Art Dexter did not grow up in the plumbing trade world. His family was in the grape-growing industry, but he wanted to do something on his own, so, in 1977, he went into plumbing. In 1982, at the age of 24, he went into business with Tom LeDuc, then 34, and opened LeDuc & Dexter Inc. Since then, the company has grown from building and servicing residential to include large commercial, hydronic heating, residential and commercial fire sprinklers, design/build projects, and a complete service department ― Super Service Plumbing.
Dexter guided the company after LeDuc retired. He currently has 25 employees and 22 vehicles. Of those vehicles, several are red Mercedes Sprinter vans and include the vinyl signage for the Super Service Plumbing division.
“We wanted to differentiate our plumbing business from the new construction company we have,” Dexter said. “We also knew we wanted ‘service’ in the name, and we came up with the slogan at the same time: ‘The name says it all.’ We also have a plumbing p-trap in the logo so that it is very recognizable that we do plumbing. Everything tied together leads to better recall later.”
The vans are a favorite for their ease of maneuverability, spacious back end, and fuel mileage. The design, which was done by Identity Graphics in Santa Rosa, was chosen to be clean and to the point.
“It says what we do and has the name of the company, a logo for reference, and no clutter,” he said. “We wanted it to show people: ‘This is what we do, and the super part is how we do it.’ We also wanted something that would stand out and be bright and noticeable. So we went red so you could easily see it going down the highway. All the vans are naturally red with vinyl lettering/signs.”
He is a part Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors — National Association, Licensed Green Plumbers, and the California Contractors Alliance. The company provides plumbing services throughout Sonoma County, which includes Santa Rosa, Windsor, Healdsburg, Rohnert Park, Petaluma, and Sonoma — as well as most of Napa and Marin Counties. The plumbing services include drain cleaning, backflow testing, repairs and installation, sewer camera video inspection, jetting and pipe location, residential and commercial water heater repair and installation, and more.
In addition to standard advertising methods, Dexter also finds it important to be involved in community events. He is also dedicated to continuing education and was recently involved in a high school job fair.
“It is very important that schools make sure students know about these opportunities,” he said. “Schools have been pushing ‘college prep,’ but there are a lot of students who aren’t wired for college and who are really good with their hands. But they push them into college and then they get into debt. With plumbing, you can make money as you are learning. We want to catch them early and give them a path where they can keep growing.”
