After two decades of working in the family business and 30 years in the industry, Jack and Stacey Blanton and their oldest son, Jacob Blanton, decided to go into business together in 2010.
When choosing the company name, Jack and Stacey Blanton decided on J. Blanton Plumbing for an obvious reason: “Jack Blanton, oldest son Jacob Blanton, and youngest son Jordan Blanton — who is away at college along with his sister, Grace Blanton, though they both have careers waiting for them with J. Blanton Plumbing — all have names starting with J. But the name also plays homage to Jack Blanton’s father, Jack Blanton Sr., the first of the Blantons to work in the industry and the patriarch of the Blanton family.
Though his father introduced him to plumbing, Jack Blanton grew his career under the mentorship of Journeyman Michael Moran and the leadership of a company on the north shore of Chicago.
Eight years later, the company has 30 employees and 14 vehicles and covers all of Chicago, Evanston, and the North Shore. They are a residential and commercial service company with small sewer and HVAC departments. In addition to being active on their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts, they also have a radio and TV commercial.
Nine of the 14 vehicles are wrapped with the rest to be completed this spring. The vehicle makes include Dodge, Mercedes, Chevy, Nissan and Ford, and model years range from 2004 to 2017. A favorite among the group is the 2012 Nissan NV 2500.
“It is a big truck with a high roof, is outfitted to our technicians’ specific needs, and is very well kept,” Jordan Blanton says. “It looks like a driving billboard. The roof has our website for residents looking down from their balconies across the city. The social media icons on the back are a nice touch as well.”
The Blantons worked with a local artist to develop a whole branding style guide.
“Angela Carpenter of Angela Carpenter Creative helped us re-brand and create an entire brand identity that we use daily,” Jordan Blanton says. “It helps us stand out from the crowd. Chanda Huff from Service Nation Alliance, along with their graphic design team, did an incredible job creating the design using our logo and style guide. We also worked with Donna and Ric Sisi with Suburban Accents in Rolling Meadows to wrap the trucks.”
Carpenter helped the Blantons develop a logo that incorporated the iconic Chicago skyline inside a water drop; meanwhile, Jack Blanton’s signature serves as the company name on the sides of their trucks.
“On the truck wraps, we utilize the style guide to add patterns and texture to the design,” Jordan Blanton says. “On each side of the trucks behind our logo are high-resolution pictures of concrete walls and patterned shaped water drops off our style guide. It is classy and to the point.”
J. Blanton Plumbing is growing and evolving every day. The team spends each morning training, motivating and growing in order to reach their personal goals while creating a family-oriented culture. The slogan, “Our Family At Your Service,” can be seen on the passenger side door.
“What sets us apart is the passion our family has for the trade and the company culture of solving our customers’ problems,” Jordan Blanton says. “We are also relentlessly trying to provide the best working environment for our employees, and we are continuously training, educating and inspiring our team to provide five-star service, upfront pricing options and the best warranties.”
This article was originally titled “A classy design” in the April 2018 print edition of Plumbing & Mechanical.
