Our Story

All About Gugino Heating, Plumbing, & Air Conditioning

How It All Started

(As told by local author, Brett W. Gould)

Most great stories start from the collision of what you think you know and what surprises you. If this were a "Hollywood" plot line, you would hear about a young boy who grew up in his dad's shop. The boy would have worked alongside his dad until he reached the age where he could become the "son" in the namesake of the family business.


Those stories are great. They are a lot of fun. They give you all the butterflies you'd expect a completely predictable story to provide.

But…


Then there are the stories of courage. The ones where you cheer for the underdog because you can't believe what it is they are about to try. You tell yourself that you would have the courage to do what they are doing. But in reality, if we are being completely truthful, we'd run in the opposite direction.


And that is where the story of this family business begins.


Nick had honed his craft working locally for J&M Plumbing…, but at the age of 53, Nick and Rita Gugino decided it was time for a change. They stepped out and took on a challenge because they saw an opportunity where most would have been paralyzed by fear. 


Their bags were packed. And not just for a vacation, but a total family relocation. 


They were headed for Las Vegas, Nevada.


And in one last-minute conversation, everything changed.


Rather than pick their family up and move across the country, the Guginos went across town and picked up a van.


A red one, to be exact.


Have you ever wondered why all of the Gugino Plumbing & Heating Vans are red? Maybe you haven't. But now that I pose the question, I'd bet you are curious as to what the answer is. It's these little details that amaze me. They draw me in. They help me understand the pulse behind the heartbeat; that is the back story. They explain how what may seem insignificant to the average passerby becomes integral to who the business will become.


The answer?


The old "Evening Observer" was selling one of their newspaper delivery vans.


It was the right price. And it was red. Nick's son, Jim, doctored it up a bit. There were shadows from where the old "Evening Observer" was written on the van, so Jim grabbed a paintbrush and literally fill in the shadows with the closest red paint they could find!


And ever since that day decades ago…the Gugino brand embraced that deep beautiful red as their own.


Nick Gugino drove that van back to where it would all start.


His barn.


It was 1973. One man. One van. One barn.


And over the next several decades, Nick and Rita took their dream and turned it into a staple…a fixture (pun intended if you would be so kind as to allow me to have a little fun sharing their story with you)…in the Northern Chautauqua County community.


Today, the numbers look different, but the integrity that changed them remains the same.


Nine employees. 


Five vans.

All over your community.


As the business moved from the barn it began in, so did the products and services that the Gugino brand offered.


From its roots in Plumbing and Heating, it has grown into several key areas to serve the changing needs of our community. Air Conditioning, Repair and Routine Maintenance, Duct Cleaning and Sanitizing, Sewer, and Drain Video/Inspection/Cleaning…and the newest expansion of their Bella Casa Kitchen & Bath Design/Sales.


Thirty years after Nick and Rita chose New York over Nevada, their son Dave purchased the family business in 2003. With over 30 years in the industry himself, he was well-positioned to take the family business into the next generation and continue to grow the brand.


(This is the part where you get your "boy follows in his dad's footsteps moment." See… I've got your back. This story just keeps getting better!)


Dave is a Licensed Master Plumber and "NATE" (North American Technician Excellence) Certified Heating Technician. That means that he's the guy you want on the job, making sure that when it's bonkers degrees below anything comfortable, you are snug as a bug in a rug.


Cathy (Dave's wife) oversees the Kitchen and Bath design and sales division known as "Bella Casa." To say that is all she does is about as large an understatement as mankind may ever know. 


Think Gorilla glue. That is what Cathy is to the family business. And if you don't know what that means, grab a computer and fire up Google. I promise it'll all make sense after that.


The team that Dave and Cathy have put around them is the reason they aren't in a barn anymore.


Nine other team members cover everything from office work to customers' needs in their homes. 


After meeting with the Gugino family and the team that works for them, I've learned something.


They are as legit as Babe Ruth was when he pointed at the incoming pitch before he ever saw it. 


Babe called his shot because he was confident in his ability to deliver the clutch hit his team needed.


The Gugino family is no different.


They know their stuff.


And no matter the product or service they recommend, it's the promise that backs it up that impresses me.


They have said for years that they are…


"Your hometown, home-comfort specialist."


I think…let me correct that…I KNOW…why, now.


They live here.


They play here.


They spend their hard-earned money here.

Why?


Your comfort.


It's what makes them special.


Their heart is to make your home a place of comfort, 

so those around you feel the same way.


Comfortable. Safe. At home.


After many hours talking with the Gugino family and the incredible team of professionals they are blessed to have in the trenches with them (sometimes it's literally the trenches!), that is what I've come to learn…


They are, on every level, home-comfort specialists.


I like to think of it this way…


Jesus started in a barn.


So, the Guginos are in some pretty good company.


That's my take.


And I think you'll feel the same way once you invite them into your home.

Call (716) 679-0080 to speak to our team.

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