Austin Plumbing Company in Hartland is nearly doubling the size of its facility to accommodate recent growth.
The nearly 50-year-old, third generation family-owned plumbing company, which also includes Polar Express Heating and Air, began work in February on a 5,700-square-foot addition to its 6,500-square-foot building at 530 Norton Drive.
Most of the new space will be for a warehouse to accommodate new equipment and delivery trucks, said Tom Smith, company president. The office will also be renovated.
Austin Plumbing has 13 employees.
“We were actually planning to move into a brand new building and looked at several options, but decided to stay here,” Smith said. “We love our location off Highway 16. It’s easy to get to Waukesha or Oconomowoc. Being centrally located within the market is critical.”
Austin Plumbing Co. was started in founded in 1969 by Austin Smith, Tom’s father, who worked at the company for decades before dying five years ago at the age of 92.
The family plans to place one of Austin’s old business cards under the new addition and pour a thin layer of cement over it, Tom Smith said.
Tom joined the business more than 35 years ago and today, his son also works with him.
Germantown-based Keller Inc. is the project manager. Smith said the project should be complete by May.
“We’ve been adding employees over the last year and are planning to hire a couple more,” Smith said. “That is part of the reason that has facilitated the growth.”
