GILBERT—Luke Soderling’s father Chuck became a plumber, then a master plumber in 1991, after working many years in the mining industry.
Luke Soderling said in an email interview, “As a young boy I would go on jobs with my dad and help out. At age 16 I began my apprenticeship in earnest and around 23 became a master plumber myself. I’ve worked in the family business ever since then, eventually taking the business over in 2020.”
Now he has opened Approve Plumbing in a new location in Gilbert.
“In the last few years since I’ve taken over, we have seen amazing growth and needed more room to operate. When I took over, I jokingly ‘fired’ my dad and headed off into the unknown myself. Since then, we have grown to seven employees!”
Soderling had been looking for a year for a good location “when I found the property owned by the city of Gilbert. For some reason no one had scooped up this property, and it was waiting, ready for us! The city has been a huge advocate for us and has been incredibly supportive of our cause. They saw the need for new businesses in Gilbert and were proactive in making this a perfect place for us to build.
“The perfect unity was made when the city partnered with the IRRRB and using the investment we were making in the new building, were able to leverage our investment into a significant infrastructure upgrade to the area near our new location.”
Soderling said for many years they operated from the shop on Highway 4 next to his parents’ place.
“This infrastructure will allow the city to expand their services into property around our new shop, allowing even more business investment to be made in the city.”
Soderling said, “For so long plumbing has been a low service industry, making it hard to find a plumber when you need one. Many times waiting weeks or months to get someone to come out to your house and then you never knew what the repair was going to cost until the end of the job. At Approve Plumbing we offer fast, efficient service with up-front pricing. With large cube vans stocked with thousands of parts, we can arrive quickly, give you an exact quote and perform the work right then for most jobs.
“Our commitment to supporting the community is evidenced in how we are working to attract young technicians and train them in to having a career in plumbing. We are working to support young families and create an environment where they can grow and raise families here on the Iron Range. We are seeing young people reject the concept that college is the only way to make a great living. The trades are a great option for so many, and with two master plumbers on staff, we are uniquely equipped to train them and facilitate their growth.
“We focus mainly on service work. Small plumbing projects that need immediate attention.”
Soderling said, “We are also looking to expand the business into a full home service company by adding additional trades like electrical and other home services. Our goal is to be able to provide the high level of service we currently offer in plumbing for many other areas of your home.”
Soderling then talked about his background. “My wife Amy and I have five sons Ryan, Jack, Joey, Owen and Evan. I was born in Virginia in 1980 and am 43, turning 44 in November. My dad worked for the mines until the late ‘80s.
“I did a short exploratory stint at the Hibbing Law Enforcement Academy, but realized very quickly that plumbers don’t get shot at and chose to stick with the family business.
“I’ve always been interested in sales and helping those in our community. This business allowed me to invest in our community and work to support, raise a family and help serve those in need. I took two trips to Bolivia to work on the plumbing in a children’s school and have been able to work extensively for other charity groups in the area. We have been able to donate around $75,000 worth of work to our community in the last year.
“The family business allowed me to fulfill these desires and ultimately led to the development of our company values: Faith, Family and Fantastic Service.
“Faith: This drives all that we do. The basis for our morality and what feeds our desires to help those around us.
“Family: The greatest job we will ever have is to support, enable and encourage the raising of a family. We work to support the families of our employees and customers.
“Fantastic service: This is how we practically apply our values. Everything we do for our customers and employees is guided by our faith and our desire to support your families and ours.
“This is front and center in our office so it’s seen by everyone every day. This is at the forefront of our minds when we answer the phone, how we train and prepare, clean and stock our trucks and ultimately when we walk through your door. You can trust that all the options we give and our services are guided by these three things.”
Soderling also included a letter he had written to the Gilbert City Council:
It reads: “I want to thank you for going above and beyond for my company and the families it supports. I knew right away that Gilbert was going to be the best home for my growing business and couldn’t have been more right.
“This was a learning experience for me and I know there are areas where this exercise will lead to you as city councilors to be better prepared for other new businesses that will ultimately come as a result of your forward thinking and willingness to support small businesses. I want to commend you on looking to the future and taking advantage of the available funding to encourage even more growth than what I can bring. The City will be rewarded for this in the future for certain.
“Your commitment to standing by our intended common goal was evidenced when the rubber met the road and some things we had hoped to happen came up short. You as a council stood true to what you believed was best for the city. These aren’t easy choices, and it’s hard to see what the future will bring and invest in that future when the current situations are difficult. I see what you have to deal with and am thankful for your perseverance.
“My goal for this business is to maintain the core values of Faith, Family and Fantastic Service. In our quest to be true to these values, I would like to pledge 5% of all the residential gross sales for Approve Plumbing performed in the City of Gilbert for 2024 to the repayment of the new fire truck. This was a necessary purchase to protect the families in the City of Gilbert and that aligns with my values very well.
“This is a beginning of a long and profitable relationship, and you can count on me and my company being on the side of this community.”
Most Popular
Comments / 0