U.S. Navy Veteran Brian Beltz got his start in the trades during his service as an interior communications electrician stationed on the destroyer, the USS John Hancock. After transitioning to civilian life, he worked for an excavator installing water lines, sewer and storm drains and footers. From there, he joined a residential service and appliance company doing service work on plumbing, furnaces, air conditioning and appliance units along with electrical repairs.
Beltz remembers his boss tell him these are all mechanical systems that worked together, so they needed to understand and work on them all. This combined with his Navy service on board ship, shaped his mindset for being such a hybrid in all of the trades.
Though Brian Beltz enjoyed the daily challenge of problem solving and interacting with different people, he wanted an opportunity to earn a better income for his family. Since this was not an option with his current employer, it triggered an “entrepreneurial seizure” within him and Beltz Home Service Co. was born in 2001.
Beltz Home Service Co. provides electrical, plumbing, heating and air conditioning services in Findlay, Ohio. Brian Beltz along with his wife Lara Beltz, who functions as the company’s marketing manager, have grown the company to 20 employees and 14 fleet vehicles.
“We live by our ethics and high level of service,” Lara Beltz says. “Our top priority is to give the customer the best customer service they have ever had. From our shoe covers and red carpet to our up front pricing, the focus is always on treating the customer right. We go the extra mile to make customers happy.”
Brian Beltz credits the company’s growth to joining the Nexstar Network, which has helped by proving technician training.
“We invest in our people with a ton of training, employee events, giving encouragement and accountability,” Lara Beltz says. “We get our technicians involved, motivated and provide the training they need to succeed. Our people are fantastic and we treat them like family.”
The Beltz fleet includes: Six Dodge Promasters, two Chevy Express cargo vans, two bubble vans, a Chevy Spartan Box Truck, a Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck, and a city van.
“We like the tall, extended Dodge Promaster because of the large storage space, ability to customize the shelving, different features available and durability for the long run,” Lara Beltz says. “I love that it is a roaming billboard.”
The company’s logo comes from a local clothing store owned by Brian Beltz’s grandfather that was no longer in business. Lara Beltz took the original, hand-drawn design and modernized it a bit without changing the colors. After designing the vehicle wraps herself, Lara Beltz contacted SignZoo to do the work.
“We wanted to convey movement with the swish and water, and at that time, we were heavy into plumbing,” Lara Beltz says. “Our design is fluid movement, with the swish of company colors and water in the background. It’s bright and eye-catching, and the logo very prominent.
“We wanted more vibrant color, more brand recognition and an associated theme for all our marketing,” she continues. “And we’ve received a great response. People mention our truck wraps more than any other form of marketing we do.”
