Gene Love Plumbing, Air & Electrical

Walk down the halls of the Gene Love headquarters in West Columbia and it’s hard not to see the writing on the walls. Literally, there’s writing on the walls. Anybody can write on the walls around here – as long as it’s positive, says Tammy Ferris, owner of Gene Love Plumbing, Air & Electrical.

In an industry typically dominated by men, it is great to see a local company in which women have played such key leadership roles. Founded originally by Gene Love, (a man), the company was for years run by his wife Kathy Love before passing the leadership role on to its new owner, Tammy Ferris.

Tammy came to South Carolina in 1987 from North Carolina and started to work for Gene Love as a night dispatcher. She was immediately impressed with Kathy Love both as a smart business woman and a caring boss who was fun to work for. With a background in finance and accounting, Tammy worked her way into invoicing and payroll and eventually the general manager’s position. She has earned her stripes by doing just about every conceivable job at the company including fixing her fair share of leaky faucets along the way. (She earned her journeyman plumber’s license).

Gene Love Plumbing has built a reputation for an excellent, guaranteed product and superb customer service in residential plumbing. Over the past couple of years, the company has diversified into other lines of business, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) and electrical, both of which are great fits for its service-driven model.

Our customers trust us

in their homes as their plumber;

we look to earn their trust

in these other areas, too.

We looked for strategic areas where we could grow the company, says Ferris. Our customers trust us in their homes as their plumber; we look to earn their trust in these other areas, too.

The new business lines have been a success and accounted for a steady increase in revenue at the firm. Since 1996 when Gene Love retired, sales have doubled  from $2M a year to over $4M in 2008. This year, in the face of a down economy, sales are predicted to grow 25%.

Tammy is a positive, forward-looking, see-no-obstacles business leader who is continuing on the tradition of creating a fun atmosphere and a unique culture at Gene Love. She sees maintaining company culture as her number one job and critical to the long-term success of the company.

Says Tammy: We are in the service industry; our priority is to provide excellent customer service for our customers. The key to that is matching a person’s job to their skill level; no one likes to work in a job that’s not a good fit. The second part is providing superior training; if you are good at your job, you’ll enjoy it. Lastly, our technicians go through a lot during the day, and with plumbing, some of it may not be that pleasant.  When they come to the office, it should a supportive, safe haven…a place where they feel comfortable writing something on the walls.

Above Photo: Tammy Ferris, Owner

©Photo by Molly Harrell