Mr. Rooter

Plumbing of Mid-Ohio

Trent Dawson has always been a plumber, but he hasn’t always been a business owner. In 2008, the economy was tanking and the company he was working for passed their hard times onto him. Trent was faced with a difficult decision: go broke working for someone else, or start his own business. Trent put it all on the line, “I sold everything I had that was worth anything. I cashed in my retirement and we over-financed the house. Then we put equipment on high-interest rate credit cards, until no one would give us another penny. If we failed, we would have lost everything.” Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Mid Ohio started out of a 10×10 bedroom in the Dawson home on June 1st of 2008.

The business was not the instant success that Trent and his wife, Angie, hoped. The first month was touch and go, “when we didn’t have any jobs, we would go door to door, meeting people, handing out flyers, and leaving door hangers.” Angie continues, “Looking back, I ask myself ‘what were we even thinking?’ But failing wasn’t an option.” In the beginning, while Angie was busy running the office, Trent would put in nearly 100 hours a week, working from 6am until the evening, and then staying up studying for his plumbers license. Eventually hard work paid off and advertising took effect, leading to calls and jobs daily. Soon the business outgrew that 10×10 spare bedroom in the Dawson house, and Angie was forced to give up her dining room. But in 2010, Angie got her dining room back when Mr. Rooter moved to their current office space on the corner of Springmill and Trimble.

Trent, Angie, and the team at Mr. Rooter aim to set the standard for plumbing, drain cleaning, septic service and repair. From day one, Trent vowed to never leave a customer with a problem and no solution. If it’s outside of their scope of knowledge, they will send the project to a trusted partner. According to Trent, “the goal is to treat our customers like family. We wouldn’t leave a problem at our house, so we won’t leave it at your house.” As the business has grown, Trent remembered how he was treated as an employee, and wanted to ensure that he didn’t pass his hard times onto his employees, “to really take care of your customers, you have to take care of your employees. If they don’t feel appreciated, they won’t appreciate the customer.” Trent and Angie’s formula for running a successful business has paid off as Mr. Rooter corporate has taken notice. Recently, the Dawsons have been unanimously chosen to receive the Mr. Rooter Franchisee of the Year. Given to one out of 230 franchises in Canada and the United States, this award is the highest honor a franchise owner can receive. The honor is awarded to a franchisee that not only shows excellent business growth, but also demonstrates great leadership and care for his or her business, employees, and customers. Trent reflects on the award, “If you would have told us 10 years ago that we would win Franchisee of the Year, we never would have believed it. I guess the moral of the story is when you take care of people, it comes back to you.”

If you’re interested in being a part of Mr. Rooter’s reliable team, Trent and Angie are always looking for experienced plumbers and drain cleaners to join their family. Whether you’re looking to work for a thriving company, or you just need a trustworthy plumber, you can call Mr. Rooter at 419-589-9600 or visit them online at mrrooter.com/richlandcounty