Lehmann Plumbing Celebrates 50 Years of Growth and Gives Thanks
T
he year was 1954. Bernie Lehmann was leaving post-war Germany to build a life for himself in Canada, bringing an industrious work ethic that would serve him well. For the next 10 years he put in long hours, bringing his work ethic to bear on job after job for someone else’s company, someone else’s dream. Consequently it didn’t take him long to realize that if he was going to work that hard, he might as well work for himself and his own dream. In 1964, he packed up his tools, rolled up his sleeves and started B. Lehmann Plumbing Heating and Gas Fitting Ltd. Taking the reins after his father’s retirement, Rick Lehmann now carries on his father’s proud heritage. When Rick speaks about those early days, you can hear the unmistakable tone of a son’s pride. “My father had a few employees, and he would go to the site hours before everyone else. He’d be there at six digging trenches and getting everything ready for them so he could minimize time spent and earn some money on the project. My father was definitely a hands-on owner.” Rick wears the work ethic of his father comfortable and confidently, with the direct, steady gaze of a man you can trust. “When I graduated from high school in 1977, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. My dad said, ‘you might as well come and work for me.’ And I never left.” In the mid ’80s, a back injury meant that Rick had to take a break from working in the field. This gave him the chance
Rick Lehmann, president and Jason Prentice, general manager.
to work in the office, a challenge he took on with enthusiasm. “At that time, we started to go after new clientele. My father was looking towards retirement, which happened in 1988. I started bidding contracts all over the city.” Rick and his father watched their sales volume nearly double annually for the next four years. “Initially, I was the estimator, project manager and purchaser, but eventually there just weren’t enough hours in the
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day for me to do it all. Consequently, our manpower grew with our sales volume. In 1996 we moved to our current location and four years later, we expanded and separated our service side into its own entity.” Rick also describes the vast array of work that Lehmann Plumbing takes on. “As mechanical contractors, we work in all types of construction, including commercial, light industrial and renovations. Our specialty is definitely design work, where we work with clients, engineers, other trades and developers to produce a product that saves everyone time and money. We also work with a host of sub-trades that complement us, including HVAC, sprinkler, insulation, controls, and engineering firms.” Lehmann Plumbing also specializes in boiler installation and maintenance, as well as hydronic in-floor heating systems. “On the service side, we provide 24-hour service for residential and commercial repairs as well as whatever maintenance someone might need.” If it is two in the morning on a Sunday and you have a flood from a ruptured water line, a quick call to Lehmann Plumbing Services will get the job done. Rick emphasizes the safety component of the company. “Safety is also very important at Lehmann Plumbing. We have our COR certification and hold safety in the highest regard on the job site.” Lehmann Plumbing is proud to encompass a list of projects, including churches, office/warehouses, multi-residential walkups, strip mall development, and public sector work projects for the City of Edmonton, the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, and the Alberta government. They have also been very busy with renovations in the downtown core. “We do everything from $500 service work to multi-million dollar mechanical projects, but ultimately our goal in the midst of all this is to bring quality and excellence to the work that we do. By nature, construction isn’t a perfect science, so we’re always working to efficiently handle any circumstances that may come up, as well as lending a hand to a solution that will satisfy everyone. To put it simply, we just like to get
things done. We’ve been doing this now for 50 years and we are still here because we have always emphasized taking care of our clients. I believe that’s what our clients appreciate about us.”
West Campus site in Edmonton.
“Expert advice, trusted solutions”
Congratulations Lehmann Plumbing on 50 years! #200, 17704 - 103 Avenue Phone: 780-489-4961 • Fax: 780-486-0169 1-800-668-3213 • www.fpb.ca
Manning Crossing Development in Edmonton.
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you’ve really outdone yourselves. Congratulations to Lehmann Plumbing for reaching their 50th year! It is always an absolute pleasure doing business with you. from all of us at Bartle & Gibson
Congratulations on your 50th Anniversary. Wishing you many years of continued success.
Happy Anniversary Lehmann Plumbing. We wish you many years of continued success.
15309 – 116 Ave Edmonton, AB T5M 3Z5 Phone: 1.780.484.4310 • Fax: 1.780.489.4534 www.albricokaefer.com
www.emcoltd.com
Congratulations Lehmann Plumbing on 50 years. The team at Paragon Ventilation are proud to play a part in your success! 7220 - 48 Street NW Edmonton, AB T6B 2Y8 P: 780-465-2931 • F: 780-466-4958 www.paragon.ca
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Okon Design Build site in Edmonton.
The priority of relationships over the bottom line has been a lasting legacy at Lehmann Plumbing. Rick applauds the many strong relationships his company has made over the years. “We have wonderful developers, contractors and owners that we work with, and those relationships are very important to us. But equally, the success of Lehmann Plumbing is due to its people. No question.” This emphasis on relationships flows to everyone in the office. Rick appreciates a hard work ethic and a no-nonsense approach to projects. General manager Jason Prentice exhibits both of these qualities and has climbed the corporate ladder accordingly. “He started as an apprentice in the field and has worked his way to our GM position. He’s doing a tremendous job.” He also appreciates the hard work and commitment of other employees, such as estimator Wil Rempel, project manager Brett Kolosa, office manager Barbara Broadfoot, estimator (and son) Mikael Lehmann, field superintendent Matt Krescy, safety officer Kim Baker, and Ken Chorney in purchasing and warehouse management. He also thanks the long-time commitment of service manager Merv Either, as well as the addition of his son Marek to the service team in sales. Rick is especially impressed with the loyalty of superintendent Gord Szopa and service technician Wayne Tooke, both of whom have been with the company for more than 20 years. He also thanks his devoted field staff. “Of course, we couldn’t do much without our 60 field personnel who I’d love to name, but there are just too many of them. All of these people have worked very hard to help Lehmann Plumbing be what it is today.” Rick offers a special kind of gratitude to one man in particular, his father. “He gave me my start, and I’m very thankful for that. Growing up, a European work ethic was instilled in me, staying with me when I was given a shovel, and has stuck with me to this day. For every job in this business, whether it’s digging ditches or setting up mechanical rooms, there’s a right way and a wrong
Bernie Lehmann, the early days.
way to do it. You have to work hard at improving yourself every day. People may think after all of these years we’d have it perfect. People make mistakes, but the persistent willingness to grow allows us to never stop improving and doing things better.” The human component has always been important to Rick. “I’ve always wanted to be helpful. My faith has helped me as a father, as a husband and as an employer.” He and his wife Marietta have always used the company’s success to give back in generous and charitable ways to non-profit organizations locally and abroad. “This is a way for my wife and me to honour God by giving back in tangible ways to the community.” Thanks to a father’s hard work, a son’s integrity, a family’s passion and the commitment of a skilled and loyal team, Lehmann Plumbing has achieved ongoing success. “We’d like to give special thanks to our clients for allowing us to work for them. We are looking forward to the next 50 years, with the hope of continuing to serve loyal clients and new clients in the best way possible.”
3645 73 Ave NW Edmonton, AB T6B 2T8 Ph: 780-465-4434 • F: 780-465-4595 www.lehmannplumbing.net
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Utility Infrastructure
Solutions
Municipal and Industrial Products From supplying water and wastewater supplies to the turnkey development of multi-utility systems, we work closely with our clients to develop and deliver efficient, cost-effective solutions.
Congratulations to the team at
50 YEARS
LEHMANN PLUMBING
Broadwest Backhoe is proud to be a part of your success and wish you many more years of continued growth.
As a proud partner of Lehmann Plumbing, CORIX Water Products congratulates the team on 50 years of remarkable success!
Building a World of Sustainable Communities
1.800.667.2445 www.corix.com
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