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Why did Allan Lowery choose this profession?
At the time it was an option Allan had and he also enjoyed the physical work and opportunities presented.
What year did Mr. Lowery begin his apprenticeship?
Allan’s apprenticeship began in 1978.
During his apprenticeship, who did Mr. Lowery work for and where did it take place?
Allan worked at Pat Mills Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning which located in Lubbock, Texas.
What did Mr. Lowery’s apprenticeship consist of? Plumbing exclusively or similar to what Lowery does today?
Allan received on the job training in residential and light commercial new construction during his apprenticeship. He similarly worked in various aspects of the trade like heating and air conditioning.
When Mr. Lowery began his business in 1980, where was it located? Is it the same location as today?
Lowery Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning started in a tiny shed in the backyard of Allan’s home in Wolfforth, Texas. He and his wife began it jointly in 1980.
Did Mr. Lowery start the business by himself or did he have other employees?
Allan started the business with his wife and soon thereafter hired two men to help keep up with the workload.
Is Lowery a family run business?
Yes, it is a family business. Allan, his wife, and eldest son have daily input in the business.
In 1990, when Mr. Lowery made the transition to a residential plumbing heating and AC repair, did he do it by himself or did he merge his business with another plumbing company?
Allan elected to dispense with his residential new construction business and redirect his business towards residential retrofit, remodel, and reconstruction. He wanted to provide customers with superior choices that they weren’t getting in the marketplace.
Were there any key people who Mr. Lowery hired that helped expand the business?
Allan hired Master Plumber, Jim Archer, in 1998 which gave him a tremendous ability to offer innovative ideas and solutions to his customers through Jim’s excellent people skills and knowledge in the field. Allan hired Barbara Henry in 2001 from a car dealership in town. She was able to provide a background in accounting/bookkeeping and financing. This allowed his company the ability to offer better financing options along with the knowledge to move his books to the next level. Allan hired Mark Branscome in 2004 to lead the newly formed trenchless operations within the business. Mark was a Journeyman Plumber and soon became a Master Plumber. Mark’s ability to organize teams led to greater efficiency and a competitive advantage in the field. Mark is now Operations Manager for Lowery. Allan then hired Philip Cheney in 2008. Philip had a strong sales background that enabled Lowery to propel forward in the industry and offer larger commercial offerings. His high energy led to tremendous customer approval and increased sales overall in our business. Allan then brought his son Kevin on board in 2014. Kevin has a background in IT and has a wonderful intuition on the directions the business can go. His intuition in advertising contributes to moving the company’s future forward and staying far ahead of the competition.
What does that mean that Lowery delivers customer first, red carpet service?
This means that we always view our customer’s interests over ours. We are in business because of our customers, so we place their needs ahead of our own. Never driven by price or cost, we offer options that allow the customer to choose what’s right for them.
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What are some traits Lowery looks for in their employees?
We endeavor to employ only the finest people. People that our customers would feel comfortable having in their homes. Friendly, clean and neat in appearance, excellent communicators, and knowledgeable, yet teachable.
Is Mr. Lowery still involved in the business?
Allan and his son, Kevin, are very involved in the business. Kevin is involved in the day-to-day activities while Allan is the strategic planner for the company. He looks more to market trends and advertising needs.
Can someone work as an apprentice, the same as Mr. Lowery did many years ago?
We welcome people that want to be trained or become an apprentice. The finest employees we have had are ones that invested their personal time and effort to be trained by our staff.
What awards has Lowery received over the years and who awarded them?
We have received multiple awards over the years from “Highest Volume Dealer” (Trane Corp), “Highest Percentage of Customer Satisfaction” (American Standard regional award that encompasses New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana), to “The Most Innovative Job in the Nation” awarded by Nu Flow Industries for becoming the first municipally approved epoxy lined metal gas pipe job.
In efforts to stand out from other similar businesses, what does Lowery do differently?
Lowery offers the most innovative solutions. We offer the widest range of options for sewer and water rehabilitation. We additionally offer our own “In-House” workmanship guarantees, which enables us to more quickly and more comprehensively take care of customer issues. We do not have to receive approval from some distant third party insurance or warranty company to repair recently repaired or replaced systems. We can make those decisions immediately, in-house. This saves customers time away from their normal lives and gets them back to normal quickly and hassle-free.
What are some goals Lowery has for the future?
We would like to remain at the forefront of the technical aspects of our business. We have the goal of bringing on new technologies and new talent in order to better serve our customers every day.
