Leo Borton and Meg Willison are the husband-and-wife team behind those dark blue box trucks that you’ve likely seen in the neighborhood. The trucks are clean (they’re washed by their technicians at least once a week) and feature just enough information to advertise their services. That’s because when they started their plumbing business just six years ago, Willison and Borton knew they wanted to do things differently.
Borton insisted that he didn’t want to have “shoddy plumbing or anything that came with it.” So Willison and Borton set out to change the stigma of contractors and plumbers—from dirty and unreliable to clean, educated, respectful, and non-invasive. Thus, the name (Meticulous) and the carefully designed logo and trucks. “Our neighbor helped design the logo,” said Willison. “They’re intentionally clean and balanced. We get compliments on them all the time!”
A second-generation plumber with over 30 years experience, Borton has been plumbing since childhood. “He loves it,” said Willison. “All our guys love being plumbers.” Borton had wanted to have his own company for a long time. When Borton was laid off during an economic slump, Willison says they finally decided it was time to go for it. Willison has a strong business and customer service background with the airlines, so they combined skills to form Meticulous Plumbing.
Borton and Willison started the business out of their home in Roseway, just on the cusp of Beaumont-Wilshire. After two and a half years, they’d outgrown the space and moved to the Parkrose Business Center by Airport Way. Today they’ve added seven employees.
The majority of Meticulous Plumbing’s work is residential, mostly here in NE Portland. The rest is light commercial, such as Bikes & Coffee on 57th. Willison says nearly 80% of their business is repeat or referral. Meticulous Plumbing also works in other parts of the city, including SW near Beaverton, SE and Oregon City, and North Portland.
“We have a strong team. We’re proud we have a lot of long-term employees,” said Willison. She describes the team as a “family atmosphere” where everyone has their niche and their place. “We look for people who really care and who take a lot of pride [in what they do].” Willison believes that Meticulous Plumbing’s client services are among the most important aspects of their success. “They’re friendly, but also they’re respectful.” The same applies to the plumbers: friendly and respectful. “We have found people who want to do a good job and have a good life, people with families. We wouldn’t be sitting here without them.”
Meticulous Plumbing handles everything from leaks to remodels to water heater repair. They’ll take on larger projects too, such as replacing the water line that connects your house to the street without tearing up your lawn. They do this with a boring crew. Starting at the curb, the boring crew runs a drill underground to your home’s foundation. Then they run their pipes through the hole and voila!—rusty water pipe replaced, garden intact. “It’s really fun to watch!” said Willison. If required, Meticulous Plumbing handles all permitting through the City of Portland.
Meticulous Plumbing gives a two-hour window for arrival time, then calls about 30 minutes before arrival, “so you’re not staring out the window waiting for someone to show up,” said Willison. The techs use shoe covers, clean tarps, and floor covers to leave the home as clean as (or cleaner than) when they arrived. At the end of the day, they wash their tarps and rags in the washing machine back at the shop.
Ms. Willison is originally from Kansas and fell in love with Portland when she traveled here to visit a childhood friend. When American Airlines was offering volunteer furloughs for people, Willison jumped at the opportunity to move here as part of her career in dispatch. She then met Mr. Borton in Portland while working for another plumbing company where Willison was a dispatcher coordinator. “We’ve lived in the neighborhood for 12 years and love living here.”
Meticulous Plumbing also happens to be a very dog-friendly business. Both Borton and Willison volunteered with Fences for Fido, building fences for dogs on chains. Willison was also on the board for two years.
When they first started their plumbing business, Willison saw an Angie’s List Super Service Award on another company’s truck. “I remember thinking it would be so great to get that award!” she recalled. Only the top 5 percent of qualifying businesses receive this award for superior customer service ratings, and Meticulous Plumbing has won the Angie’s List Super Service Award for the past four years in a row.
Visit http://meticulousplumbing.com for a full list of services, tips, testimonials, and contact information.