NAME, TITLE: Fred Hutchinson, CEO

COMPANY NAME, CITY, STATE: Hutchinson Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, Cherry Hill, N.J.

HOW LONG IN BUSINESS: Established in 1948

BIGGEST CHANGE TO THE BUSINESS: Embracing the whole-home or -building approach to achieve energy savings and improved comfort, while making the premises healthier, safer, and more durable.

KEY MARKETS: Residential and commercial HVAC, plumbing, automatic temperature controls (ATC), and duct cleaning service; Residential and commercial HVAC add-on replacements (AOR); Residential and commercial HVAC new construction; Air sealing and insulation.

ASSOCIATIONS AND AFFILIATIONS: ABC, ACCA, BBB, NADCA, NATE

HOW DO THESE AFFILIATIONS HELP YOU: “They keep us abreast of the market, innovations, trends, and how to improve and maintain exceptional customer service,” said Hutchinson.

BIGGEST CURRENT HURDLE TO OVERCOME: “The economy, of course, is the current hurdle to overcome,” he said. “It’s closely followed by finding, training, retaining, and motivating employees while making our company the place everyone wants to work.”

COMPANY STATISTICS (number of employees in field, service, installation, office; number of trucks):
Service - 55 field
Residential install - 25
Commercial install and new construction - 30
Residential new construction - 25
Office - 54
120 vehicles
Revenue - 2009, $34 million

FAVORITE THING ABOUT THE INDUSTRY: “My favorite thing is, it’s ever changing,” said Hutchinson. “You’re constantly faced with challenges requiring comprehensive responses to maintain profitability and raise employee performance, as well as improving employee and customer satisfaction.”

SUMMING IT UP: Hutchinson said that “2009 was, and 2010 will be, challenging. We’ve embraced a new way of going to market and have seen our business grow 18 percent in an industry that did the opposite. In one division the revenues even doubled. “It hasn’t been easy and we’re working harder now than in any other periods of our business careers, but the rewards have been many.”

Publication date: 03/08/2010