The 10-person team at Shahood & Sons makes the company run. PHOTO/BARBARA BURNHAM

Shahood & Sons does it all when it comes to plumbing, heating and cooling, but Mark S. Shahood Jr. is eager to talk about his employees and customers instead. His team is the “backbone of the whole company,” Shahood said. “They’re all just hardworking, dedicated people who understand what our company is. They really understand the family and quality aspect of the business.”

Shahood & Sons’ customers “are like family, too,” he said. “They know all our guys, they even buy presents for us. We love when our customers will drop off a gift, write a review online, send a card or just thank us for being there.” Given that Shahood and his team have rushed to clients’ homes for Christmas morning emergencies, it’s no wonder they’ve cultivated such loyal customers.

“We truly care about all our customers,” Shahood explained. “I have the legacy of my dad and grandfather behind me; I don’t let that go by the wayside.” When Shahood was a little kid, his father and grandpa would laugh when he asserted repeatedly that he was going to grow the family company and “make it something great.” Since then, Shahood & Sons has grown tenfold and expanded from one employee to 10.

The company retained all its staff during the pandemic and is hoping to hire several more team members. Shahood says he’s looking for “great people, someone who has pride in their work and pride for the employees.”

One of those great people is Ronnie Reitz, who recently was hired as the company’s service manager. Reitz had been laid off from his previous job of 14 years due to the pandemic. Friendly since childhood, Shahood and Reitz had been eager to work together for years. Their families are friends, too, including daughters who were born just 11 days apart last spring.

Shahood noted the many challenges of having a new baby during COVID-19 while also running a business that does not allow for remote working. “The pandemic was hard,” Shahood said, “and my wife Cortney was my rock through the whole thing.”

Despite these difficulties, the company has excelled in the eyes of the community. In MyFM’s latest Quest for the Best competition, Shahood & Sons won first place in both the plumbing and HVAC categories.

“We truly didn’t think we were in the running, because we’re not as big as other companies,” Shahood said. “I think we won because of the team and our personal touch. We do a good job of letting customers know who we are and that we’re there for them.”

Going forward, Shahood aims to continue expanding the business while retaining quality service. As Shahood wrote in a recent Facebook post thanking his employees and customers: “For 72 years my family has done our best to provide each and every customer with quality and trust, and a pandemic can’t slow that down. Here’s to the next 72!”

Shahood & Sons has an office at 35 Main St. in Hopkinton and can be reached at 508-875-3413 or info@shahoodplumbing.com. Learn more at shahoodplumbing.com.

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