Rodriguez Mechanical Contractor Inc

Earning our reputation, job by job, since 1976. Rodriguez Mechanical Contractors Inc. provides plumbing-related services to municipalities, construction companies, utilities, general contractors, residences and other organizations across the Midwest. OUR MISSION To provide superior plumbing services through perseverance, dedication, professionalism, customer satisfaction, and community involvement, while being recognized as a leader in the construction services industry. Business History: Reasons small business owners give for starting a business vary, but in Paul Rodriguez's case, it was the support and encouragement of a friend. The friend, who was also a colleague, believed in Rodriguez so strongly that he even put up collateral to help him start the business. "I was working for a plumbing contractor and I loved what I was doing," Rodriguez said. "A friend and business owner, Seneca Marquez, told me I should go into business for myself. I hadn't really thought about it until then." One day, Marquez, owner of Marquez Electrical, asked Rodriguez to take a day off from work. "He took me to his bank," he said. "He knew I had no collateral, so he put up $10,000 of his own money in my name. He thought that much of me to do that." Rodriguez, then age 28, founded Rodriguez Mechanical Contractors Inc., with the assistance of his wife, Maxine. At that time, the couple had four children. Now they have six children and seven grandchildren, with two more on the way. "Those were the good years," said Rodriguez. "Yet they were also extremely tiring. I was a workaholic, rarely taking time off from work and even working on some holidays. In the first 2 1/2 years I only took off 20 days from work. I often worked all night and even worked one Thanksgiving. I guess you could say I had a fear of failure.” In its early years, the company specialized in residential plumbing. “When the weather was good, you had to work,” Maxine acknowledged. “Paul did work a lot of long hours then