Business profile - Nading Mechanical

Nading Mechanical, Inc., has been a staple of the Hope community since the early 1950s. Paul Nading, part-owner of the business, recently talked about the history of the business, what he finds most enjoyable about being a business owner in Hope and what he hopes for the future of the family business.

What year did you open?
Dad started the business in 1952 as Nading Plumbing and Heating.

What year did you take over?
It became Nading Mechanical in 1962 or 1963. And then my dad, John, retired and I took over in 1985.

What type of services do you offer?
We are a contracting company that does plumbing, HVAC, industrial piping and electrical work.

How many employees do you have?
It varies anywhere from 30 to 50.

In the era of social media, what type of advertising do you do?
We do not have a social media page. We do not advertise. Through our contacts with the other contractors in the area we stay busy all the time.

Would you say word of mouth contributes to the business?
Yes, that is correct.

What do you enjoy most about being a business owner and doing what you do?
It is just being with people and in the business the repeat customers we have.

As far as individual, residential or commercial who makes up your customer base?
We are strictly a commercial contractor.

Any challenges you weren’t expecting?
No. Not really. Some of the struggles are competing every day in this job market we have. A lot of our work we compete by bidding on projects. We are a union contractor and we pay a union wage and a lot of the contractors in this area are not union and we have to compete with them on a daily basis.

Where do you see the business going in the future?
We would like for this to continue. I have been trying to retire for a few years but that isn’t happening. So I will be here for a few more years. We would like to see Nading Mechanical continue on.

What would you say has contributed to the longevity of the business?
I am going to say our honesty and the quality of the work that we provide.