Andrew Lindholm is the CEO of A Aarts & Tim’s Plumbing, a plumbing company in Osseo, Minnesota.
Having grown up just down the road from the company’s office, Lindholm knows the Twin Cities well, but there was also a time when he knew snowmobiles better than he did plumbing.
From the time he was a teenager until he was just beyond legal drinking age, Lindholm raced snowmobiles, touring around the frozen landscapes of America, exhibiting a fondness for a sport few will ever even participate in.
“I wasn’t very good at racing, but I had the drive to be successful, and eventually I was able to make a little bit of money doing some professional races,” Lindholm shares.
“Ultimately though, it was not a viable career option for me.”
Lindholm may not have been destined to become snowmobiling’s version of Tony Hawk, but that reality didn’t send him into a tailspin because soon after turning off the engine, he went to work for his father, who owned A Aarts & Tim’s Plumbing.
From the jump, Lindholm embraced the minutiae of the plumbing business.
“I have done service calls, worked in the shop, and worked directly with customers, so I have a very good handle of everything that goes on with a plumbing business,” he says.
That vast expanse of skills has proven valuable, particularly a few years back after Lindholm’s father unfortunately succumbed to cancer, forcing the young but mature Lindholm to assume the helm of a profitable plumbing company.
“I just want to make my dad proud,” Lindholm says, leaning over his wooden desk as he utters these words, but it’s not sadness that emanates off his face.
Rather, it’s a look of reminiscence, a reminder that he has indeed come a long way in life, and in plumbing.
Whether a customer needs help with a leaky faucet, decimated toilet, water/sewer lines, or water treatment, Lindholm and the team at A Aarts & Tim’s Plumbing can assist.
“Anything inside the house that has to do with plumbing, that’s where we excel,” Lindholm confirms.
Yet, as one can imagine, when people call A Aarts & Tim’s Plumbing, they’re often not enthusiastic about the fact that their plumbing isn’t functioning properly.
“More often than not, when customers call in, it’s an emergency situation,” Lindholm says.
“Fortunately, we have a ton of repeat customers, and much of that can be attributed to the fact that we can offer them the same technician who worked on their home previously.”
Adds the Brooklyn Park native:
“We are grateful to be able to offer that level of service, and we’re even more grateful that we have cultivated a culture that retains top talent that doesn’t want to leave and go work elsewhere.”
A Aarts & Tim’s Plumbing covers the entire Twin Cities and surrounding suburbs, and due to their proven expertise and devotion to exceptional customer service, they’re often not the lowest priced plumbing service on the market.
At the same time, when people have issues with their plumbing, it’s often not in their best interest to seek out the lowest price available because a) that eats up precious time, and b) there are no guarantees that hiring an unseasoned plumbing technician for bottom dollar will ultimately rectify the issue.
“On the low end, people can expect to spend $69 to have us come out,” Lindholm notes.
“Sometimes it ends up just being a simple service call, but then other times when we go out, we find that the issue is more complicated than initially anticipated. If something more extensive is diagnosed, that would of course require more time and energy on our part, which in turn would cost the customer more money.”
Plus, it’s difficult to gauge how complex a specific project will be until a plumbing technician can inspect and get a complete overview of the task at hand.
Therefore, on account of the various variables in play, it’s imperative that customers call a plumbing company that they know, maybe like, but most crucially, can trust.
“The majority of people don’t know that much about plumbing, and there are a lot of companies out there that are more than happy to capitalize on that, but we don’t think that’s a good way to do business,” Lindholm asserts.
”Our goal when we come out to a client’s home is to do a proper evaluation, and then walk that customer through an array of options, with the customer ultimately being the one to decide, based on the information presented, what is ideal for their unique set of circumstances.”
Adds Lindholm, further reinforcing his desire to empower his customers to make a decision that is best for them:
“There are times when a cheaper fix may be an okay short-term option, but we also like to emphasize that spending less money now could result in spending more money later. Since everyone has a different budget and level of need, we are more than happy to make recommendations, but really the goal is to give the homeowner the appropriate information, and consequently the autonomy to make the decision that they believe is best for them.”
This level of care and attention to detail separates A Aarts & Tim’s Plumbing from not only the hacks parading around the Twin Cities in unmarked vehicles, but also the huge companies whose main priority is selling versus consulting homeowners on their plumbing needs.
In that sense, A Aarts & Tim’s Plumbing approach is customer-centric.
“We work diligently to ensure that the person who walks in your door is going to evaluate things properly and give you a solid plan of action,” Lindholm says.
“A fair amount of our revenue comes from repeat business or a referral, and that’s because we have spent years building trust with clients. Working off that, we don’t look at the customer as simply a way to make money. We believe in doing right by them because we know if we do that, then the money will follow.”
In the coming years, Lindholm would like to lead A Aarts & Tim’s Plumbing into a different tax bracket, but any growth will be achieved through operating by the same values and philosophies instilled in him by his late father.
“I’m going to keep making my dad proud,” Lindholm emphasizes.
“We are in a spot right now where there is a lot of opportunity, and if we continue to do the right things, then I think we will ascend into that next echelon and prosper, but all that will take place without compromising our integrity or what allows us to service Twin Cities customers so well.” QS
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