditioners,
plumbing. When you have an emergency the
last thing you need is to lose your heat too. We
get that,” said Jourdan.
Summers employees have built playgrounds,
donated water heaters and the labor to install
them, paid for K-9 training units, school,
athletic and band sponsorships, sponsored
food drives, little leagues, soccer teams, school
scholarships, and more.
“Kokomo is where we live and we want to
make a difference here. We believe in investing
in our employees and providing an outreach in
our community. We all want the world to be a
better place and it makes sense to start here and
to provide services unique to our core strength,
keeping your home, your castle,” said Jourdan.
Kokomo is where we live, and we want to make a difference here
