Keefe Plumbing remains family owned, operated

It all began with Jack A. Keefe in the basement of his home in 1950.

Today, the successful business of Keefe Plumbing continues with its newest President Kay Keefe, Chattanooga's first female master plumber.

"My dad, Mike, joined as partners with my grandfather in 1963, and then he bought it in 1975," Keefe said of her family's business. "Now, in 2013, I've purchased the business. I've been here since I was 15. It started out as an after school, weekend job, and then when I was in my 20s I was out on the trucks."

In 2003, Keefe Plumbing relocated to a 10,000-square-foot building at 1820 E. 23rd St. where the business now employs 20 people.

For the last 10 years, Keefe has worked the office side of the business, leading to her new role as company president.

"We're 63 years old, and I plan to take the company into the future and grow it," Keefe said of her plans to move forward. "We have about 20 employees and they are a great group of people."

For those who haven't had the pleasure of doing business with Keefe Plumbing, it's a company that does it all, from leaky faucets to bathroom remodels and service on water heaters. Keefe services residential and commercial jobs, and also has a parts department that sells to the public, with a master plumber on-site to help answer questions and offer free advice.

"That really sets us apart from our competitors," Keefe noted. "We specialize in hard- to-find plumbing repair parts and can special order parts if necessary. We also pride ourselves in our customer service. If something is not right we will make it right."

Keefe Plumbing warranties all its work and offers free estimates on larger jobs such as remodels or bathrooms designed for residents to age in place. The company has a full time estimator who assists on those projects should customers want such a service.

"We can ballpark other jobs as well including leaky faucets," Keefe added. "We bill all jobs based on time and materials."

Services offered include general repairs, installation and repair of backflow devices, sewer and drain cleaning, sewer camera studies, jetter service, leak detection and pipe line location, sewer and water line installation, process piping, installation of complete plumbing systems, piping (copper, PVC and Pex piping systems), installation of gas piping, and excavation (including backhoe, trencher and dump truck services.)

The company has air compressors, jack- hammers and concrete saws and is diligent to replace all concrete and asphalt employees remove. They back drag, hand rake, seed and straw all ditch lines in yard areas.