Legacy is front and center at L.J. Kruse Co.
The story of Louis J. Kruse opening his plumbing shop in Oakland, California, in 1916 is featured prominently on its website. “Extended family” is one of the company’s core values. Even its logo, in big green letters, touts the shop’s longevity: A Century of Service.
Despite all of that, the Kruse brothers—Nate, Ben and Will—never felt an obligation from their father to become the fourth generation to run L.J. Kruse and continue the family legacy.
“There was never a pressure of, ‘You have to join, or the company's not going to be here,’” Nate said. “There was never any of that talk.”
Instead, their father David Kruse, urged his kids to pursue other paths. So that’s what they did.
Will studied sports journalism and later became a veterinary assistant. Ben traveled the world and worked in the restaurant industry. Nate worked in plumbing—for a competing shop.
But over time, on their own accord, the brothers’ paths all wound up at L.J. Kruse.
And that, Ben said, is one of the secrets to their success.
A special set of tools
From an early age, the brothers learned that previous generations of L.J. Kruse took rushed paths to the family ’s commercial and residential business.
The second generation started when the founder (their great-grandfather) unexpectedly died, which thrust his son, Edward Kruse (their grandfather), into the business.
“(According to family lore), he was studying to be an engineer at Cal University…and someone walked into that classroom at Cal and said, ‘Your father just passed and we need you at the business,’” Ben said.
The third generation started shortly after their father, David, had his first kid (Nate) at age 19.
“I think that was part of his deciding factor—to get a good-paying job,” Nate said. “Luckily for all of us, that morphed into an amazing third generation of the company…Our father and our uncle ran the business together for 30-plus years.”
There was no obligation to follow suit. And by encouraging his sons to pursue other career paths, each brought a different skill set when they eventually wound up at L.J. Kruse and completed the apprenticeship program.
As vice president and service manager, Will’s journalism background has helped him deal with all different types of customers. As president and CEO, Nate’s 10 years at a larger competing plumbing business gave him a different perspective on how to run a shop. As vice president and project manager, Ben’s experience in the fast-paced, high-stress restaurant industry taught him how to achieve results in a short time.
“I think we are successful because we weren't ushered in as the next in line,” Ben said. “We all entered the business on our own timetables, on our own pathways. And we're bringing the experiences and tools that we had in our previous (careers).”
Embracing technology
One of those tools is technology.
Years ago, the brothers understood that, to take the family business into the future, they needed to automate more tasks with software.
But it wasn’t the first time L.J. Kruse embraced technology.
“Back in the mid-’90s, (our father and uncle) developed their own proprietary estimating system on Excel spreadsheets. It is an incredible program that we still use to this day,” Nate said.
“They even bought (one of the first-ever) computers,” Ben added. “They had a room for it called ‘The computer room’ where they would go and do their accounting. It allowed them to be cutting-edge and (have) a leg up against their competition. They understood that in order to win in this business, you’ve got to be out in front of (technology).”
That’s why the brothers chose ServiceTitan a few years ago.
The decision has brought plenty of positive changes. For example, L.J. Kruse went from processing piles of paper invoices (that would sometimes get lost and take months to bill), to invoicing their customers within 24 hours.
“ServiceTitan has given us a way to say, ‘Hey, we've been around for 100 years, but we're also cutting-edge and we're also here to give you the best possible customer experience we can,’” Ben said.
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‘No-brainer of an honor’
Legacy is front and center at L.J. Kruse—and it’s also in a glass display case in a conference room.
That’s where the brothers have collected artifacts from generations past. Included is the green and gold painted L.J. Kruse sign, likely from a 1960s worksite, with the company’s “28332” phone number on it—well before area codes and present-day, seven-digit phone numbers.
There are old-school time cards, their grandfather’s Rolodex, a plumbing code book from the early 20th century and countless black-and-white photos. There’s even an electrical permit with a 1919 stamp and Louis J. Kruse’s signature.
These artifacts give the brothers pride.
“So many things had to go right in the last 100-plus years for us to get here and work out in the way that it did,” Will said.
“We are the fourth generation. That's huge. That was never a weight—but something I thought was super special about the company, the multi-generational aspect. While we weren't forced into it, when the opportunity arose, it was a no-brainer of an honor to carry on that next generation.”
“I think part of our secret sauce and what's made us successful is the family-business approach,” Ben added. “People are used to our competitors where they're essentially a number. We're successful because we're able to deliver a level of service and customized approach that our larger competitors can't.”
“We are incredibly lucky that the three of us not only get along as well as we do,” Nate said, “but have very similar visions on where we want to go and how we want to get there.”
As for the fifth generation? It’s already in flight.
After graduating from college, Nate’s daughter decided to work in L.J. Kruse’s office—on her own accord—and is now pursuing the apprenticeship program.
There’s no pressure, though.
