Chosen by Our Community: What This Recognition Means to Us
Being named a finalist in the North Shore News Readers’ Choice Awards is so much fun for us. I’d even go out on a limb and say it’s better for R&B than for many of the other worthy businesses in North and West Vancouver. This recognition means something special because of the work we do.
Let’s be honest — we don’t have a “fun” product or service.
No one wakes up hoping they’ll need a plumber that day. Nobody wakes up without heat in the winter and thinks “Ah, it’s what I’ve been waiting for all year!” We’re not a travel agency sending families on dream vacations. Nor are we a restaurant where people gather to socialize, have date night, or get simple relief from chore of meal making.
We offer relief of a different sort. When customers call us, it’s usually because something has already gone wrong. They’re too hot, too cold, or suddenly very wet. Something is making a noise it shouldn’t make — or worse, not making a noise at all. Like a crying baby or a meowing cat, it insists on attention before anything else in life can move forward.
By the time our valued customers reach us, their day is often already off the rails. That’s why being recognized so positively in our home community matters so much.
It means that in those stressful moments — when a basement is flooding, when the heat won’t come on, when a hot water tank has given up without warning — our team showed up in a way that was noticed, and made a difference.
Our front-line staff are the calm voices on the other end of the phone. Their years of experience answering more than 8500 calls per year have given them the experience needed. They ask the right questions. They reassure. They set clear expectations. Then our technicians arrive — steady, respectful, transparent about what’s happening and what it will take to fix it. They work efficiently and they work carefully. Not in a cliché “we take pride in our work” kind of way — but in a thoughtful, conscientious way that shows up in the small details: clean boots, clear explanations, quality workmanship, and leaving a home better than they found it.
That effort is not small. It takes emotional intelligence. It takes patience. It takes skill.
When we receive a 5-star Google review, the entire office hears about it. It’s a celebration. The team member involved is recognized and rewarded. The story gets shared. The energy lifts. It reinforces the culture we work hard to build — one where doing right by our customers. It matters deeply.
When we were named a finalist in the Readers’ Choice awards, (Again😊 – We’ve been in this final category for ten years now, and it never gets old) we felt so fortunate that we bought a lottery ticket. We’ll let you know how that turns out!
What makes this nomination even more meaningful is the scale of it. Being named one of the top three companies in our category means standing out in a field of dozens of North Shore based companies, and competing with over 700 other companies offering their services in our area. To be chosen from that many businesses — to serve our own community —and then being recognized for our performance as a FAVOURITE, is both fun and motivating.
This is exactly where we want to be.
We live here. We work here. Our kids go to school here. And we also shop here. Not just for our plumbing and heating supplies that we get from right down the street from our offices, but also from a variety of other offerings. So, I’d take a quick moment to recognize some of our own favourites.
There’s North Shore Taekwondo in upper Lonsdale where one of our office staff works towards her next belt. Seycove Dental where you can trust them to be gentle and kind. A Spot for Spot seeing to our doggy daycare and dog spa needs. Pemberton Auto who keeps our fleet running.
Also shouts from our staff go out to;
- North Shore Sports Swap
- Lynn Valley Bikes
- End of the Line General Store – what a gem!
- The patient people at the Return-It Depot, and the Squamish Nation Smoke Shop.
- AJ’s Metal Recycling for the bits of copper and other metals that can’t be saved, but can still be useful.
- Kuddles Daycare, who we trust with our offspring.
- And let’s not forget, North Shore Ski and Board where we’ve been gearing up since Whistler was affordable.
Being recognized by the community we serve, year after year, along with all the other worthy stores and services is very special indeed. We’re not just fixing pipes and furnaces, we’re building trust.
So, to everyone who nominates us, who casts their votes, who leaves kind words online — thank you! And thank you to the wonderful team at the North Shore News (who is this writer’s, Reader’s Choice for Best Local News Paper), who came to take our photo and helped bring us together to celebrate this moment.
We don’t hope you need us. But when you do, we’re grateful you choose us.
