By Chaney Ferguson
In 1959, Lynn Lanier started Lanier Plumbing. Back then it was a company based out of his house with his wife Laverne “Blondie” Lanier working as a secretary. Today, Lynn’s son, Rick, is the owner.
“I am a second generation contractor. I started doing plumbing work when I was 10 years old, working with my father every summer,” said Rick.
Rick has many memories from working all those summers with his dad, but one of the most vivid is the memory of his first paycheck.
“My first paycheck was $15 a week. I remember walking up to the teller at the Calcasieu Marine Bank at Prien and Ryan. I could barely see over the top of the counter. I signed my check and asked the teller to give me 15 ones. I wanted to have a nice roll of money,” Rick laughs.
In 1971, after graduating from LaGrange High School, Rick immediately went to work in the plumbing business.
“Mom would take the calls and set up where we went for the day. Me and dad would leave in the morning and meet our guys at a local supply house and then order material and leave from there. We went our different ways depending on what we had to do. It is totally different now.”
Four years after graduation, Rick took over the family business.
“I took over in about ‘75. My father was semi-retired and played out at the farm,” said Lanier.
Lynn Lanier passed away in 1979. After his father’s passing Rick purchased the property at 2201 Moss Street.
The business moved from operating out of his parent’s farmhouse into the city.
“It gave my mother a place to get up and go to work every day. She had the opportunity to meet and greet a lot of the customers she had spoken with on the phone, but she had never seen their face.”
Rick Lanier, Owner
Rick said it was good for his mother to work in the office and meet those she only had a phone relationship with for all those years.“She worked here for probably 12-15 years and then retired. She traveled and had a good time afterwards.”
The company has changed so much since the early days, but Rick still starts every day by sharing coffee with his mom before heading to the office.
Rick’s father focused on the construction end of the plumbing business. Rick said they mainly worked on new homes.
Since Rick has taken over the business the focus has been on the service aspect.
“I really like the service business. There is a lot of gratification in taking care of people’s problems. When they call they are in a bind and they need help and this allows us to take care of their problems quickly and in the most cost effective way,” said Lanier.
About 17 years ago, Lanier Plumbing did a 180-degree turn to focus mainly on service. The construction market in the 80s wasn’t bringing a lot of business.
“We started pursuing the service end. We’ve bought three companies since then. The most recent purchase was Henning Plumbing and Piping. We bought them out a couple of years ago. Another one, 10-12 years ago, was Coastal Plumbing. The owner was leaving town so I picked up his assets and his customer base. That is basically what it is all about is broadening your customer base.”
Service is the mainstay for Lanier Plumbing, but they still do some construction.
“The last company I bought was doing 50% service and 50% new construction right after Hurricane Rita.
So we got back in the market on the new construction side, but it is all commercial construction. We do very little residential; what we do is mainly remodel or additions.”
Lanier said the company prides themselves on service. It is the company’s main passion.
“We are a 24-hour emergency service.
One thing we strive to do is make our customers feel more comfortable dealing with us. We don’t use an answering service in our company. When you call Lanier Plumbing, no matter what time or what day, you talk to an employee, either the office manager or the dispatcher.”
The system is set up so previous customers will more than likely speak with someone who they already have a relationship with.
“This is so they know who you are and they help you work through that emergency,” said Lanier. “We do have one man on emergency call and one man on backup just in case the phone goes crazy.”
Lanier said the company does its best to stay on top of cutting edge technology in order to make things easier for the customer.
“We have a website that you can visit where you can actually schedule an appointment online and it comes to us by email,” said Lanier.
Plumbing problems are always an inconvenience, but Lanier Plumbing offers alternatives that will hopefully alleviate some of the client’s stress.
“We have camera systems that go in and find broken sewer lines. Either outside the building or under slabs. We can locate exactly where the problem is, and either break concrete to make the repair if necessary and it’s a small repair.
We can tunnel underneath houses or commercial buildings and do the repairs so we never put you out of business,” said Lanier. The only way you will know we were there is the big pile of dirt sitting outside for a few days, jokes Lanier.
In the past year the company purchased a pipe bursting system that allows workers to change sewer lines.
“It actually allows us to install a new sewer line through the old sewer lines. We can build sewer lines from the house to the street’s city sewer without digging up your yard. Or if it is in a parking lot situation we can have an entrance hole where we dig and it cuts down on the removal of concrete and landscaped yard.”
Lanier said they can make pools up to 110 feet long without disturbing anything but the entry and exit points, which are roughly a 3 by 5 feet hole in the ground. This equipment allows them to minimize the damage to the landscaping or concrete.
The camera systems and pipe bursting sets the company apart. All employees are licensed master plumbers that are tested through the state.
Lanier has served on state and city plumbing boards for over a dozen years.
“I kept involved because the only way you can take care of your industry is to be involved in the political side of it.”
Lanier Plumbing has all the qualifications, but what sets this company apart is Rick Lanier’s love for his job.
“This is the only job I have ever had. I really enjoy it. It is challenging but you surround yourself with good people and it turns a job into fun. That is basically how I operate.”
For more information or for help with a plumbing emergency call (337) 436-3502 or visit their website at www.lanierplumbinginc.com.
