BUSINESS PROFILE: Ellingson Plumbing, Heating, AC & Electrical
By Jim Palmer
Ellingson Plumbing, Heating, A/C & Electrical has made several moves as a company since they started with two guys and a truck in 1981. Nearly every move made in the last 42 years has been done with the goal of expanding their offerings and improving their service to the customers. With those two goals in mind, Ellingson made another big move this November when it acquired Greeley Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning.
Greeley was a family-owned and operated business, established in Glenwood in the late 1980s, which had locations in Glenwood, Morris, and Alexandria. A key part of the overall acquisition involved the Morris location. Ellingson now has locations in Alexandria, Dickinson (ND), and Morris.
“We have always done work in Morris, and we have always thought about having a location in Morris,” said Shane Johnston, CEO/President of Ellingson.
Fourteen employees from Greeley joined the Ellingson team, including three that will continue to work at the Morris location. The employees in Morris live in the area, are involved in the community, and have solid customer relationships in that area. These were important factors in the decision to keep the Morris location, according to Johnston.
Ellingson will continue to provide Greeley customers with plumbing, heating and HVAC services, while introducing them to additional offerings like electrical, building automation, fabrication, and fireplace products and services. Along with having multiple trades under one roof, they also offer 24-hour service, seven days a week.
“And Ellingson employees answer after-hours calls -- not an answering service from somewhere else,” said Johnston.
Once a service call is received, Ellingson’s experienced and efficient dispatch team gets the job sent to the service technicians. Once a technician arrives at the scene, each has an added tool in their toolbelt. “About a year and a half ago, we added a new service management software called ServiceTrade,” said Johnston. “All of our service techs have iPhones or iPads, and have access to the information to do their best work. Everything is electronically dispatched, so they can pull up all the customer’s service history including previous service calls, warranty and maintenance information, notes from previous technicians, and equipment history, including photos and videos. So if we took a video of their sewer system a few years ago, they could look back at that right away.”
The customer history of each Greeley account was entered into the new software at the time of the acquisition, which has helped with the transition.
“Our service techs especially like to see the history so they are not going in blind,” said Johnston. “It makes us more efficient. When you get to a job and have to spend time trying to figure out what was done before, that takes time. All that information is now at their fingertips.”
In addition to enhanced service, Ellingson has also expanded its products. Although they can service any make or model, they are now a dealer of three product lines.
“We have always been a Trane dealer,” said Johnston. “And Greeley was a Bryant dealer, so we will remain being a Bryant dealer. We also offer Daikin products as well. And for all our products we have financing available.”
The quality of products, the 24-hour service by highly trained service technicians, and the commitment to excellence, has strengthened Ellingson’s company and its offerings over the years. And people have taken notice. Ellingson has been named “Best of the Lakes Area” (Echo Press) seven years in a row. And they continue to grow.
Johnston said there are several reasons why Ellingson has grown over the years. And one important reason is its work culture.
“We take care of each other here, both the employees and their families,” said Johnston. “And we try to put the tools and technology in their hands to be successful.”
That healthy culture, along with a competitive pay and benefit package, have helped Ellingson keep key employees and attract new talent as they have grown. Ellingson also offers scholarships for high school graduates interested in pursuing a career in the trades. Recently, they awarded two scholarships -- one to a graduate in Benson, and another to a graduate in Melrose.
“We are always looking for good people,” said Johnston.
Happy Ellingson employees have lead to happy Ellingson customers. According to Joy Rodas, Ellingson’s Sales & Marketing Coordinator, the feedback they have received speaks for itself.
“Some of the comments that we consistently see on Google reviews include, “Very fast and responsive,” “quality workmanship,” and “knowledgeable staff.” And we receive a lot of compliments on our techs -- how they educate the homeowners, and how neat they are,”
“We want them to leave it cleaner than when they got there,” said Johnston.
Here are some recent Google reviews:
“Ellingson did an excellent job! They showed up on time, wore booties and laid down carpet protection, removed and installed a new furnace. The service technician was very informative when I asked questions and cleaned up when he was finished. Overall a very good job! In addition Ellingson came in lower than competitors in the area!” – Greta S.
“Very knowledgeable and professional. Came quickly to our home and fixed our AC problem with no hiccups, explained thoroughly what was wrong and informed us what to watch for and plan for what may need to be fixed in the future. Was extremely impressed with their professionalism and thoroughness in accessing our problem. We now are able to sleep at night. Thank you!” – Katie B.
“My wife and I went with Ellingsons because we wanted to deal with one company to meet our remodeling needs. Spence, Mike and Jeremy all came out and put together a reasonable bid. They scheduled time for the workers to come and do their jobs once we were ready for them and all of the did an excellent job. Our thanks to Luke for do the HVAC work, Chris and Riley for doing the plumbing work and Jeremy and Aaron for doing the electrical work. Everyone went out of their way to make sure we were happy with the results. Our thanks to a great team!” – Jon B.
To learn more about Ellingson, visit www.ellingsons.com (newly revamped website launching in July). For service, call their 24/7 service line at 1-800-595-8645 or email service@ellingsons.com.
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