Longtime family plumbing business in Nevada County there for those middle-of-the-night emergencies | Business

In 1998, Lindsay Marich’s mother mentioned during a phone call that “a nice, handsome plumber” just stopped by her house. Not only that, the plumber had discovered a photo of Lindsay on the fridge. She was holding a fish she had caught. “Who is he? She’s cute,” he said.

A full four years later and after the divorce, Lindsay was with her father one day when the two met a plumber he knew.

“I remember you,” said the plumber. “I saw your photo on the fridge at your parents’ house.”

A year later, Lindsay and Jim Marich married, and six months later they together purchased Mr. Rooter of Nevada County, an independently operated franchise.

The Mariches have worked side by side since 2003 and will be celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary in March, “and we’re still talking,” Lindsay joked.

The couple, who are already well-established master plumbers with their own independent business, chose to purchase the franchise because it offered a variety of benefits including consistent pricing, a fully streamlined management system and international recognition.

Founded in 1970, Mr. Rooter is the second largest full-service plumbing and drain cleaning company in the United States. Recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine among its “Franchise 500” and by Franchise Times Magazine as one of its “Top 200,” Mr. Rooter offers franchisees in more than 200 locations throughout the United States and Canada and more than 100 residential and commercial services international. Mr. Rooter began franchising in 1974 and is a subsidiary of the Dwyer Group.

Residential and commercial services include issues related to clogged drains, sewer system backups, frozen pipes, leaking pipes, water heater repair and replacement, sewer line repair and replacement, and plumbing diagnostics – including camera inspection – and repair.

One of the “best investments we’ve ever made,” Lindsay said, was in a Hydro-Jetter, a powerful drain cleaning machine that uses high-pressure water jets to unclog domestic and commercial drains, as well as larger municipal sewage systems.

“We’re clearing out a lot of culverts, leach lines to septic tanks and NID lines,” Lindsay said. “The jetter is always in demand.”

Another popular toy, just acquired in August, is the TRIC trenchless bursting machine, which can burst old pipes in the ground and replace them with new ones without having to dig a single trench.

“We’re all about safety here,” Lindsay said. “I guess you could say we’re a bit neurotic and meticulous about it.”

Mr. Rooter of Nevada County is based out of his Grass Valley office on Loma Rica Drive and employs four technicians along with Stephanie Williams – who works as a weekend dispatcher – and full-time dispatcher Ashley Carson, whom Lindsay describes as “my right arm.” .”

“The most rewarding part of running this company is giving the people who work here an opportunity to learn a trade and make a good living in Nevada County,” said Jim. “Also, we are able to troubleshoot and fix our customers’ installation issues at affordable rates and promptly. The biggest challenge is being a business that is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year – it can be quite overwhelming at times.”

Nonetheless, the Mariches say it’s important to be available after hours for emergencies because there aren’t many options in Nevada County.

While grateful to have had a successful business since 2003, the couple now say they hope to sell their business within the next five years. They are now about halfway into their second 10-year contract and hope to sell before that contract expires.

“We’re in no rush — we want the right person to buy the company,” Lindsay said. “But we’re in our 60s now and we’ve always wanted to move to the Pacific Northwest. Jim wants to see if he can beat my biggest salmon catch at 33 pounds.

Over the years, Lindsay said the best part about her job has been the loyal customers, many of whom have become friends.

“It’s been rewarding to see the business grow and I’ve loved learning about this county,” she said. “But with our extended working hours, my work has become my social life. Without a doubt, the best thing about this job was the people.”