Sanders Air and Heat teams up with Dean Plumbing

Published 10:00 am Friday, December 6, 2019

Jonathan Dean walked into Sanders Gas Company in Meridian in October for advice on gas fireplaces for a new house. 

The conversation turned to Chuck Sanders’ difficulty growing his business of more than 70 years. 

“I think the world of him,” Dean said. “I offered to come in and help him get his business turned back around.”

Dean is the president and owner of Dean Plumbing Heating and Cooling and Sanders is the president and owner of Sanders Gas Company. 

“I told him that we were struggling somewhat and we just weren’t doing what we would like to do,” Sanders said. “He said, ‘Why don’t we join together?’ So we’re hoping that two are better than one.”

Last month, the two became co-owners of Dean and Sanders Plumbing Heating and Cooling at 310 A Russell Drive in Meridian. 

The space is the former location for Sanders Petroleum.  

Sanders Gas Company will remain a separate entity on 22nd Avenue. 

“We had really come to a place where we had a lot of business, but needing additional workers and we just couldn’t really get the job done with the amount of workers that we were able to get,” Sanders said. “That was weighing heavy on my heart.”

The new company has 25 employees, but there are plans to hire 10 to 15 more, Dean said. 

The owners plan to reinvest $250,000 into their work force to make sure the community has the highest level of qualified technicians, he said. 

“The more we come together, the better off we’re going to be,” Dean said. “We can give back to the city. We can hire more people. We don’t have to worry about competing against each other.”