Phillips & Norgan Plumbing and Heating wanted to add something different to its 1992 GMC cube van, something no other plumbing company in Bay City, Mich., had. The answer came in the form of their license plate "infloor."

"We've had the license plate since November 1998, and we still get a lot of compliments on it," said Mike Norgan, whose father (and partner) Clayton "Sonny" Norgan bought the 30-year-old company from Herb Phillips four years ago. "Infloor" was actually their second choice for the plate. The original choice was "radiant," but apparently it was already taken.

"We didn't have a third choice. We would've had to settle for any number the state decided to give us," said Norgan.

The hydronic and radiant company owns four other work vehicles (two work vans and two pick-ups), but the cube van is the largest, and the only one with a personalized license plate.

The Norgans bought the vehicle from a local builder, had it repainted and added cabinetry to the inside to house tools and materials.

They try to wash the vehicles once a week, but the increase in heating and infloor jobs they're handling lately makes it hard to get to.

The cube van, white with logos on the sides and rear, doesn't boast any fancy accessories, but it still gets the job done.

"Bay City's not a big town, so we don't have to keep a lot of materials on-hand," Norgan explained. "We carry enough to get service work done on a call."

What's next in the land of license plates for Phillips & Norgan?

"Well, 'infloor' has seven letters already. For the other trucks I guess I could go with 'red 1' and 'red 2' to keep them similar," Norgan mused.

The Norgan license plate reminds us that being creative with a company truck doesn't end with fancy logos on the body, it's important to get your rear in gear, too!

Editor's note: If you want to showcase your vehicle as one of our 1999 "Truck Of The Month," submit a picture and letter describing the type of vehicle, the interior and exterior of it and other vital (or fun!) information about your company.

PM is also interested in your innovative and creative company Web page designs for our "Web Site Of The Month" feature. Submit your Web site address and a letter describing how the site adds to your company. Send your pictures and letters to Steve Smith, PM, 3150 River Road, Suite 101, Des Plaines, IL 60018.