Smiths receive business recognition
The owners of a longtime Pontiac business are the recipients of this year’s Business Person of the Year honor from the Pontiac Chamber.
Dan and Steve Smith of Smith’s Plumbing will be recognized Thursday night during the annual Chamber banquet at the Pontiac Elk’s.
“This is a nice honor,” said Dan. “We’ve been around a long time and are pretty honored to get it.”
“I was pretty surprised,” noted Steve.
Dan and Steve’s parents started Smith’s Plumbing in 1964. The brothers have always been around the business, working ever since in some capacity. Dan remembers working in the back as a kid.
“All of my brothers and sisters worked at some point doing something along with cousins, nieces and nephews,” recalls Dan.
The Smiths feel the time has gone by fast and they enjoy the work they do and those they meet along the way, despite the long days involved.
Dan remembers his father calling after he graduated from college asking if he wanted to come back to the business and try it out for a year. He didn’t plan to originally.
“I said sure – I’ll try it.”
Around 40 years later, he woke up and was still doing the job.
Steve has fond memories of riding his bike to the shop to help sweep the floors and clean-up the back. While the business started in 1964, the current location was built in 1970. Smith’s was originally across the street from Courtesy Cleaners.
Smith’s Plumbing gets along well with its competitors with the brothers referring to it as a “small community” between the plumbing and heating guys as they help each other out from time to time.
“We have a pretty long list of loyal customers from over the years,” Steve said.
The kids of original customers are now calling Smith’s Plumbing and, sometimes, they are putting in a third furnace in a home.
“It has been a family business for sure with everybody involved,” explained Dan. “I appreciate all of their support too and the community support.”
The Smiths will be honored alongside this year’s Pontiac Chamber Agri-business Person of the Year, Don Mackinson, at Thursday’s banquet.
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