PITTSBURGH — The Mr. Waterheater jingle will soon be heard in Denver as Pat Quinlan, owner of Coffman & Company, opens Mr. Waterheater franchise No. 6 and Neal and Ron Morton, owners of Morton Mechanical, open the seventh Mr. Waterheater franchise in Clarksville, Tenn.
Quinlan has been in the heating and cooling business for 19 years and was looking for another business model to add to his existing business. Quinlan expects great synergy between Coffman & Company and Mr. Waterheater and believes the low price leader philosophy of Mr. Waterheater will make for a successful business to dominate his market with low prices and great customer service.
“The Coffman name is known and respected in Denver for good service,” said Quinlan. “I plan to use the Mr. Waterheater advertising to get the word out that if you need to replace your water heater quickly and affordably, like the jingle says, call Mr. Waterheater.”
Ron Morton, who had been a heating and cooling factory representative for 20 years, purchased an existing Clarksville HVAC business in 1988 and renamed the company Morton Mechanical. Ron’s son, Neal, joined the business in 1991, and currently serves as the general manager.
The Morton’s added a plumbing division in 2002 to serve the commercial and residential new construction market. Since 2008, they have looked to expand into plumbing services and sought a business model to transition into the market.
“Starting a plumbing business takes a lot of time and effort,” said Neal Morton. “By opening a Mr. Waterheater franchise we’ll be able to ramp up the business quickly because of the marketing, the television commercials, the radio advertising, and the Mr. Waterheater mascot.”
The franchise discovery process for Quinlan, and Ron and Neil Morton included a trip to Pittsburgh to meet the Sembower family and the Mr. Waterheater team.
“When we came to visit Mr. Waterheater we were impressed with the family atmosphere that they have created,” explained Neal Morton. “We have experience with other franchises or licensing opportunities and we feel that the values that we have at Morton Mechanical are right in line with the Mr. Waterheater team.”
Mr. Waterheater started operation in 1981 by two former Sears employees. The company was purchased in 1998 by the Sembower family that operates Sembower-Mikesell Plumbing. The company has doubled in business. It installs approximately 5,000 water heaters a year and sells approximately 7,000 water heaters. Mr. Waterheater is looking for franchise owners throughout the United States that like the simplicity of this plumbing franchise.