Colorado roots, California dream: Colepepper Plumbing builds a family business in San Diego
For Colepepper Plumbing founder Mitch Kenney, building a plumbing company in San Diego has been about more than fixing pipes. It has been the fulfillment of a California dream that began when he was growing up more than 1,000 miles away.
Kenney was born and raised in Denver and grew up in a plumbing family. A third-generation plumber, he originally expected to follow his father into the family business.
California, however, had always captured his imagination.
“As a kid, I would see California on TV and in movies and couldn’t believe a place like that existed,” Kenney said. “I always wanted to live here.”
His opportunity came after meeting his future wife, a California native, in 2008. When Kenney decided it was time to leave Colorado and build something of his own, San Diego became home.
That decision ultimately led to Colepepper Plumbing, a family-owned San Diego plumbing company founded in 2014.
A third-generation plumber starts his own company
Although Kenney brought years of plumbing experience with him, working in Southern California required some adjustment.
The plumbing itself was familiar. The homes were different.
In Colorado, water heaters, shut-off valves and other important plumbing components are often located in basements. Replacing a water heater can mean carefully hauling a heavy tank up a flight of stairs without damaging the home.
In San Diego, Kenney quickly noticed that many water heaters and main shut-off valves were located in garages or outside, making them easier to reach and service.
Then there was the weather.
Colorado plumbing can mean repeatedly moving between a heated home and freezing outdoor temperatures while carrying tools through ice and snow. San Diego’s climate allows plumbers to spend much more of the year working in relatively comfortable conditions.
Kenney remembers one apprentice taking the Southern California lifestyle a little too literally.
“He showed up wearing sandals,” Kenney said. “I appreciated the style, but I had to tell him he needed boots.”
The sandals did not make the cut.
California did.
Plumbing built around relationships
Over the years, Colepepper Plumbing has served more than 10,000 customers, according to Kenney.
At one point, the company grew to 35 employees and 22 service vans. Kenney eventually decided that bigger was not necessarily better.
Today, he has deliberately returned to a smaller operation that allows him to stay involved with customers and the work itself.
The change reflects what Kenney believes homeowners increasingly want from a local plumber: someone they know, someone who will explain the problem and someone who sees the customer as more than another stop on a service route.
“I want to focus on building strong relationships with our customers, providing great service and doing top-quality work at a fair price,” Kenney said.
That approach extends across the everyday plumbing problems San Diego homeowners encounter, including clogged drains, leaking pipes and fixtures, water heater repair and replacement, leak detection and emergency plumbing needs.
It also means helping customers understand when a repair makes sense and when replacement may be the better long-term investment.
For Kenney, that personal connection has become more important as the plumbing industry has changed.
Large regional operators and national companies increasingly compete alongside longtime independent plumbing businesses. Kenney believes a locally owned company can distinguish itself by focusing on responsiveness, workmanship and relationships rather than simply trying to become the biggest company in the market.
Serving San Diego County
Colepepper Plumbing serves homeowners and businesses throughout San Diego County, including communities such as Carlsbad, Encinitas, Oceanside, San Marcos, Vista and Escondido.
Its services include residential and commercial plumbing repairs, drain cleaning, water heater repair and installation, tankless water heaters, leak detection and 24-hour emergency plumbing service.
But for Kenney, the company’s story remains closely connected to the reason he moved west in the first place.
San Diego gave him the chance to start his own business, raise three children and create a life that once existed only in his imagination.
More than a decade after starting Colepepper Plumbing, his definition of success has changed. It is no longer measured by how many trucks are on the road.
It is measured by the customers who call again, the families who recommend the company to their neighbors and the ability to continue doing work he has known nearly his entire life.
“I’m grateful to all of our customers and to San Diego for allowing us to serve this community,” Kenney said. “Because of our customers, I’ve been able to raise three kids and truly live out my California dream.”
Colepepper Plumbing & Drains serves homes and businesses throughout San Diego County. For information about plumbing repairs, drain cleaning, water heaters, leak detection and emergency plumbing services, visit ColepepperPlumbing.com or call 619-838-1322.
