For Joey and Kristi Snider, A Move To Marshall

For Joey and Kristi Snider, A Move To Marshall

Joey and Kristi Snider and friends.

When Joey Snider opened his plumbing and water treatment business in Middleburg in 1983, he and his brother Bill were the only two employees, with a single truck to get them where they needed to go.

Fast forward 39 years, and oh my, how this now iconic local company’s fortunes have changed. These days, J.R. Snider Plumbing and WaterCare has 18 employees, both in the office and/or manning as many as 11 trucks sent out on service calls all around the area. Within three years of opening, they had 300 clients; now it’s 2,200, a number that keeps growing all the time.

And here comes the biggest change of all, something of a bittersweet “parting is such sweet sorrow” moment in the company’s history. On April 1, J.R. Snider moved its entire operation to a new location just outside Marshall. It’s only seven miles from their long-time Pendleton Street address in Middleburg, but Joey and his wife, Kristi, are already feeling a touch of melancholy over the move.

“I’m sad but also glad,” Joey said. “To leave this comfort zone and the wonderful environment of this village is not easy. But I’m glad for the ability to rattle my cage a little and bring the company to a higher level of customer service.”

The move became necessary because the company had simply outgrown its Middleburg location.

“There’s three times more space in Marshall than we have here,” Joey said a few weeks before the move. “In the last five years, we’ve grown by 35 percent. We really outgrew this four or five years ago. We need more parking space. The people in the office are crammed in there. We needed more storage space.”

Because of Covid-induced supply chain issues over the last two years, Joey said it’s now necessary to stock at least 60 days worth of materials to meet their customers’ needs. It ranges from water heaters, water conditioning equipment, pressure tanks, wire, tools and more. They’ll have far more room in the new headquarters, just off Route 55 halfway between Marshall and The Plains.

“I had been thinking about doing this for a while,” Joey said. “It’s going to be hard to leave. I know it’s only seven miles, not that far, but it’s not Middleburg. I just want the people in this town to know how good Middleburg has been to J.R. Snider. We’re just so appreciative.”

Kristi Snider, who runs the front office operation, also has mixed feelings about the move.

“I’m a little nervous,” she said. “I do think it’s a good thing for the company, but it’s hard because people have been so good to us.”

J.R. Snider has been good to its clients, as well. Kitchen flooded from a cracked pipe at 7 on a Saturday night? Snider’s on-call crew can get there in a hurry. It’s been that way forever, and relocating to Marshall won’t change the urgency to come help on a moment’s notice.

Joey said he really doesn’t want to make a big deal over the move. After all, his highly skilled crews still will be available at all hours of the day or night. “I don’t need a parade,” he said. Even though it couldn’t be more well-deserved.