AYS Plumbing & Rooter has become a well-known plumbing services company throughout Southern California for its impressive growth, expansion, and glowing customer reviews. Founded in 2020 by Michael Lanphear, the company now operates with a team of 25 employees across San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties and has achieved 300% year-over-year growth, reaching multi-millions in annual revenue.
Yet beyond these revenue figures and the growing service territory, what Lanphear takes the greatest pride in is the culture he has cultivated, a workplace where employees genuinely want to show up, work hard, and enjoy the camaraderie.
How has founder Michael Lanphear transformed what could have been just another plumbing business into a team that functions more like a family?
Loyalty Built on Respect and Compensation
Since its inception, AYS Plumbing & Rooter has grown from a single-person startup to a booming plumbing force with a thriving team. However, it's not merely the services rendered or the number of commissions completed that make this company stand out. Lanphear sees the spirit in every employee as the real driving force.
AYS Plumbing & Rooter's distinctive culture rests on principles that Lanphear strictly implements: fair compensation, professional respect, and recognition of individual contributions.
Lanphear believes that employees who feel valued and fairly compensated demonstrate significantly higher loyalty levels, with enhanced engagement translating directly into improved productivity and retention rates. He understood this intuitively from the beginning, even when AYS Plumbing & Rooter was a one-person operation struggling to gain traction in a competitive market.
This is why, rather than pursuing the industry-standard approach of minimizing labor costs to maximize profits, Lanphear invested heavily in his team members. This meant offering competitive wages that reflected the skill and dedication required for quality plumbing work and creating an environment where employees felt their contributions mattered beyond their technical abilities. This leads to a workplace culture that impacts employee loyalty and commitment, with trust, communication, and transparency as foundational elements.
"From day one, I made a decision that I would pay my team well," Lanphear states. "Not just adequately—well. Because when people feel valued financially, they show up differently. They care more, they work harder, and they stay longer."
The Face of AYS Team: Brotherhood and Accountability
Another cornerstone of AYS Plumbing & Rooter's philosophy is creating a company culture where employees are deeply connected to their work and one another. Lanphear has intentionally nurtured an environment where team loyalty is paramount, where everyone feels a sense of responsibility not only to do the job well but also to uphold the company's reputation.
Accountability at AYS Plumbing & Rooter's is grounded in respect and transparency rather than hierarchy or fear. Employees care about their teammates and simultaneously refuse to let standards slip. They understand that excellent plumbing work, from sewer repair to water heater repair or replacement to unclogging drains, requires both support and honest feedback. They are empowered to hold themselves and each other to high standards to prevent the common pitfalls that plague many plumbing projects, such as delays, incomplete work, and substandard service.
"Everyone knows what's expected, and everyone steps up," Lanphear says. "We are a family. That means for every project, we look out for each other and hold each other accountable, knowing that when working with AYS Plumbing & Rooter, you represent something bigger."
Work Hard and Play Hard
The mantra "work hard, play hard" takes on vivid meaning at AYS Plumbing & Rooter. Lanphear understands that building fun within the workplace is as vital as encouraging diligence. The team participates in events ranging from regular social gatherings to collaborative team-building exercises, cultivating a relaxed but motivated atmosphere that balances pressure and enjoyment.
"Plumbing can be demanding," Lanphear concedes. "But when surrounded by people you enjoy and trust, the work becomes lighter. We want to create a space where our team feels excited to get up in the morning; where they want to work hard—and have fun doing it."
This approach manifests through open communication, shared meals, and moments dedicated solely to camaraderie. Workers proudly display team tattoos symbolizing their commitment to AYS and the brotherhood they share, an unusual but powerful testament to their bond.
Lanphear mentions, "We laugh a lot and support each other. We all know that our work matters, not just for the clients but for each other. Such cultural elements have proven instrumental in boosting morale and sustaining long-term productivity."
The Secret Sauce to Workplace Success
Sustaining this vibrant work culture as the company grows poses ongoing challenges. For instance, Lanphear admits how their expansion, if not correctly handled, can come at the expense of AYS's employee core values. This is why, even with plans to open new offices in San Diego and Orange County, the founder ensures that intimate team sizes remain intact, allowing personal connections to flourish and maintaining the family ethos.
"We don't want to be a giant, faceless corporation," Lanphear admits. "Our goal is to scale thoughtfully, keeping the culture alive by creating smaller hubs where teams know and care about each other." This strategic growth model prioritizes quality over quantity and maintains the core of what makes AYS Plumbing & Rooter unique.
Building a strong and reliable company culture is not easy. For Michael Lanphear and the rest of the AYS Plumbing & Rooter team, it is about understanding, listening, and sometimes, sacrifice. But the company's success and growth show it's been worth every effort. The result speaks for itself.
The founder shares, "From 2020 to today, it has become more than just about plumbing. It's about building something meaningful, a family that shows up every day ready to work hard, hold each other accountable, and enjoy the ride together."
Please visit AYS Plumbing & Rooter for more information on its plumbing services.
