After working together at a national plumbing franchise, Jeff Morgan and Bob Miller knew there had to be a better way to treat plumbers. So, in 1997, they decided to leave and start their own company, and Morgan Miller Plumbing was born. The Grandview, Missouri-based contracting firm offers both residential and commercial plumbing services.
Miller retired from the business in 2000 for health reasons, leaving Morgan the sole owner of the company. Morgan is no stranger to plumbing, having grown up as the son of a plumber. His older brothers started working in the field before him, and on his 18th birthday, they handed him a shovel and said, “dig.”
“The thing that makes us special is our company culture,” notes Tosha Everhart, brand manager for Morgan Miller Plumbing. “We take our work seriously, but not ourselves. We have fun and give back to our community.”
They mean business
The company currently boasts 18 employees and 11 fleet vehicles. Three different models make up the fleet, including the 2017 Ford F250 XL, 2020 Ford Extended Body Transit and the KUV with a Knapeheide body.
“Our favorite vehicle is the KUV by far,” Everhart says. “The storage space alone is why we are planning to convert our whole fleet to them, eventually. With all of the doors and storage, it keeps the vans looking extremely clean, which is something Jeff prides himself on — the cleanliness of his fleet.”
Morgan Miller’s truck wraps feature a fist gripping a pipe wrench, punching through water. Everhart explains that it is a rendition of the company’s logo, which was developed in 1999.
“It’s a powerful image of a plumber that means business,” she notes. “We have often wondered who or what the rest of the person looks like since our vans only have the hand and the pipe wrench.”
Initially, the design featured red and orange colors; however, the company switched to green and black with the next truck wrap.
“That color scheme really popped,” Everhart says. “We make improvements with nearly every new vehicle. We wanted something that our market wasn’t providing yet, something that went beyond just a name and phone number, so we dared ourselves to be bold and memorable as a company and brand. Once we saw the effect of our wrap had on the general public, we knew we had a hit.
“The design is eye-catching — it pops, and people call us just because they notice them,” she continues. “People love our wraps. One time driving on I-35, a man was honking and waving. At first, we thought he was angry and we had done something wrong — to our surprise he then gave us a thumbs-up sign, and signals to our trucks and said ‘love your truck!’”
