As the name implies, Brothers Plumbing, Heating, Electric was founded by Marvin Kansteiner and his brother in 1980. The brothers were two of eight children, and their father was a plumber. The two brothers decided to follow in their dad’s footsteps and became plumbers; later, they founded their own company.
When discussing their business while driving down the road one day, one brother asked the other, “What should we call ourselves?” The other replied, “Well, we are brothers, aren’t we?” And so the business became Brothers Plumbing.
After a few years, the brothers parted ways and Kansteiner continued to own and operate the business. As Kansteiner’s four children grew up, they worked in the business — in the warehouse, answering phones, filing, cleaning offices, and doing yard work. Justin Kansteiner, the eldest and only son, went to work learning the trade early on. He went from running parts to job sites to becoming a master plumber, estimator, and department manager.
After going to college and receiving a bachelor’s degree in business, Lynn Tomasek, Marvin Kansteiner’s daughter, joined the business full time managing the customer service department, doing marketing and running human resources. Michelle Carwin, another of Marvin Kansteiner’s daughters, also came to work in the business full time in the accounting department after receiving her bachelor’s degree in business and working for a tax firm. In 2015, three of Kansteiner’s children purchased the business from him; the fourth followed in their mother’s footsteps and became a nurse.
Together, the family has grown the business to include 55 employees and 32 vehicles. They are a part of Success Group International LLC and Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors — Colorado, and they cover the entire Denver metro area — from Castle Rock to Longmont, and including Boulder — providing residential plumbing, heating, and electrical service repair and replacement.
Among the company’s vehicles are the 2016 Ford E350 with Supreme box and the 2016 Ford Transit H350, the latter being the favorite among many employees. “It has a clean-looking design and offers more security with its built-in alarm system,” Tomasek says. “It also comes with the option of custom shelving. Our techs also like the fact that the back end is tall enough to stand up in.”
All the wrapped vehicles feature a clean, modern look and are branded with a big watermark B and the Brothers Plumbing logo. “The logo itself was designed by Wilson and Johnston Creative, and the wraps were done by a local design company 15 years ago — Apple One Art Studios,” Tomasek says. “We wanted to use red, as it is eye-catching, and the script of the logo gives it a nice, memorable feel. We wanted to keep the image clean and easy to read.”
The slogan, “Prompt, Professional, Reliable,” can also be seen on all the vehicles. “Our team takes pride in delivering on that vision daily, and because of that, we won the 2016 City of Thornton’s People’s Choice Award,” Tomasek says. “We have a great team that works hard every day to fulfill our mission of building lasting relationships and to show our clients and community that we care.”
In addition to the mobile billboard, the company also promotes the business with direct mail to new homebuyers and repeat clients, internet pay-per-click ads, referral sites, and community involvement events such as Trunk or Treat, where locals spend the evening at a local park going from trunk to trunk collecting candy from volunteers who have decorated their vehicles.
