Story by Mike May | Photos by Denise Fleischman
It’s time to cut the cake and break out the champagne. Buckeye Plumbing is celebrating its 40th anniversary serving clients in the western communities and beyond.
If you look at how this longtime Royal Palm Beach-based business has grown in the last 40 years, the changes have been meteoric.
“In 1983, we started with two people and two trucks,” recalled Cindy Gillum, lead administrator at Buckeye Plumbing and wife of the founder and president, Kevin Gillum. “At first, we just worked on plumbing jobs associated with new construction. Now, we have a fleet of 70 trucks.”
While Buckeye Plumbing now has many plumbers on staff, the expansion has been pragmatic and calculated.
“We won’t hire a plumber to visit a customer’s home who we would not be comfortable making a repair in our own home,” Cindy said.
On a day-to-day basis, Kevin operates the business side of the operation, while Cindy oversees human resources, insurances, marketing, social media and the computer systems.
While Kevin and Cindy remain involved in running the company’s daily affairs, they have help from their now-expanded family. Daughters Jennifer and Sara are on the payroll.
“Jennifer manages water services, and Sara works in human resources,” Cindy said. “Sara’s husband Casey is a manager who has worked here for 23 years.”
A third daughter, Kimberly, used to work for Buckeye Plumbing, but she’s now a teacher. A fourth daughter, Melanie, is married and lives in Orlando. She also started her career at Buckeye Plumbing.
Not surprisingly, there have been a few employees who have worked for Buckeye Plumbing for 30-plus years. Two of the longest-serving employees are Ron Quintal, who has worked at the firm for more than 35 years, and Calvin Haylas, who has been at Buckeye Plumbing for more than 30 years.
Over the past four decades, the folks at Buckeye Plumbing have worked hard to become known across the region as experienced plumbing experts committed to maintaining a rock-solid reputation. More than 80 percent of its business is returning customers and referrals.
“We really do care about each client,” Cindy said. “We are committed to taking care of people. We want our customers to call us the next time.”
As for the company’s name, it’s connected with Kevin and Cindy Gillum’s roots in the Buckeye State. “We are both from Ohio, specifically Brunswick, which is just south of Cleveland,” Cindy said.
The both graduated from high school in 1978, got married in 1980 and moved to South Florida in 1981, where Kevin started working for Seppala & Aho, a Canadian-owned construction company operating out of Lantana. Before too long, Kevin decided to go out on his own and formed his plumbing company.
If you need a plumbing specialist for general plumbing issues, water filtration issues or backflow issues, Buckeye Plumbing is ready to respond, repair or replace. Its team of plumbers is available 24/7/365.
“We will respond at any time if there is a true emergency, such as no water in the home or a home without a working toilet,” Cindy said.
If your home has no water on Christmas morning, Buckeye Plumbing is ready. If there’s a plumbing emergency on New Year’s Eve, Buckeye Plumbing can get the problem solved before the ball drops. “We have had to respond to those kinds of emergencies in the past,” Cindy said.
Top-notch service is all part of the Buckeye Plumbing experience.
“Our technicians are fully prepared and trained, our trucks are fully stocked with all the necessary parts and supplies, and our office staff is experienced to handle any client’s plumbing emergency,” Cindy said. “Although times, technology and the trade have changed, Buckeye Plumbing has continued to evolve through the years. We provide up-to-date services and techniques that assist our customers with today’s demands and challenges.”
While Buckeye Plumbing is based just off State Road 7 in Royal Palm Beach, the company has clients throughout the region — across Palm Beach County and into northern Broward, and north into Martin and St. Lucies counties. A quick analysis of Google reviews contains a series of testimonials from clients that are indebted to Buckeye Plumbing’s highly rated professional services.
While Buckeye Plumbing is a for-profit entity, the company is well aware of the costs of its services. In order to provide some cost savings to customers, there is a section on its web site that provides a discount coupon for the next time you call for plumbing help.
Buckeye Plumbing is also a big supporter of local charities and nonprofit causes in Palm Beach County.
“We support local food banks, homeless programs, Habitat for Humanity, Urban Youth and local high school graduation programs,” Cindy said. “We support community programs because we are part of the community.”
As for the company’s 40th anniversary celebrations, Buckeye Plumbing hosted a company picnic at the Rapids Water Park in West Palm Beach in mid-June for its employees and their families. And a four-hour cruise is planned for December, which will travel up and down the Intracoastal Waterway near Delray Beach. But don’t worry. Even if you call during the cruise, Buckeye Plumbing will still be ready to help a customer in need.
“There are always people who won’t be on the cruise, so they volunteer to be available to respond to a plumbing emergency,” Cindy said.
Buckeye Plumbing is located at 310 Business Park Way in Royal Palm Beach. For more information, call (561) 282-5393, e-mail service@callbuckeye.com or visit www.buckeyeplmg.com.
