22 Years of Plumbing and Culture-First Growth: Amy Longspaugh | Everyday Excellence

Amy Longspaugh has owned Clearwater Plumbing in Northwest Fort Worth for 22 years. In that time she has pivoted the business through the 2008 financial crisis, rebuilt the culture from scratch, developed a peer-nominated team lead structure that replaced a service manager model, navigated a bad agency experience that took two years to recover from, and watched an imperfect TikTok video hit roughly one million views. This conversation covers all of it. Key Topics: • How the 2008-2009 pivot from construction to service side plumbing changed everything about how Amy runs the company [2:19] • Culture reset: what Amy is most proud of, and the mistake of letting top performers become individualized outside the team [3:49] • The peer-nominated team lead system that replaced a service manager role that never worked [12:55] • SOS (Service Operating System) and how it differs from EOS for field-based service businesses [13:11] • A TikTok with 1 million views during a Texas freeze, no uniform, no production budget, shot on a job site [17:33] • Agency frustrations: authenticity, stock content, and the agency that started sharing leads with PE-backed competitors [22:08] • Three-year vision: becoming the education company that brings young people into the trades in North Texas [27:30] • Advice for homeowners: ask if your plumber is licensed, and what a Texas journeyman license actually requires [29:36] Amy's approach to running a plumbing company is built around two things most competitors do not prioritize: culture and education. The result is a 22-year business with 34 employees, a viral TikTok, a peer-elected leadership team, and a growth philosophy that measures success in licensed apprentices, not truck count. About Amy Longspaugh: Amy Longspaugh is the owner of Clearwater Plumbing, a family-owned residential and commercial plumbing company serving Northwest Fort Worth and the greater Tarrant County area. She has led the company for 22 years and is building toward her vision of Clearwater becoming the region's leading trade education and apprenticeship destination. Website: clearwaterplumber.com Everyday Media Group helps plumbing and home service businesses build authentic digital marketing programs that sound like the real company, not a template. Todd Baldwin and the team work with growing businesses that want a long-term digital partner. Visit: https://everydaymediagroup.com/ Chapter Timestamps 1. 0:00 - Introduction 2. 0:42 - About Clearwater Plumbing: residential and commercial service in North Texas 3. 1:41 - Service area: Northwest Tarrant County, Fort Worth, 45-minute radius 4. 2:19 - 22 years in business and the 2008 pivot to the service side 5. 3:49 - What Amy is most proud of: the team and the culture reset 6. 5:02 - What makes a great team member: accountability and bringing the solution 7. 6:01 - Culture mistake: allowing top performers to become individualized 8. 7:09 - The spouse and family piece of team culture 9. 8:20 - Growth philosophy: education and apprentices over trucks and revenue 10. 11:09 - The biggest operational bottleneck: building a solid leadership team 11. 12:55 - Peer-nominated team leads by core value, replacing the service manager model 12. 13:11 - SOS (Service Operating System) and how it differs from EOS for field service 13. 15:18 - Weekly meetings, quarterly rocks, and leaving the ego at the door 14. 16:34 - Marketing: the agency hiccup and why existing client outreach is the best lead source 15. 17:33 - TikTok going viral during a Texas freeze: 1 million views, no production budget 16. 19:51 - Google organic, PPC, and the LSA campaign that took two years to rebuild 17. 22:08 - Biggest agency frustrations: authenticity and language precision 18. 27:30 - Three-year vision: becoming the education company for trades in North Texas 19. 28:53 - Advice for new plumbing company owners: look inside the gray 20. 29:36 - What homeowners need to know about licensing, inspections, and home maintenance #PlumbingBusiness #HomeServices #Entrepreneurship #EverydayExcellence #ClearwaterPlumbing #FortWorth #TradesBusiness #CompanyCulture #TikTok #BusinessGrowth #Trades